PLATEAUX EN CARTON

Two types of cardboard trays

You arrange pastries at nine in the morning for a lunchtime buffet. Three hours later, the cardboard has absorbed the butter and a dark mark surrounds each piece.

Uncoated cardboard absorbs grease. Two different types of cardboard address this issue: one for presentation, the other for reheating.

Caterlux is suitable for food contact, with a smooth, scratch-resistant treated surface. You can place your products directly on it, whether canapés, petits fours or verrines. It is designed for presentation, not reheating.

Natural is made from lightweight kraft cardboard, with a white PET coating on the inside. It is grease-resistant and suitable for use in the oven, microwave and freezer. It is the option that can follow a preparation from the cold room to the table.

Sloping sides or straight edges

You order a lid for a tray you already have in stock. It arrives, but it does not fit. The dimensions were correct, yet something is wrong.

Look at the edge of the tray. It is either sloping or straight, and each type requires its own lid.

Sloping sides hold a transparent lid securely on the tray. The presentation remains visible in the display cabinet and during transport.

With straight edges, the black or kraft cardboard lid fits inside the tray and locks against the sides. It arrives flat: simply fold the four sides just before loading.

The cardboard lid is the taller of the two. It is the one to choose when the products are higher than a toast. A tray and its lid should therefore be ordered together, checking the edge type before the dimensions.

Available cardboard tray formats

These cardboard trays are available in the two formats in the catalogue: Atlas and Gastronorm. The Atlas format is designed to create a buffet with no gaps between trays. The Gastronorm format is designed to fit into a trolley, oven or refrigerated display cabinet. Dimensions are detailed on the Atlas trays and Gastronorm trays pages.

Part of this category consists not of trays but of white cardboard lids, designed for Madera trays, which are made of wood. They fit inside the tray, protect the contents and allow the trays to be stacked during transport. The corresponding supports can be found in wooden trays, while bamboo trays have their own dedicated page.

Reusing a cardboard tray

A cardboard tray does not necessarily have to be used only once. However, it needs to come back clean.

The kraft cardboard divider strip is placed on the tray before presentation. It is removable and suitable for food contact. The products rest on the strip rather than directly on the tray, leaving the tray clean at the end of the event. The same divider strip works with both format grids: Atlas 1/1 and 1/2.

Two accessories complete the transport solution. The kraft retaining band wraps around the tray and its lid to help prevent opening and spills during transport. The non-slip coated tray is flexible and slides into a transport case, together with the other equipment in the bags and transport category. For supports specifically designed to be returned to service after washing, the reusable selection is more suitable.

Customising your cardboard trays

Your buffet is set up next to that of another caterer. The two tables look similar, and there is nothing to tell the customer who supplied what.

Cardboard can be printed, unlike most of the other materials in the category. Some trays can therefore be customised with your brand colours. Minimum quantities and lead times are available on the customisation page.

This is particularly useful for events or takeaway sales, where the tray remains in front of the end customer throughout the meal.

Choosing Comatec for your cardboard trays

Food packaging has been Comatec's speciality since 1994, with in-house design in Carcassonne. For each tray, you can find out whether it comes from France or Europe, its PlanetScore© rating from A to E, and whether it can be customised.

Black, white and kraft do not create the same visual effect once the table is set and the products are arranged. The catalogues show the ranges with food presentation, making it easier to choose between the different colours.

To assess the surface and rigidity, request samples before committing to a full carton order. The rest of the buffet presentation equipment can be found in the trays and displays category.