What is a bakery fridge?
A bakery fridge is an upright commercial fridge built around bakers trays. Instead of shelves it has pairs of tray slides (runners) down each side, so full trays go from the bench into the fridge and on to the oven without being unloaded. That saves handling and floor space, and it protects delicate products like laminated dough, croissants, fillings and decorated cakes. You'll also hear them called bakers fridges or tray fridges.
Bakery fridge vs a standard upright fridge
A standard commercial upright fridge uses gastronorm (GN 2/1) shelves sized for pans and containers. Bakers trays are a different shape, so they either don't fit or sit on a shelf with wasted space above them. A bakery fridge:
- holds trays on slides at close spacing, so far more product fits in the same floor space
- is deeper than most upright fridges, to suit full-length trays
- keeps trays flat and separate, so nothing gets stacked or squashed
If you mostly store tubs, pans and containers, a regular upright fridge will suit you better.
Bakery fridge or dough retarder?
This page has two kinds of cabinet:
- Bakery fridges (chillers) run at normal chilled temperatures, around +2°C, for dough, fillings, creams and finished stock.
- Dough retarders can run colder, from -5°C to +3°C. Cold slows yeast down, and the colder range gives you more control over overnight and longer holds, so you can shape today and bake tomorrow on your own schedule.
A retarder doesn't warm up or add humidity to prove the dough for you. If you want one cabinet that holds dough cold and then switches to proving on a timer, look at the retarder prover in our Commercial Dough Proofers range.
How to choose the right bakery fridge
1. Match your trays
Check this first, because the slides are sized for particular trays:
- Australian bakers trays, 16 or 18 inches wide and 30 inches long, the traditional size in Australian bakeries.
- 600 x 400mm trays, used in European-style patisseries and taken by many bakery convection ovens and combi ovens, so trays can go straight from the fridge to the oven.
- 600 x 800mm trays, double the area of a 600 x 400mm tray, for bigger production runs.
Some models take more than one size. The range list below shows which trays each one suits. Trays aren't included with any model.
2. Count usable tray levels
Count the trays you need chilled at your busiest time, such as overnight dough, fillings and finished stock, and allow room to grow. Our range runs from 10 to 40 tray levels. Slides sit close together (75mm apart on some models), so if you store tall items such as cakes or proofed loaves you may need to leave every second slide empty, which halves the usable levels.
3. Check the temperature and the room rating
Australian food safety rules require chilled food to be kept at 5°C or colder, and bakeries get hot. Every model on this page is rated to keep working in a room of 40°C, and the FED-X model to 43°C, which matters when the fridge sits near ovens and provers.
4. Measure the space and the way in
Single door models are 700 to 740mm wide and double door models 1225 to 1466mm wide. Depths run from 824 to 990mm and heights from 1974 to 2128mm, so check doorways, corridors and ceiling height on the way in, as well as room for the doors to swing open. Delivery is by tailgate truck to your door.
5. Power
Every model here is a plug-in cabinet for a standard 10 amp power point. Bigger cabinets draw more current, so give them a circuit that isn't shared with ovens or mixers where you can. We supply the equipment only.
Our bakery fridges and retarders
For 16 or 18 inch bakers trays, or 600 x 400mm trays
- Bakers Mate BMC1: bakery fridge, single door, 16 pairs of runners, set at +2°C, 550 litres, 700W x 940D x 1980H mm
- Bakers Mate BMC2: bakery fridge, double door, 32 pairs of runners, set at +2°C, 1250 litres, 1225W x 940D x 1980H mm
- Williams Crystal RC1TSS: dough retarder, single door, 20 pairs of slides fitted for 18 inch, 16 inch or 600 x 400mm trays (you choose when you order), -5°C to +3°C, 730 litres, 737W x 922D x 2128H mm, made in Australia
- Williams Crystal RC2TSS: dough retarder, double door, 40 pairs of slides (same size choice), -5°C to +3°C, 1630 litres, 1466W x 922D x 2128H mm, made in Australia
For 600 x 400mm trays
- Williams Garnet Bakery RGB1SSHC: dough retarder, single door, 10 pairs of slides, -5°C to +3°C, 610 litres, 727W x 824D x 1974H mm, R290 natural refrigerant, made in Australia
- Williams Garnet Bakery RGB2SSHC: dough retarder, double door, 20 pairs of slides, -5°C to +3°C, 1270 litres, 1400W x 824D x 1974H mm, R290 natural refrigerant, made in Australia
For 600 x 800mm trays
- FED-X XPA800TN: bakery chiller, single door, 10 trays on adjustable runners, -2°C to +5°C, 737 litres, 740W x 990D x 2000H mm, 3 star energy rating
Every model has a matching bakery freezer built on the same cabinet, so a pair lines up neatly side by side. See our Bakery Freezers. Warranty depends on the maker and is listed on each product page.
Delivery and our price-beat guarantee
We deliver Australia-wide by tailgate truck: usually 2 to 5 business days to Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide, 4 to 8 days to Perth and Tasmania, and 4 to 12 days to the rest of Australia. Standard delivery doesn't include carrying up stairs or positioning, so just ask if you need that. Prices are shown inc GST with the ex GST price alongside, and they're already below RRP. Found a lower price elsewhere? Send us the link or quote under our Price-Beat Guarantee and we'll send you a one-off discount code.
Bakery fridge FAQs
Do you sell Bakers Buddy cabinets?
No. Bakers Buddy is the name another Australian supplier uses for its own range of bakery cabinets, and we don't stock that range. If you're shopping for one, the bakery fridges and dough retarders on this page do the same job: upright cabinets with tray slides instead of shelves. Check which trays you use and how many tray levels you need, then compare the models above.
Can I put trays straight in from the oven?
Not while they're hot. A bakery fridge keeps cold food cold. It isn't built to pull heat out of hot product quickly, and a load of hot trays warms everything else in the cabinet. Let baked goods cool first. For cooked fillings and other cooked food, food safety rules say to cool it from 60°C to 21°C within 2 hours and then to 5°C within the next 4 hours, and a blast chiller is the fastest way to do that.
Can a bakery fridge prove dough?
No. Bakery fridges and retarders only hold dough cold. To prove dough at a set warm temperature and humidity, you need a dough proofer, or a retarder prover that does both.