April 3rd, 2018 by Chris Chapman

We can personally vouch for the quality of all the products we sell on hsdonline.co.uk – we wouldn’t sell them if we didn’t. However, there is one item in particular that we’re the most thankful for: our trusty catering urn! Whether you’re a tea or coffee lover, or even a fan of a classic cup-a-soup, getting a nice hot drink can brighten up even the worst day at work, and we know better than anyone how important catering urns are in a busy office. So, what are catering urns and why do you need one? Catering urns are large vats designed to hold a large amount of water, which they can heat up super quickly and keep at a set temperature. Many catering urns will let you choose between several different temperature settings. If you feel like your life is what happens in between waiting for the kettle to boil, a good catering urn is a must! They’re one of those things you never realise you need until you’ve got one – no more constantly filling the kettle, no more spills, no more waiting around for the kettle to boil (a watched kettle never boils, after all!). The genius of catering urns is their design. Once you first fill the urn with cold water, it’ll take a little time to heat up (how long depends on the amount of water and the features of the urn). After the water is fully heated, the lid of the urn keeps the heat locked in as long as possible, and it’ll automatically reheat once the temperature drops below a certain point. They’re quick, clean and easy to maintain, making them a no-brainer for business use in particular. The only question is...

 Which catering urn is right for you?

Catering urns come in all shapes and sizes, so choosing one that’s the right size for you is the most important thing. If you want one for a small social club or community group, a smaller urn will be fine, such as the Baby Burco. This model holds 2.5L of hot water and is good for around 15 cups before you'll have to refill it. If you’re on the move a lot, consider a portable urn like the 5L Addis Portable Insulated urn, particularly if you’re looking at a camping holiday this summer. The Addis Portable catering urn - ideal for anyone on the move If you’ve got a larger business, or you want something to keep a steady stream of customers happy with piping hot brews, you’ll obviously need something larger. The mighty Burco Electric Safety Boiler holds a whopping 30L (other sizes also available), which equates to 180 cups of tea! That means even the thirstiest office can happily drink all day without having to worry about refilling the urn. Once you’ve got your ideal size in mind, you can start looking at other features. Many catering urns will let you set the temperature you want your water to be at. When the temperature drops too far below this point, they’ll reheat it back up again in a few minutes. Some will just keep the temperature at near-boiling, which is ideal if you want a simple unit that will always be producing boiling hot water for the perfect cup of tea. A great example of this is the Swan 20L Electric Catering Urn. This model is specifically designed to produce boiling water with a unique lid that keeps steam and boiling noise to a minimum. The Swan 20L Catering Urn Finally, you’ll want to look at whether you want gas or electric catering urns. For most uses, we’d recommend electric. They’re simpler and cheaper to set up, and you can simply plug them in anywhere most of the time. All of the models suggested above are electric. However, if you’re looking for something you can use in a catering business, or some other specialist purpose where you know it’ll be getting regular use and won’t be moving around, gas catering urns are a little faster at heating up your water. Models such as the Burco 20L Standard Gas Hot Water Boiler feature innovations that use the gas and the flame to heat up 20L of water in just 50 minutes, giving you around 80 cups with a minimum of fuss. They often require some installation and will need to be hooked up to a gas main or canister. If you have any questions about this don’t hesitate to give us a call or use our live chat function!