After 24 years in professional kitchens and 20 years using hotel pans at home, discover why every restaurant uses this system and how it eliminates Tupperware chaos.
After 24 years using hotel pans in professional kitchens and 20 years using them at home, I can tell you this: there’s a reason every single professional kitchen uses this system. The hotel pan system isn’t just restaurant equipment—it’s the most functional organization solution ever created for food storage and prep. If you’re tired of the total chaos of the “Tupperware drawer,” hotel pans will change your kitchen forever.
Best For: Home cooks who meal prep, anyone tired of mismatched containers, families who cook in batches, anyone who wants restaurant-level organization at home
My Top Pick for Home Use: 6-Inch 1/6 Pan 6-Pack with Lids (Plastic) - the perfect size for most home cooking needs
Get My Top Pick (1/6 Pans 6-Pack) →The hotel pan system is a standardized sizing system used universally in professional kitchens. Here’s how it works:
All hotel pans are NSF (National Sanitation Foundation) approved, meaning they meet commercial food service standards for safety and durability.
Why This Matters: Everything fits together perfectly. No more searching for matching lids. No more containers that don’t stack properly. No more wasted refrigerator space. The hotel pan system is modular, stackable, and designed for maximum efficiency.
I’ve worked in professional kitchens for 24 years across multiple restaurants. In every single one of these kitchens, we used the hotel pan system for organization.
Most work stations in walk-in coolers have rows designed specifically for hotel pans. You could fit:
This isn’t coincidence—the entire professional kitchen infrastructure is built around this system because it WORKS.
On the prep line, hotel pans fit perfectly into steam tables, cold wells, and sandwich/salad stations. When you’re prepping for 200+ covers on a Friday night, you need containers that:
Hotel pans check every box.
Bottom line: If hotel pans weren’t the best solution, restaurants would use something else. They don’t. Because nothing else comes close.
Twenty years ago, I brought the hotel pan system home. It eliminated the total chaos of the Tupperware drawer and cabinet.
When I batch-cook on Sundays, hotel pans let me portion and store everything efficiently:
Everything stacks in my refrigerator without playing Tetris with mismatched containers.
Hotel pans are perfect for storing items that need to stay cold:
Some ingredients need to stay submerged to prevent browning or drying:
Hotel pans with lids keep everything sealed while maintaining proper liquid coverage.
When I’m cooking for family gatherings, BBQs, or potlucks, metal hotel pans excel at hot holding:
This is literally how restaurants hold food hot for service—and it works just as well at home.
The Curta brand offers both plastic and metal versions. Here’s how I use each:
Best For:
Advantages:
I rely on plastic hotel pans for 95% of my home storage needs.
Best For:
Advantages:
Family gatherings, outdoor events, or any situation where I need to hold hot food for extended periods.
Not all hotel pan sizes make sense for home use. Here’s my honest assessment after 20 years:
Full pans (12" x 20") are overkill for home kitchens. They take up massive refrigerator space and hold more volume than most home cooks need. Leave these for the pros.
1/3 pans are big but can work for large families who cook in serious batches. If you’re meal-prepping for 6+ people or doing major batch cooking, these make sense. Otherwise, they might be too large.
This is my most-used size at home. 1/6 pans are the sweet spot:
My Top Recommendations:
6-Inch 1/6 Pan 6-Pack (This is what I use most) →4-Inch 1/6 Pan 6-Pack (Shallower storage) →1/9 pans can be unwieldy because they’re narrow and deep—they can tip over easily. I use them occasionally but they’re not my first choice for home storage.
Let’s be honest: I chose Curta because they’re available on Amazon and more affordable than Cambro (the gold standard in high-end restaurants).
Cambro
Curta
Bottom Line: High-end restaurants probably go all Cambro. Everyone else hedges depending on the situation. For home use, Curta delivers restaurant-quality performance at a fraction of the cost.
Here’s every Curta hotel pan option, organized by type and size. I’ve personally used all of these:
For Most Home Cooks, Start Here:
This gives you 12 containers in two depths—enough to organize meal prep, leftovers, and ingredient storage for most households.
Get the 6-Inch Starter Kit →This gives you 24 containers with varied depths for comprehensive meal prep coverage.
Now you can do hot holding for family gatherings, BBQs, and potlucks.
No—they’re perfect for home cooks who want professional-level organization. If you meal prep, cook in batches, or host family gatherings, hotel pans will change your kitchen.
Start with 1/6 pans (6-inch depth) for most home use. These are the most versatile size—big enough for meal prep portions but not so large they dominate your refrigerator.
Yes—plastic hotel pans are freezer-safe. I use them for freezing stock, soups, and cooked grains.
Yes—metal hotel pans are oven-safe up to 500°F+. Use them for roasting vegetables, baking casseroles, or holding food hot.
Some Curta sets include lids; some don’t. I recommend buying the versions with lids included—it’s more convenient and often more cost-effective than buying lids separately.
Decades. I’ve been using the same plastic pans at home for 20 years. Metal pans are essentially indestructible. This is a one-time investment.
Not if you buy opaque white versions (which is what I recommend). Translucent/clear plastic can stain, but the solid white plastic resists staining even from pigmented foods.
Cambro is the premium standard, but Curta delivers 90% of the performance at 50% of the cost. For home use, Curta is the smarter choice. Both are NSF approved and restaurant-grade.
YES—if you’re tired of Tupperware chaos and want restaurant-level organization at home.
After 24 years in professional kitchens and 20 years using hotel pans at home, I can tell you this system is THE reason professional kitchens stay organized under extreme pressure. It works in restaurants because it’s the best solution—and it works just as well at home.
This isn’t cheap plastic crap that falls apart in a year. This is the same system used by every professional kitchen that exists—for good reason.
Start with 6-Inch 1/6 Pan 6-Pack with Lids (Plastic) - This is the most versatile size for meal prep, storage, and everyday use. Add 4-Inch 1/6 Pans if you want shallower storage options.
Get the 1/6 Pan System (My Top Pick) →Buy multiple sets of 1/6 pans in both 6-inch and 4-inch depths. Add 1/3 pans if you cook in large batches for big families.
Add Metal 1/6 Pans with Notched Lids for hot holding at family gatherings, BBQs, and potlucks. These work perfectly with chafing dishes and steam tables.
Get Metal Pans for Events →Trust the system that every professional kitchen uses.
There’s a reason we don’t use random Tupperware in restaurants—because hotel pans are simply better.
After 44 years of combined professional and home use, I wouldn’t organize my kitchen any other way.
Want in-depth reviews of specific hotel pan types? Check out my detailed product reviews:
Home use hero product for meal prep and organization. After 20 years of daily home use, this is the single best kitchen upgrade.
Read Small Plastic Hotel Pans review →Commercial cold storage for catering businesses, large families (8+ people), and bulk meal prep operations.
Read Large Plastic Hotel Pans review →Stainless steel for hot holding, BBQs, oven roasting, and family gatherings. Essential for anyone who hosts events.
Read Small Metal Hotel Pans review →Commercial hot holding for catering businesses, weddings, and large-scale event hosting (50+ people).
Read Large Metal Hotel Pans review →My daily workhorse tools from 24 years in professional kitchens
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Professional Chef • 24 Years Professional Kitchen Experience
Professional chef with 24 years of restaurant experience including Pizzaiolo at Purple Café, Kitchen Manager at Mellow Mushroom, and line positions at Feierabend, Il Pizzaiolo, and Paragary's. A.A.S. Culinary Arts from Seattle Central College, B.S. Business Administration from University of Montana. Every product tested through real professional kitchen use or extensive long-term home testing.
Read more about my testing methodology →