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From prehistoric times through today, refrigeration has changed a lot as technology has advanced and people’s needs have changed. It’s an incredible evolution, so the next time you use restaurant refrigeration, consider the history behind it. The team at Refrigeration & Food Equipment in Anchorage, AK, has shared some fascinating tidbits below.

For a long time, harvesting and using ice in cold rooms were the only ways to keep food from spoiling. The earliest recorded harvesting of ice dates back to the Chinese around 1,000 BC and, in later years, was used by people across the world. However, harvesting ice was difficult, and the results of the hard work didn’t last, so people started looking for a new solution.

restaurant refrigerationScottish professor William Cullen designed a small refrigerator in 1755, which used a pump to create a partial vacuum over a container of diethyl ether. It worked, but not well, and it wasn’t efficient enough to catch on. A few years later, inventors Benjamin Franklin and John Hadley experimented with using liquids like mercury and alcohol. Other great minds tried different techniques, from compressed air to ammonia, until, finally, Freon™ was invented in the 1920s. It was widely used in restaurant refrigeration, as well as in homes and other commercial settings. In the 1970s, however, Freon was determined to be problematic for the environment, so it is no longer used in residential or commercial refrigeration today. Instead, better refrigerants that have made their appliances quieter and more energy efficient are utilized.

Now that you know more about this essential piece of equipment, it’s time to see if yours needs servicing. The team at Refrigeration & Food Equipment has provided restaurant refrigeration and equipment repairs since 1964. Contact them at (907) 248-2525 to talk about what your business needs. 

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