
With the rising demand for delivery and take-out, our holding solutions can help you improve the efficiency of your kitchen and give you the flexibility to serve your customers quickly and effectively.
Restaurants, deli’s, and other retail foodservice operations put a great deal of effort into making great food. Yet without some means to preserve fresh product for a reasonable amount of time, the effort—along with a significant portion of food—is wasted. This is more important than ever with the rising demand for delivery and take-out.
UP TO 2X LONGER HOLD TIMES
Heated holding cabinets are traditionally used to keep extra quantities of food hot and tasty. But what holding cabinets REALLY do is produce extra time in the operation of your kitchen. This extra time—a function of how long foods can be held at acceptable quality— can be used in many ways. You can increase equipment utilization and improve your overall efficiency. Depending on the type of food and the quality of your holding equipment, the productivity potential can be significant.
WHAT CAN MORE TIME DO?
“Buying” extra operations time with heated holding cabinets allows you to cook well before the mealtime rush, cook in higher volume, reduce product handling and waste, and efficient menu production. These are just a few examples of how heated holding can extend beyond simply keeping something warm until you need it. In every case, the benefits grow with the length of time that food can be acceptably held – that’s why Henny Penny developed their line of SmartHold cabinets to keep food fresh for up to 2x longer than the average cabinet.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND HOLDING
—It’s harder than it looks, but we make it easy.
Reliable holding equipment preserves quality, keeps food ready to serve, and allows employees to prepare for peak hours while offering additional benefits (click here to read our blog about how kitchens can “buy” extra operations time with heated holding solutions). Getting the most out of your holding equipment is easier said than done, which is why it is important to understand the science behind it.
SMARTHOLD PROOFING & HOLDING

The following chart shows optimal SmartHold cabinet settings for common menu items. In general, settings for a particular item can be applied to similar menu items not shown here. Keep in mind that some foods are more durable than others. When holding a variety of items at the same time, choose temperature and humidity settings closer to those suggested for the more sensitive foods or midway between foods with similar durability.
Food temperatures must remain above the minimum required safe holding temperatures. The USA minimum is 140°F (60°C). If the cabinet door(s) is opened frequently, temperature should be set slightly above the minimum required safe holding temperature.

HOLDING CABINETS, AT A GLANCE
Want to learn more about our SmartHold solutions? Click here.