There are no more standardized kitchen accessories than gastronorm containers—transparent, translucent, or opaque rectangular or square receptacles designed for food storage.

These are items familiar to cooks working in the kitchens of restaurants, senior residences, or institutions, among other settings.

While they are primarily associated with these types of kitchens, they can also prove highly useful for individuals honing their culinary skills in their own home kitchens.

Can gastronorm containers meet some of your kitchen needs? Read on to find the answer to that question.

Camwear Gastronorm Containers

Nearly 90% of the gastronorm containers available at Doyon Després are manufactured by Cambro, a company that has made these containers one of its flagship product categories.

Most of them belong to the Camwear collection, well-known to users of Cambro products, which includes a variety of items for food preparation and service.

What sets them apart from other gastronorm containers—such as the translucent containers or the H-Pan containers from the same brand—is the material they’re made of: a durable, virtually unbreakable plastic.

This plastic isn’t just impact-resistant; it also resists odors and stains, meaning the containers can be thoroughly cleaned and are built to last.

High Resistance to Cold and Heat

Gastronorm containers are characterized by their ability to withstand a fairly wide temperature range. The extent of this range depends on the material they’re made from.

They are commonly used with refrigerated prep tables, which are all equipped with a section designed to easily accommodate these containers.

They can also be stored in refrigeration or freezer units without risk of damage, thanks to their high cold resistance.

Most containers can withstand the heat of a dishwasher, but not the heat from cooking or warming appliances—except for the H-Pan containers.

Varied Sizes and Heights

All gastronorm containers, regardless of the manufacturer, adhere to certain conventions, particularly when it comes to size. There are seven different formats:

• 1/1 Format (commonly called “full size”)
• 1/2 Format (commonly called “half size”)
• 1/3 Format
• 1/4 Format
• 1/6 Format
• 1/8 Format
• 1/9 Format

Lids made for gastronorm containers come in the same sizes. There are numerous options, including with or without handles, with or without notches, and more.

Gastronorm containers can be easily stacked, even when fitted with lids, taking up relatively little storage space.

The height of the containers also follows certain standards. Four options are typically available:

• 2.5" Height
• 4" Height
• 6" Height
• 8" Height

Sizes and heights vary across each collection of gastronorm containers. The most popular collections from manufacturers usually offer a wide range of options.

Complementary Accessories

Cambro, the leading manufacturer in this category, produces accessories for its gastronorm containers, such as drain trays —plates with large slots.

A drain tray can be placed at the bottom of a gastronorm container so that water from rinsed food or liquids produced by food can drain beneath it.

The colander food pan, on the other hand, features a perforated bottom. It can be inserted into a matching gastronorm container of the same size and height filled with water for soaking food.

Simply lift the perforated container to remove the food from the water, which drains through the holes into the container below, making drainage quick and easy.

What About Stainless Steel Containers?

Stainless steel containers offer greater heat resistance. If choosing between these and plastic containers for hot tables, the former is the better option.

This quality makes them versatile, serving as both storage containers and cooking dishes. They can be taken from the refrigerator and placed directly into an oven.

They follow the same size and height conventions as plastic gastronorm containers, meaning there are also plenty of options for these receptacles.

More Than Just Containers

Translucent food pan stand out due to their standardized sizing, a system adopted by many kitchen accessory manufacturers across various regions of the world.

They are also unique because of the specific ways users employ them. No other category of containers has more clearly defined functions than these.

Standardization, though criticized in some fields, proves highly relevant—even essential—in a dynamic environment like a commercial kitchen.

In our opinion, this explains the popularity of gastronorm containers: standardization is reflected not only in practices but also in the tools and accessories used.