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Catering & Event Equipment
Catering equipment has one extra job: the food has to survive the trip. Insulated carriers and holding cabinets keep it at safe service temperature, bain marie trolleys serve it at the other end, and portable units cook where there is no kitchen. Commercial Kitchen Appliances supplies the lot, ex-GST.
- Australia-wide delivery
- SilverChef finance available
- Manufacturer-backed warranty
- Granville showroom
Popular in this range
A selection from 104 products, priced ex-GST.
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-32% -
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-32% -
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-32%
Who this range is for
Catering companies, function and event venues, mobile caterers, and any kitchen that cooks in one place and serves in another. The defining constraint is not cooking - it is holding food at a safe temperature through transport and a long service window.
How an off-site service is equipped
Catering equipment has one job a restaurant kitchen never faces: the food has to survive the journey and then hold through service. Work backwards from the service window, because that is what dictates holding capacity - not the size of the base kitchen.
1
Hot holding
The stage that decides whether food is still safe and still good when it reaches the guest.
| Holding cabinets | Holds cooked food at safe service temperature without continuing to cook it. |
| Hot bain maries | Wet or dry holding for sauces, sides and mains through a long service. |
| Soup kettles | Self-contained holding for soups and wet dishes at station. |
2
Transport
Insulated transport is what makes the temperature rules achievable off site.
| Food carriers | Insulated boxes that hold temperature without power in transit. |
| Catering trolleys | Moves loaded gastronorm between kitchen, van and service point. |
| Bain marie trolleys | Heated trolleys that transport and then serve from the same unit. |
3
Service point
Where you have no kitchen, the equipment has to be self-sufficient.
| Portable bain maries | Plug-in holding for buffet and function service. |
| Induction cooking | Live cooking at station with no gas and far less ambient heat. |
| Cold bain maries | Refrigerated wells for salads and desserts held through service. |
4
Base kitchen
Production happens before the event, which means cooling and cold storage matter more than they would in a restaurant.
| Blast chillers | The reliable way to meet the legal cooling curve on food prepped ahead. |
| Food storage containers | Standardised gastronorm so product stacks, racks and travels predictably. |
| Stainless benches | Assembly and packing space. Catering runs on bench area more than most kitchens. |
Heated holding vs insulated transport
Most caterers need both, and confusing the two is a common and risky mistake. One actively maintains temperature; the other only slows the loss. Which you use depends on how long the food is out of the kitchen.
| Heated holding (powered) | Insulated carrier (unpowered) | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Actively heats to maintain temperature indefinitely | Insulation only - slows heat loss, does not add heat |
| Needs power | Yes, at the service point | No - which is what makes it useful in a van |
| Hold duration | Sustained, through a full service window | Limited, and declining from the moment it is closed |
| Use it for | Service and buffet holding once you have arrived | The journey between kitchen and venue |
| Food safety risk | Low, provided it is at temperature before loading | Higher - monitor and record, and keep transit short |
What drives the cost of a catering setup
We have not published dollar ranges, because catering spend tracks your largest event rather than your average one, and a generic figure would mislead. What we can tell you is what moves the total.
Holding capacity is the dominant factor - measured in gastronorm pans held at temperature, not in covers. After that: how far food has to travel, which determines how much insulated transport you need; whether you serve from a fixed venue or set up cold each time, which decides how much portable equipment is required; and whether you prep ahead at volume, which brings blast chilling into scope.
Buy holding and transport capacity for your biggest job. Everything else can be hired for a one-off; holding capacity is what caps the size of event you can safely accept.
For a real figure on your own operation, send us your service details and we will quote it. Finance is available through SilverChef, with approvals up to around $65,000 in about five minutes.
Temperature control for off-site catering
The core rule. Under Food Standards Code 3.2.2, potentially hazardous food must be kept at 60°C or above when hot, or 5°C or below when cold. Off-site service is where this is hardest to hold, which is why powered holding and insulated transport are equipment decisions rather than nice-to-haves.
Cooling ahead of an event. Anything cooked in advance must be cooled from 60°C to 21°C within two hours, then 21°C to 5°C within a further four. Ambient or walk-in cooling will not achieve that on hot bulk product, which is why caterers prepping ahead need blast chilling rather than just cold storage.
Records and monitoring. Most catering operations run a documented food safety program with temperature checks at loading and at service as critical control points. Requirements vary by state and by the kind of food you handle, so confirm with your local council or state food authority - off-site catering is often regulated differently from a fixed premises.
Catering equipment FAQs
What temperature does hot food have to be held at?
60°C or above for potentially hazardous food, under Food Standards Code 3.2.2 - and cold food at 5°C or below. The practical implication for caterers is that food must already be at temperature before it goes into transport, because insulated carriers slow heat loss rather than adding heat.
Can I use insulated boxes instead of heated holding?
Not as a substitute. Insulated carriers are excellent for the journey, but they only slow temperature loss and the food is cooling from the moment they close. For a service window of any length you need powered holding at the service point. Most caterers use insulated transport to get there and heated holding once they arrive.
How much holding capacity do I need?
Size it on your largest event, measured in gastronorm pans held at temperature - not on covers or on your average job. Holding capacity is what caps the size of event you can safely accept, and it is the one thing that is difficult to hire at short notice in the quantity you need.
Do I need a blast chiller for catering?
If you cook ahead at volume, yes. The legal cooling curve requires food to drop from 60°C to 21°C within two hours and to 5°C within a further four, and a walk-in will not achieve that on hot bulk product. Caterers cooking to order on site can often manage without one.
Why use induction for live station cooking?
No gas to run or certify at a temporary venue, far less ambient heat near guests, and precise control on a small footprint. It needs ferrous flat-based pans, so factor in replacing incompatible ones. For function and buffet stations it removes most of the compliance friction that portable gas brings.
Does off-site catering have different rules from a restaurant?
Often, yes. The temperature requirements are the same, but off-site and mobile operations are frequently regulated differently, and some councils require separate notification or approval for catering away from your registered premises. Confirm with your local council or state food authority rather than assuming your premises approval covers it.
Supplying another kind of venue? We stock commercial kitchen equipment for every trade in Australian food service.
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