What is the Best Temperature to Store Milk in a Milk Cooler?
Milk is an essential component to school cafeterias and lunch programs. Many studies have shown that more than half of school age children lack the recommended amount of dietary calcium and other nutrients. Milk is a key provider of these nutrients. How do we encourage kids to drink more milk? Keep it cold. State health departments via the FDA enforce milk serving temperatures between 33 to 41 degrees fahrenheit. Milk served at warmer temperatures is less palatable and unsafe for consumption. Once milk temperature rises above 41 degrees, its shelf life drops considerably and can emit foul odors and tastes due to bacterial growth. Powers Equipment’s milk coolers are the perfect solution for your school and commercial milk cooler needs.
Considerations in Selecting a Milk Cooler for Your Cafeteria
Milk coolers are present in nearly all commercial food serving establishments. In some cases, they are mandatory. There are three important considerations in selecting your milk cooler:
- Milk safety within the milk cooler
- User accessibility to the milk cooler
- Staff loading and maintenance of the milk cooler
Another consideration is the construction of your milk cooler. At Powers Equipment, we provide the highest quality and craftsmanship in our milk coolers. Our exterior stainless steel or powder coated finishes are the industry’s most durable units. Three points of construction that are critical in selecting the best unit for your facility are:
- Type of Door: Your milk cooler has several different access doors for your students or patrons. Made from the same materials as the exteriors, their doors feature excellent operation systems for trouble-free of use. Units are designed for single and double-sided access and sliding top-access lid covers. Depending on your application, these milk coolers can meet your specific application.
- Size: When selecting a milk cooler, the size of the unit is especially important. The physical size of the unit is critical to fit the specific space in your facility. The volume or capacity that the milk cooler can hold needs to also be considered. At Powers Equipment, we carry three different unit sizes. They range from 8 to 16 case capacity to meet your specifications. Restocking the unit should be a key consideration when selecting your milk cooler capacity.
- Temperature Maintenance: Your milk cooler’s ability to maintain the proper temperature is an essential consideration when selecting a unit for your facility. Digital thermometers are another temperature maintenance tool that are of great convenience to your staff. Milk coolers are typically cooled by either a forced-air refrigeration or a cold-wall evaporator.
Our milk coolers utilize the more efficient and quieter cold-wall technology for years. Cold-wall technology also allows for greater storage capacity. Powers Equipment is also environmentally responsible; we now use R-290 hydrocarbon refrigerant which is extremely efficient and does not harm the ozone layer. We power our units with 1/5 horsepower condensing units to keep your products at the optimal temperature.
How to Prevent Temperature Inefficiencies in Your Milk Cooler
Our equipment is built to prevent any temperature inefficiencies, starting with the high quality materials used in their manufacturing. High-density insulation paired with a powerful condensing unit will keep your milk cold. The placement of your milk cooler can have a great impact on its ability to maintain its proper cooling temperature. Placing a unit with an air curtain in an area that is subject to significant external air movement can significantly affect its ability to maintain the proper temperature for your products. Your consumers’ access to the milk cooler will affect its ability to maintain its temperature, as well as how the unit is restocked and the frequency of the restocking.
Powers Equipment Manufactures Milk Coolers to Keep Milk Cold & Fresh!
Milk is a staple menu item in school cafeterias. Powers Equipment prides itself on constructing the finest and most dependable milk coolers to satisfy the needs for our children. Our milk coolers carry the NSF/ANSI food safety and UL/CSA safety standards. A Powers Equipment milk cooler is Energy Star efficient, low maintenance, quiet, and durable. We can customize our milk coolers to your needs. Contact Powers Equipment today to receive a free quote.