Setting up a steam table for selling hot dogs is a very important part of the process. I have been experimenting with different set-ups for a while and it did take me a bit of trial and error to get things right. For different customer volumes you want to have a different set-up for your steam table. There are a few basics to cover before we go into specific set-ups and I will take you through them first.
You will have a number of different parts of the steam table when you are selling hot dogs.
The steam table itself is designed with standard dimensions. The steam pans are the metal containers that are used to steam and hold your hot food. The pans come in various sizes. There are four different sizes. Full, half, third and ninth size pans. You can also get three different depths which are 6", 4" and 2". Finally you can get different lids with notched lids, normal pan lids and hinged dome lids. So which one to choose? The selection is confusing so I will break it down to make your job easier. When you are selling hot dogs, the pan set-up you choose will either make it easy or it will make it difficult.
Selling hot dogs with a good steam table set-up is a two part decision process. You need to decide what customer volume you intend on serving and these fall into two categories: busy and steady.
So lets go over the set-up for a busy customer volume and what your steam table should look like.
Busy:
The deciding factor when selling hot dogs to a busy customer volume is the supply of warm buns.
Buns take up a bit of room, so you should plan to have a lot of room to keep your buns. There is a product called a steam bun hood which sits on top of a pan and acts like a raised roof, meaning there are more buns to stack into it. This is a must if you plan on selling to a heavy customer volume as you will quickly run out of steamed buns. The only problem with this is you need to be continually taking buns out of the steam hood and replacing them with cold buns. Keeping track of which buns you need to take out can lead to some buns being over steamed and going soggy.
When selling hot dogs to heavy customer volumes it is best to have two separate compartments for your buns. This mean you have one full size pan at 6" deep which you put an inch of water into which makes your steam. You then place two half size perforated pans at 4" deep into the full size 6" pan. This keeps the buns up out of the water and allows the steam to warm the buns. Use a hinged dome lid to cover the two compartments. The added advantage of this set-up is you can also use this same set-up for more steady days.
When you run out of buns in the first compartment you re-fill it with cold buns, then move onto the second compartment of buns which are nice and warm. By the time you have finished with this second compartment, the first compartment of cold buns will be ready and you re-fill the second compartment with cold buns. You repeat this process and you never run out of cold buns.
When you set up a steam table for a busy volume you will need an extra steam table to take care of your onions, hot dogs and other condiments you wish to keep warm.
Set up with a full size steam pan at 6". Use one half size perforated steam pans at 4" deep. This pan will hold your pre-boiled hot dogs. Use three third size pans at 4" deep on the other side. These three pans will hold various condiments like onions, relish and pickles.
So when you are selling hot dogs, the steam table set-up is very important. Getting this right will save you a lot of hassle in the long run.
