GN containers and lids – stainless steel, polycarbonate and polypropylene

How to choose

GN is a dimensional standard – size, depth and material are what count

Gastronorm describes the footprint of a container: 1/1 is 530 × 325 mm, and the fractions divide that area. Thanks to this, containers from a bain-marie go into a refrigerated cabinet, into an oven and onto a trolley – provided the appliances are in the same standard as well. The size is chosen from the portion a station serves in one cycle.

The second number is the depth, from 20 to 200 mm. The same area in a deep version holds several times more, but in a bain-marie the product at the bottom cools more slowly and is used up later. With continuous service, shallower containers changed more often work better than one deep one.

The material depends on what the container has to withstand. Stainless steel goes into the oven and onto the hob, it resists heat and chemicals. Polycarbonate is transparent, so the contents are visible without opening, and it withstands freezing. Polypropylene is the cheapest and the lightest, but it does not like high temperatures.

A lid is matched to the size of the container, not to the material – a plastic lid fits a steel container of the same GN. It is worth checking whether it has a ladle notch, because in a bain-marie that is the difference between a closed container and one that stays open.