Chef Base Refrigerators

(30 products)

Refrigerated chef bases — low stainless equipment stands with refrigerated drawers, built to carry a countertop griddle, charbroiler or hot plate and keep product cold directly under the cookline. Our own Polarman line runs 37 15/16" to 74", 5.1 to 10.8 cu ft, 26" tall, 115 V, R290, and lines up with our Flamaster 12"–60" countertop equipment. Sizing and height math are in the buying guide below the products, or call +1 (888) 717-8999.

Chef Base Buying Guide

A refrigerated chef base is a low stainless cabinet with refrigerated drawers and a heavy top built to carry a countertop griddle, charbroiler or hot plate. It was invented for exactly that pairing: it turns the dead space under the cookline into cold storage at the point the cook reaches, so burgers, chicken and prepped product are directly beneath the surface they are going onto. You do not spec a chef base on its own — you spec it against the equipment going on top of it.

Matching a chef base to your countertop cooking equipment

Width — the base is always about 2 inches wider

Every Polarman chef base is its nominal size plus roughly two inches, so a nominal-width piece of equipment lands inside the marine edge with clearance on both sides. Our own Flamaster countertop line comes in 12", 24", 36", 48" and 60" modules, so the combinations work out cleanly:

Chef base	Actual width	One unit on top	Or combine two
PLM-CBR36	37 15/16"	36" griddle, charbroiler or hot plate	24" + 12"
PLM-CBR48	50"	48" griddle or charbroiler	36" + 12", or 24" + 24"
PLM-CBR60	62"	60" griddle	48" + 12", or 36" + 24"
PLM-CBR72	74"	— (largest single griddle is 60")	48" + 24", 36" + 36", or 60" + 12"

Our chef bases are 31 7/8" deep and the countertop equipment is 27 9/16" to 28 7/10" deep, so the equipment sits fully on the top with three to four inches spare at the back — which is where the gas connection goes. Shop countertop griddles, charbroilers and hot plates →

Height — do the arithmetic before you order

This is the step most people skip. A chef base is 26" tall. Add the equipment's own overall height and you get the working surface height, and the answer depends on whether the equipment's 4" legs stay on:

On a 26" chef base	Equipment height	Surface height, legs on	Surface height, legs off
36" gas griddle (FLM-G36-M)	15 2/5"	41 2/5"	37 2/5"
36" gas charbroiler (FLM-CB36-M)	15 3/4"	41 3/4"	37 3/4"
36" gas hot plate (FLM-HP36-M)	13"	39"	35"

A range top sits around 36" off the floor, so the legs-off numbers land where a cook expects and the legs-on numbers are high enough to be felt over a long shift. Tell us what is going on top and we will confirm the leg arrangement with you before the order ships — it is a five-minute conversation that prevents a cookline your team has to reach up into.

Gas and electric — two services at the same spot

The chef base runs on 115 V and the equipment on top usually runs on gas, so that one position needs both. On our Flamaster countertop units the gas inlet sits 5 1/2" to 6 3/10" up from the equipment's own base, which on a 26" chef base puts the connection roughly 31 1/2" to 32 1/4" off the floor. Give that figure to whoever is running the gas stub, and put the receptacle where the base's side-mounted compressor is not sitting against it.

How to choose a chef base

Start from the equipment, not the base. Pick the griddle or charbroiler width first, then take the base that is about two inches wider.
Check the top load rating against the equipment weight. A 36" gas griddle is 285 lb, a 48" is 361 lb and a 60" is 466 lb. Confirm the base is rated for it before you order — ask us and we will check it for your combination.
Charbroilers deserve a second look. A charbroiler puts more heat and more grease straight down than a griddle does. Whether a given model may sit on a refrigerated base is in its installation manual, and it is worth confirming rather than assuming.
Drawers, not shelves. A chef base is drawers by design — a cook pulls one with one hand mid-service instead of bending into a cabinet. Ours carry two drawers up to 62" and four at 74".
Side-mounted compressor. Our chef bases are side-mounted, which lets the cabinet sit tight to a back wall but costs a little interior width. Leave the service side accessible.
Plan the hood. The refrigeration does not change the hood requirement. Griddles and charbroilers still produce grease-laden vapor and still need a Type I hood under most US codes. Griddle vs charbroiler vs hot plate →

Chef base or undercounter refrigerator?

