A cheese melter can help restaurants, cafés, and other eateries offer superb, rapid cheese melting for everything from grilled cheese to pizza bagels and more.
What are Commercial Cheese Melters?
Cheese melters are exactly what they sound like: appliances designed to melt cheese. These units can do a lot, including:
- Warm up plates
- Toast or warm up bread
- Melt cheese
Warm up a hot sub in the melter or melt cheese on top of nachos. If your eatery offers a lot of melted cheese options, owning a professional cheese melter will free up large appliances and allow for even, rapid melting.
What to Consider When Buying a Cheese Melter
Cheese melters are simple units without a lot of advanced features, but the functions that they offer must be considered when making your purchase. A few of the things to consider when researching a model to buy include:
- Fuel: Do you need an electric or gas cheese melter? Choose the fuel type that you already use in your restaurant.
- Timers: Set it and forget it until the timer goes off. Consider models that have timers to make it easier for staff to melt the cheese and reduce the risk of burning the food.
- Capacity: The capacity of the unit is indicated by overall width and length. Opt for a model with larger dimensions if you need to melt cheese on nachos and other food items.
- Racks: How many racks are included? Can the racks be readjusted to improve interior space?
Aside from these features, you’ll want to consider the unit’s BTUs or watts to ensure that it is powerful enough to handle your heating needs.
Crumb trays are another nice addition because they make it easier to clean the unit when crumbs fall to the bottom. While not a necessary feature, crumb trays will speed up cleaning to allow your staff to spend more time cleaning other areas of the kitchen.
6 Best Cheesemelters Reviews
If you’re looking for a cheese melter commercial unit, the models below are some of the best in the world.
1. Admiral Craft BDCHM-36/NG, 35-inch 3 Burners Black Diamond Natural Gas Cheesemelter, 36,000 BTU
Admiral Craft offers a large, 35-inch commercial cheese melter that has three burners and runs on natural gas. This unit offers a staggering 36,000 BTUs and has the following specs:
- 21” length
- 35” width
- 23” height
- 189lb weight
Stainless steel material is easy to clean, and there is a removable crumb tray that also helps make cleanup quick and easy. Users can adjust between four rack positions, and infrared heating ensures even melt.
Click here to view this model.
2. Admiral Craft CHM-1200W, 24-Inch Electric Cheesemelter, 1200W
If you don’t have natural gas and need an electric model, this 1200W unit from Admiral Craft has 24 inches of interior space and is made from stainless steel. The unit is designed to be small and compact, perfect for melting at a lower capacity.
An infinite switch gives users better control over heating, and the rack can be repositioned to allow for more interior space for larger plates.
The unit measures:
- 12” length
- 24” width
- 11” height
- 37.5lb weight
The CHM-1200W comes with a built-in timer that defaults to 15 minutes.
Click here to view this model.
3. Imperial ICMA-36-E, 36-Inch Electric Cheesemelter Broiler, CETLus (Special Order Item)
Imperial offers a larger electric unit than the model above, but you will need to special order this item with us. The unit has a 36-inch width, so you can heat up to 50% more food than with the previous model.
Aluminized steel is chosen to ensure maximum heat retention, and the incoloy heating elements offer even heat distribution.
Multiple zone heating is controlled via knobs and allows for left- and right-side zones, with 208 and 240 volts of power. The unit’s dimensions are:
- 36” width
- 17.25” height
- 162lb weight
The three-phase operation allows you to melt cheese to perfection, and the rack can be loaded and unloaded with ease.
Click here to view this model.
4. Sierra SRCM-24, 24-inch Cheesemelter with 1 Burner, 20,000 BTU
Sierra’s SRCM-24 is a 24-inch model with a single burner that produces 20,000 BTU. The unit is made using top-of-the-line stainless steel and produces 20,000 BTU on a high-efficiency, ceramic burner using infrared heating.
A single burner is present, so you don’t have the option of using heat zones.
However, the rack positions offer three-tier adjustments, and there is a broiler rack and tray to catch crumbs, which can be easily removed for cleaning. The unit’s dimensions are:
- 24” width
- 18” depth
- 20” height
- 68lb weight
Consistent, top-down heat will keep cheese melted while not overcooking the underside of the dish.
Click here to view this model.
5. Omcan FW-CN-0024, 24-inch Natural Gas Infrared Cheese Melter, 20,000 BTU
Omcan’s 24-inch, natural gas cheese melter produces 20,000 BTU and can be used as a cheese melter or a hot plate. Cleanup is quick and easy, thanks to the removable broiler rack and crumb catcher combo.
Infrared heating is used to keep food warm or to melt the cheese.
Measurements for this model are:
- 19” length
- 24” width
- 23” height
- 145lb weight
Top-down heating works similarly to the Sierra with rapid, consistent heating for your food items.
Click here to view this model.
6. Turbo Air TACM-24, 24-Inch Radiance Cheesemelter, CSA
Turbo Air offers the final cheesemelter on our list with radiance heating. Made from stainless steel, this model is durable and heavy, and it can produce up to 20,000 BTU. In addition, the unit is CSA certified in the USA and Canada.
Measurements for this model are:
- 24” width
- 19” height
- 105lb weight
The heavy-duty rack will hold your food, and an adjustable gas valve allows you to have greater control over the unit’s heating.
Click here to view this model.
Cheese melters will add function to your kitchen and allow you to have an easier time melting cheese on sandwiches, nachos and other food items. If you didn’t find a model that you liked in the section above, browse through our full selection of cheesemelters.