Food Pans and Hotel Pans

Used in the front of the house serving lines and back of the house food storage and cooking, stainless steel steam table pans, food pans and deep hotel pans are critical for the institutional kitchen. Shop our selection of full-size steam table pans and half-size steam table pans below. Hotel pans are most often referred to as steam table pans, or counter pans. There is nothing mysterious here: hotel pans are often used for serving and holding in steam tables.

Steam table pans, also referred to as food pans or hotel pans, are used daily in food prep, cooking and food storage. They are also a staple of the buffet or serving line. You can purchase hotel pans in a variety of sizes and some in unique shapes designed for front of the house applications. The most used size is the full size pan which is 20-3/4” x 12-3/4” and available in depths from 2” to 8”. The dimensions of other steam table pan sizes are all based off the full size pan, like the half size, 1/3 size and so on. Cook’s carries steam table pans, hotel pans, food pans and lids from top manufactures including Vollrath, Economy, Cambro, Carlisle, Winco and many more. We also carry accessories like adapter bars, drain shelves, false bottoms, and perforated pans for steaming. If you need help in finding the food pans and hotel pans you need for your institutional foodservice kitchen, you can contact our customer service team at 866-613-2617. A customer service representative will walk you through your purchase with helpful information about hotel pans and food pans that will assist you in your decision.

Selection Help

When selecting the best commercial food pans or hotel pans for your institutional foodservice kitchen, you will want to take into consideration the following things:

Do I need lids for my food pans and if so; do I want solid hotel pan lids, slotted lids, or flexible pan lids?
Do I want plastic or high heat food pans rather than traditional stainless steel steam table pans?
Do I need a perforated hotel pans or steam table pan for items that may need draining or steaming capabilities?
What hotel pan sizes are ideal for me? For instance: Full-size hotel pan dimensions are 12" X 20", Half-hotel pan sizes are standard 12" x 10", Quarter size food pans are typically 6" x 10", and half pan longs can be 6" X 20". It really just depends on your needs.
Should I purchase a heavy duty 20 gauge stainless steel pan like the Vollrath Super Pan, or will a lighter weight economy hotel pan suit my needs?

Expert Advice

Whether you are selecting steam table pans for use in your community center institutional kitchen or high heat food pans for your banquet facility, you will want to consider closely what is the best fit for you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call one of our experts.