It comes down to what the top is for. A chef base is 26" tall with a heavy top built to carry hot equipment. An undercounter refrigerator is 35 1/2" tall and goes under an existing counter, with a top that is not a work surface at all. If nothing hot is going on top and you already have a counter, the undercounter is more capacity for the money. Full undercounter buying guide →

Polarman chef bases at a glance

All 115 V / 60 Hz / single phase, R290, 33–41°F, stainless exterior, side-mounted compressor, 31 7/8" deep and 26" tall across the line.

Model	Width	Drawers	Capacity	Amps	Weight
PLM-CBR36	37 15/16"	2	5.1 cu ft	1.5 A	205 lb
PLM-CBR48	50"	2	5.9 cu ft	2.1 A	260 lb
PLM-CBR60	62"	2	8.7 cu ft	2.1 A	302 lb
PLM-CBR72	74"	4	10.8 cu ft	2.1 A	353 lb

Every unit carries 1 year labour, 2 years parts and 5 years on the compressor part.

Chef base FAQ

What is a refrigerated chef base?

A low stainless cabinet — ours are 26 inches tall — with refrigerated drawers and a heavy top built to carry countertop cooking equipment. It replaces an open equipment stand under a griddle, charbroiler or hot plate, so the space that would otherwise hold nothing becomes cold storage at the exact point the cook reaches. It is also called an equipment stand refrigerator or a refrigerated equipment base.

What size chef base do I need for my griddle?

Take the base that is about two inches wider than the equipment. Our Polarman bases are 37 15/16", 50", 62" and 74" wide, which carry a 36", 48" and 60" unit respectively, with the 74" built for two pieces side by side — a 48" griddle plus a 24" charbroiler, or two 36" units. Because our Flamaster countertop line comes in 12", 24", 36", 48" and 60" modules, most combinations land exactly on a base width.

How high does a chef base put the cooking surface?

Do the arithmetic before you order. A 26 inch chef base plus a 36 inch gas griddle, which is 15 2/5 inches tall overall, puts the cooking plate at 41 2/5 inches with the griddle's own 4 inch legs left on, or 37 2/5 inches with them off. A range top sits around 36 inches, so the legs-off number is where a cook expects the surface to be and the legs-on number is high enough to be felt across a shift. A hot plate at 13 inches tall lands at 39 or 35 inches the same way.

Can you put a charbroiler on a chef base?

Often yes, but confirm it rather than assuming. A charbroiler sends more heat and more grease straight down than a griddle does, and whether a specific model is permitted on a refrigerated base is stated in its installation manual. Tell us the model and we will check it with you.

How much weight can a chef base carry?

That depends on the base, and it is worth checking against real equipment weights rather than guessing: a 36 inch gas griddle is 285 lb, a 48 inch is 361 lb and a 60 inch is 466 lb. Send us the combination you are planning and we will confirm the top load rating before the order goes out.

Does a chef base need a special electrical circuit?

No. Our Polarman chef bases run on standard 115 V, single phase, 60 Hz, drawing 1.5 to 2.1 amps. The complication is not the circuit, it is that one position now needs both power and gas: on our Flamaster countertop units the gas inlet sits 5 1/2 to 6 3/10 inches above the equipment's own base, which on a 26 inch chef base is roughly 31 1/2 to 32 1/4 inches off the floor.

What is the difference between a chef base and an undercounter refrigerator?

What the top is for. A chef base is 26 inches tall with a heavy top built to carry hot equipment and refrigerated drawers below. An undercounter refrigerator is 35 1/2 inches tall, goes under an existing counter, and its top is not a work surface. If nothing hot is going on top and you already have the counter, an undercounter gives you more capacity for the money.