Commercial 135oz/4000ml 11" Square Gold Foil Container for Buffet Mac & Cheese & Bulk Frozen Stew

Eighty seven millimeters deep. That’s the same as a 2 inch steam pan insert. But a steam pan is stainless steel and costs $25. This is aluminum and costs pocket change. So when a caterer needs to serve 20 people mac and cheese at a wedding, they fill one of these gold squares instead of buying another insert. The 11 inch square footprint fits perfectly in a standard chafing dish frame. The gold color looks festive. After the meal, they toss the tray. No scrubbing. No soaking.

A large scale meal prep company uses these for their “family freezer pack” – 4kg of beef stew, divided into portion bags, but the tray itself holds the bulk stew for freezing. The 87mm depth allows the stew to freeze into a solid block that stacks easily. The gold exterior doesn’t crack like plastic in low temperatures. The company owner said that switching from plastic tubs to aluminum reduced freezer burn complaints by 60%.

The 11 inch square is also a common size for sheet pans in commercial kitchens. So a bakery uses these as disposable liners for their sheet pans. They spray the gold tray, pour in brownie batter, bake, then lift the whole gold tray out. The brownies come out clean. No scraping. The gold color doesn’t transfer to the food.

Lid options: foil or plastic. The foil lid is crimped by hand – takes a bit of effort at this scale, but doable. The plastic lid snaps on for cold storage. For bulk freezing, many buyers skip the lid and just wrap the tray in plastic film. The rim is sturdy enough to hold film tight.

Packing is 200 per carton. The carton is 56 x 36.5 x 29cm – a long box. The gold lacquer is baked on, so it won’t scratch.

One unexpected use: a community garden uses these as “seedling starter” trays. They fill with soil, plant tomatoes, and put them under grow lights. The 87mm depth is perfect for root development. The gold color reflects light back up to the leaves. The trays last for one season, then get recycled.

Recycling is straightforward. Rinse and toss. The gold coating burns off.

So if you’re feeding a wedding buffet, freezing bulk stew, or starting tomato seeds, this 4000ml gold square is a workhorse. It’s deep, it’s wide, and it does the job of a $25 steam pan for pennies.