Connerton CN-CM-36 36 In. Gas Cheese Melter, 35,000 BTU Infrared Ceramic Burner, 4 Position Chrome Rack, Standing Pilot

The Connerton CN-CM-36 is a 36 in. wide, 18 in. deep, 18 in. tall gas cheese melter with one 35,000 BTU pre-mix atmospheric infrared ceramic burner, a single front control knob, and a standing pilot, built for the finishing station on a sandwich line, a pub kitchen, or a steakhouse plating area. The infrared burner heats from above, so a crock of French onion soup or a plated open-face melt browns and bubbles on the chrome grid without the dish ever sitting on a flame. Run it through a Friday night of patty melts and French dips and the ceramic burner keeps its glow between plates because it never has to cycle down. It is a top-heat finishing unit with no cooking surface of its own and no oven cavity, so plan on it for melting, browning, and holding plates hot, not for roasting or flat-top work. It sits on a counter on 4 in. chrome plated legs, mounts on a wall with the bracket kit, or mounts over a range with a range mount kit, and takes gas at the rear through a 3/4 in. NPT connection with the standard regulator supplied.

One 35,000 BTU Pre-Mix Atmospheric Infrared Ceramic Burner

The whole cavity is heated by one large heavy duty infrared ceramic burner rated at 35,000 BTU/hr on natural gas and 32,000 BTU/hr on propane. Pre-mix means the air and gas are blended before they reach the ceramic face, so the face burns evenly across its full area and glows at a steady temperature. Infrared heat travels as radiation, so it lands on the top of the food directly, which is why a slice of provolone on a hot sandwich melts and takes color in the time it takes to plate the fries beside it. Connerton lists the burner as high efficiency because that radiant transfer puts the heat into the food and the grid, not into the air above the unit.

Standing Pilot Ignition With a 1 Minute Preheat

A standing pilot keeps a small flame ready at the burner, so turning the single front knob lights the ceramic face at once and the unit is ready to work after a 1 minute preheat. That short preheat is the practical benefit of an infrared ceramic burner: there is no thick plate or heavy element to bring up to temperature, only the ceramic face itself. During service you can leave it on the pilot between orders and have full heat back in about a minute when the next ticket calls for a melt.

Heavy Duty Chrome Plated Grid Rack With 4 Position Rack Guides

The food sits on a heavy duty chrome plated grid rack that slides into 4 position rack guides on each side wall, so you choose the distance between the burner and the food. Set the rack high for fast browning on a crock of soup, or lower for a gentler hold on a plate that is waiting for its companion entrée. The interior opening is about 30.72 in. wide and 15.52 in. deep on the dimension drawing, room for several sandwich plates or a row of gratin dishes side by side. The rack is a fixed horizontal grid; it is placed in a guide position by hand.

Stainless Steel Exterior and Interior on a Welded Stainless and Aluminized Steel Chassis

The exterior and the interior are both stainless steel, so the cavity that takes cheese splatter and dripping butter wipes down with the same cloth as the front. Underneath, the chassis is welded stainless and aluminized steel. A welded chassis has no fasteners to loosen through years of heat cycling, and aluminized steel resists scaling at the high temperatures around an infrared burner, which is where a plain steel frame would pit and flake over time.

Removable Full Width Stainless Steel Spillage Pan

A full width stainless steel spillage pan sits below the grid rack to catch what drips off the food. Because it runs the full width of the cavity, nothing that falls off a plate at the edge of the rack lands on the base of the unit or the counter under it. The pan lifts out for washing at the end of the shift.

Counter-Top, Wall Mount, or Range Mount With a 3/4 In. NPT Rear Gas Connection

Connerton builds this melter for three placements: on the counter on its 4 in. chrome plated legs with adjustable feet, on the wall with the optional wall mount bracket kit, or above a range with the range mount kit that Connerton provides with its heavy duty range. Gas enters at the rear through a 3/4 in. NPT connection with a standard regulator supplied. It runs on natural gas at 5 in. W.C. or propane at 10 in. W.C., so specify the gas type when you order. The unit weighs 92 lb net, which matters when you are choosing a wall bracket location or a shelf.