The Vollrath Company has built a legacy on empowering chefs to be their best, with a history dating all the way back to 1874 when Jacob J. Vollrath founded the Sheboygan Cast Steel Co. in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. The company manufactured a variety of steel solutions, including railroad frogs, cast iron parts for furniture, cooking ranges, and agricultural supplies. Flash forward to current day and it’s easy to see why Vollrath has become a leader in the foodservice industry with their diverse assortment of cookware, utensils, serving and display solutions, food and beverage transport, and so much more.
Vollrath steam table pans are one of their most popular product lines, and for good reason. The range of options fits any budget, and their innovative manufacturing creates much-needed efficiencies on the prep and serving line. All Vollrath pans are proudly produced in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S.A.
Vollrath’s signature Super Pan® series is industry-renowned for their durability, functionality, and presentation. This series houses the Super Pan 3®, Super Pan V®, Super Shapes, and accommodating accessories to help operators get the most out of their pans.
The Vollrath Super Pan V®
The Vollrath Super Pan V® replaced the innovative Vollrath Super Pan II®, featuring an upgraded design and more benefits for serving and display operations. It works with all the Super Pan II accessories, including covers, false bottoms, wire grates, and more.
Hailed for its strength against everyday commercial usage, Vollrath’s Super Pan V is constructed of 22 gauge, high-quality 300 series stainless steel with newly engineered pour corners that make these pans up to 300% stronger than traditional food pans on the market. They’re resistant to dents and dings in even the most hectic of kitchen environments.
The Super Pan V® are also manufactured with smooth curves and a bright finish for a gleaming presentation, and they’re easy to clean which allows users to continue presenting their food beautifully for a long time.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the Super Pan V comes in the form of operational savings as compared to traditional economy steam table pans. Economy food pans aren’t ideal for optimal food presentation, and their designs are often inefficient at keeping heat and steam in. This compromises safe food serving temperatures and increases energy costs, HVAC costs, and the burden on heating elements, shortening the lifespan of your steam table.
Vollrath Super Pans, on the other hand, features an exclusive corner and edge design that stays flat on the steam table for maximum efficiency, saving money. Third party testing based on eight hours a day, 311 days a year found that the Super Pan saved users an annual average of $36 on energy costs per well and is 38% more efficient in terms of hourly kilowatt usage.
The Vollrath Super Pan V® vs. Super Pan 3®
In addition to the Super Pan V, Vollrath also produces the popular Super Pan 3®. On the surface, they share many similarities. Both are designed for enhanced efficiencies and presentation, saving the end-user on utility costs and increases the longevity of their steam table. Both are constructed out of durable 22-gauge, 300 series stainless steel, which make them resilient against dings and the daily wear and tear of commercial foodservice environments. Both are available around the same price point. So, what makes these similarly styled Super Pans different?
For starters, the Super Pan V® replaced the popular Vollrath Super Pan II® and is designed to still be used with Super Pan II® accessories. The Super Pan V® is credited with being the best of the Super Pan II® and 3 with improvements in overall look to ensure food displays have a polished presentation. So confident is Vollrath in the design and structural integrity of the Super Pan V® that they’ve backed it with a limited lifetime warranty that will replace the pan if anything happens to it during normal use.
The Super Pan V® features an additional design improvement over the Super Pan 3® – easy-to-pour corners. These enable operators to quickly and effortlessly remove the pan from the steam table for ease of cleaning and refilling, and are up to 300% stronger than traditional food pans.
Whereas different sizes are available for both the Super Pan V® and the Super Pan 3® (full-size, half-size, third-size, etc.; all with varying capacities), the Super Pan V is the only one that features an eight-size option that offers 40% more capacity than the ninth-size option. This reduces the number of empty pans and the time it takes to refill them.
The Vollrath Super Pan 3® isn’t without its own unique benefit. They’re still popular within the United States and often considered the standard for school cafeterias. However, they’re much more prominent on the European market because of their Gastronorm compliance (EN631-1), a European standard often used worldwide in the catering and commercial foodservice industry, applying specifically to kitchenware trays and container sizes. It’s a system of fractional sizing that allows purchasers to quickly see what pans can be substituted for what, a huge perk for configuring your steam table layout. For example, a GN 1/1 (full-size) pan can readily be substituted for two GN ½ (half-size) food pans. Most common Gastronorm sizes include GN 2/1, GN 1/1, GN 2/3, GN 2/4, GN ½, GN 1/3, GN ¼, GN 1/6, and GN 1/9.
Main Features and Benefits of the Vollrath Super Pan V®
- Considered the best of the best
- 22-gauge, 300-stainless steel construction
- Resistant to daily wear and tear of a commercial kitchen
- Easy to clean
- Smooth curves and bright finish for an elegant presentation
- Energy savings and improved efficiency for steam table operation
- Accommodates Super Pan II® accessories
- Easy-to-pour corners are up to 300% stronger than traditional steam table food pans
- Eight-size pan available
- NSF-listed
- Made in the U.S.A.
