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Glossary

Dual-temperature cabinet

A single commercial cabinet split into a refrigerated section and a frozen section, each with its own door and usually its own temperature control.

Also called: Dual-temp reach-in, Fridge-freezer combination

Dual-temperature cabinets put chilled and frozen storage in one body. The two compartments are separated by an insulated partition and are usually served by separate evaporators, and often separate refrigeration systems, so each holds its own setpoint. A common arrangement is a two-door upright with a refrigerator on one side and a freezer on the other.

The benefit is convenience in tight spaces: a small café or hotel pantry gets both temperatures in the floor area of one cabinet. The trade-off is that each section is smaller than a dedicated cabinet, and if the unit shares one system, a fault can take out both temperatures at once. Check whether the sections are truly independent before buying.

A boutique hotel in Goa with a compact room-service pantry might keep milk, cut fruit and desserts in the chilled side and ice cream, frozen parathas and ice in the frozen side of one dual-temp cabinet.