Hot food transporting and holding methods

Regeneration trolleys. These are used for the actual heating of frozen or chilled food up to serving temperature. This reheating system requires a more powerful heating system and therefore more substantial and expensive power supply. Food can be loaded plated or in bulk and the heating system allows the food to be reheated close to the point of service, the typical reheat time is approximately 1 hour.

Like mobile hot cupboards, regeneration trolleys can also be manufactured for hot and cold food transport and regeneration. Trays can be provided which have one half cold for chilled food such as dessert or salad and the other half hot carrying the hot meal. Regeneration trolleys are widely used in schools, hospitals and other sites where food is prepared in a central production kitchen and transported either to satelite food preparation areas or to where it is served. 

Mobile Hot Cupboards (e.g. Hospital food trolleys) These are generally a well insulated trolley which may or may not have it's own heating system for holding or regeneration. Trolleys can use internal heating elements to hold hot food prior to transporting from one place to another and this heating system can use an electrical power supply at the point of use to heat up to recover from heat losses whilst doors are opened and closed during service. Some Hot food insulated trolleys have built in steam generation / humidifiers to prevent skinning of sauces and drying of food. Food transport trolleys can be designed to carry both hot and cold food either in plated meal form or in bulk. 

Illuminated and heated gantries and bain-maries can be incorporated along with aesthetically pleasing finishes up to board room furniture standard.

Insulated Transport Boxes (Thermoboxes or thermal boxes)  Insulated  transport boxes are often used for transporting food for longer distances or where the food will spend a greater time away from a power source. The Thermobox type of transport box are an extremely light, durable and low cost method of hot or cold food transportation. There are also heavier transport boxes with a plastic skin and some type of foam insulation. The domestic type coolboxes are not well enough constructed and do not insulate well enough for comnmercial use. Thermoboxes come in a multitude of sizes from boxes for transporting food in single plated meal quantities up to large gastronorm transport boxes for transporting hot, chilled or frozen food in bulk. Cooling, heating and heat boosting systems are available for Thermoboxes.