Designline HBM5 Drop-In Dry Heat Bain Marie 5x 1/1 GN
Product Description
The Designline HBM5 is a five-position drop-in dry heat bain marie designed to sit flush within a self-service serving counter. Its role is food holding, not cooking — it maintains...
Specifications
- Colour
- Silver
- Dimensions
- 535(H) x 1525(W) x 660(D)mm
- Gn size
- 1/1 GN full
- Heat type
- Dry Heat
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Product Description
The Designline HBM5 is a five-position drop-in dry heat bain marie designed to sit flush within a self-service serving counter. Its role is food holding, not cooking — it maintains pre-cooked food at a safe and consistent serving temperature throughout the service period, using a combination of heated base wells and overhead infrared quartz heat lamps mounted in an elliptical gantry above the counter.
In a busy service environment, the dual-heat approach does practical work. The base wells support individual GN container collars accommodating various depths down to 150mm, while the overhead quartz lamps provide radiant surface heat that helps maintain food appearance and temperature from above. This matters on a carvery or buffet counter where dishes may sit exposed during an extended service. The unit is rated for 24-hour operation, which suits hotel buffets or hospital catering operations where the counter runs continuously across meal periods.
From a day-to-day operational standpoint, the design includes a number of practical features:
- Independent base and overhead heat controls, both accessible from the operator side
- Lockable settings to prevent adjustment during service
- Digital temperature display and adjustable dimmer for gantry heat
- Modular well heater element covers that lift out for cleaning
- Toughened curved glass sneeze screening on the customer-facing side
Installation needs careful planning. The HBM5 drops into a pre-formed cutout sized to the unit footprint and connects to a hard-wired 20-amp, 230V supply via a two-metre flexible conduit to a concealed control box — an electrician will need to be involved before the unit goes live. At 66kg, it is a substantial piece of kit, and the structural integrity of the counter should be confirmed before fitting. GN containers are not included and are sold separately.
This unit is well suited to carveries, hotel buffets, staff restaurants, and school or hospital catering operations where several hot dishes need to be held and presented simultaneously at a self-service counter. For smaller counters or lower-volume service, a three- or four-position unit may be a more proportionate choice. For larger operations running high-throughput or extended service periods, it is worth considering whether additional capacity would serve the operation better.
If you are working out counter cutout dimensions, confirming your electrical supply, or weighing up whether the five-position configuration fits your service setup, the team is glad to talk it through before you commit to an order.
Key Features
- Dual-zone heating with base wells and overhead infrared quartz gantry
- Supports GN containers down to 150mm deep via individual collar inserts
- Independent lockable controls for base and surface heat zones
- Factory preset to hold food at 85°C with adjustable range to 110°C
- Toughened curved glass sneeze screen on customer-facing side
Operational Benefits
- Maintains consistent holding temperatures across all five positions during service
- Lockable controls prevent accidental temperature changes mid-service
- 24-hour operation capability suits extended buffet and continuous service periods
- Lift-out well covers simplify daily cleaning and reduce downtime between services
- Flush drop-in fit gives a clean, integrated appearance in self-service counters
Specifications
- Colour
- Silver
- Dimensions
- 535(H) x 1525(W) x 660(D)mm
- Gn size
- 1/1 GN full
- Heat type
- Dry Heat
- Power
- 4kW, 230V, 13A
- Temperature range
- 85°C to 110°C
- Warranty
- 1 Year
- Weight
- 66kg
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Frequently Asked Questions
- The HBM5 requires a hard-wired connection to a dedicated 20-amp, 230V supply — it is not a plug-in unit and cannot share a general-purpose circuit. You will need a qualified electrician to install the supply and make the final connection before the unit goes into service.
- That depends on how many hot dishes you need to hold simultaneously and the length of counter you have available. A five-position unit suits medium to high-volume operations such as carveries, hotel buffets, and staff restaurants holding four or more dishes at once. If your counter is shorter or your service volume lower, a three- or four-position unit is likely a better fit; if you are running a larger operation with extended service periods, it is worth discussing whether additional capacity would be more appropriate.
- GN containers are not included and are sold separately. The individual support collars in the base wells accept standard 1/1 GN containers, with compatibility down to 150mm depth, which gives some flexibility in how you configure the display across the five positions.