- Limited lifetime warranty
Main Features and Benefits of the Vollrath Super Pan 3®
- 22-gauge, 300 series stainless steel construction
- Resistant to daily wear and tear of a commercial kitchen
- Easy to clean
- Energy savings and improved efficiency for steam table operation
- Anti-jamming lugs and reinforced spouted-shape corners
- Pans and accessories meet Gastronorm (EN631-1) standard for worldwide use, designed to serve the European market
- NSF-listed
- Made in the U.S.A.
Vollrath High-Temperature Plastic Super Pans
Vollrath also produces the Super Pan in a high-temperature plastic option for use in steam tables and storage. Constructed of high-temperature resin, these pans feature a temperature range of -40°F to 375°F. Like both the Super Pan V® and the Super Pan 3®, they’re available in a range of styles, including full, half, half-long, third, fourth, sixth, and ninth sizes; and they’re available in a translucent Amber for quick visibility of the contents, or in black. They are not recommended for use in ovens or combi-steamers.
Also like their Super Pan siblings, they are made in the U.S.A. and NSF-listed.
Vollrath Super Shape Pans and Configuring Your Food Pans
Compatible with both the Super V® and the Super Pan 3® are Vollrath’s Super Shape Food Pans, designed to bring extra pizzaz to food presentation. The Vollrath Super Shape lineup features a variety of unique shapes to enhance food presentation, creating an upscale look with minimal investment. Also constructed of durable 22-gauge, 300-series stainless steel, made in the U.S.A., and NSF-listed, these pans stack neatly within themselves for easy storage.
Acquiring a variety of different size food pans gives users more flexibility within their product display and offerings. You’ll want to ensure you have the right adapter bar designed to fit the configuration you want. Adapter bars keep food pans steadily in place in the wells and prevent excess heat and steam from escaping, keeping products at safe serving temperatures while your steam table continues to run at optimal efficiency.
This pan layout reference outlines common considerations and correct adapter bars for each size or Super Shape style. Click here for a printable version.
Vollrath Adapter Bars
- Vollrath 75020 – 20” Stainless Steel Adaptor Bar – Central Model #913-V43
- Vollrath 75012 – 12” Stainless Steel Adaptor Bar – Central Model #913-V42
- Vollrath 56680 – T-Shaped Stainless Steel Adaptor Bar – Central Model #913-V17
- Vollrath 75015 – Stainless Steel Adaptor Bar for Half-Size Long Wild Super Shape Pan – Central Model #913-162
- Vollrath 75013 – Stainless Steel Adaptor Bar for Half or Third-Size Wild Super Shape Pans – Central Model #913-706
Vollrath Super Pan Accessories and Options
Get the most out of your Super Pan® purchase with the right options and accessories. Keep in mind that the Super Pan V® will accommodate Super Pan II® and Super Pan V® accessories, while the Super Pan 3® will only accept those designed specifically for those pans.
Vollrath Super Pan V Options and Accessories
- Super Pan V Perforated Pans – ideal for steaming foods or draining away fats, juices, and moisture
- Super Pan V with Nonstick Interior – PFOA-free nonstick coating with a black interior that enhances both cold and hot food presentation with a temperature tolerance of -20°F to 450°F; not recommended for use with metal utensils
- Super Pan V False Bottoms – hold food above the pan bottom for easy draining and cleanup; feature finger holds for easy removal from pan
- Super Pan V Wire Grates – the only fully stainless steel grate in the industry; construction eliminates peeling or cracking from salty foods; ideal for roasting, cooling, icing, displaying, or drying; oven safe
- Super Pan V Solid and Slotted Covers – stainless steel construction with reinforced edges that provide additional strength to the cover’s perimeter
- Super Pan V Flexible Pan Lids – made of low-density polyethylene, these lids allow pans to be stacked for space-saving cold food storage; temperature range of -20°F to 190°F
Vollrath Super Pan 3 Options and Accessories
- Super Pan 3 Perforated Pans – ideal for steaming foods or draining away fats, juices, and moisture
- Super Pan 3 with Nonstick Interior – PFOA-free nonstick coating with a black interior that enhances both cold and hot food presentation with a temperature tolerance of -20°F to 450°F; not recommended for use with metal utensils
- Super Pan 3 Cook-Chill Cover – offers rapid, uniform chilling and rethermalization, specifically designed for use in the cook-chill process
- Super Pan 3 Flexible Pan Lids – made of low-density polyethylene, these lids allow pans to be stacked for space-saving cold food storage; temperature range of -20°F to 190°F
Chase joined Central Restaurant Products in February 2016 as a Content Specialist, bringing to the role years of various foodservice experience, including front-of-house service (slingin’ chicken wings and libations with a smile on his face) and back-of-house food prep using heavy-duty commercial cooking equipment to prepare for peak dining hours at his university’s dining hall.
He puts this experience to use writing for Central’s Resource Center, website, and print catalog. ServSafe certified, he enjoys educating on food safety in the commercial setting, researching new dining room and tabletop trends, and sharing innovative solutions to enhance operational efficiencies. He also enjoys (in no specific order) long hikes with his dog, bingeing 90s sitcoms, red wine, and live music.
