Pot and pan washers can save significantly on staff labor used to hand-scrub tough baked-on food remains. 

Heavily soiled pots and pans can be cleaned more quickly and effectively with machines designed for these items. The units utilize high water pressure, which may damage fragile items, such as dinnerware and glassware.

Pot and pan washers typically include separate wash and rinse tanks; self-contained booster heaters; adjustable wash and rinse cycles with a selector switch; high-velocity spray nozzles designed for fast stripping action; an external pre-rinse wash-down hose; automatic fill functions on utensil models; heavy-duty racking systems; electric, steam or gas heating systems and, sometimes, a loading ramp or pit grid for rack washers.

These units position wash arms as close to wares as possible, while still allowing room for clearance. These units simulate manual scrubbing motions via the specific patter by which the water comes directly out of the machine's cleaning arms.

Unlike traditional warewashers, dedicated pot and pan washers use larger pumps that spray higher water pressure patterns. Longer wash cycles improve soil removal for baked-on food. These units offer a choice of cycle times that can address various soil load amounts.

The machines can accommodate as few as 6 pans or as many as 60.

Foodservice operators can choose from three main types of pot and pan washers. While similar to door type and conventional washes, modified or oversized door type pot and pan washers are taller and wider. Available in single and double widths, pot and pan washers typically include a side table for soiled ware and clean table for unloading.
Large front load or pass-thru style commercial pot and pan washers work best with high-volume operations. Slightly larger than oversized door types with two to three bigger pump motors, these units provide between 10 hp and 20 hp for washing larger items more quickly. Large racks pass through the units, which have a manual start/stop switch.

Typically utilized for lighter volume tasks, pot and pan washing sinks consist of three- to four-compartment sinks that include an attached pump to agitate the wash water. In addition to pots and pans, these systems can handle utensils and serving platters. Also called continuous pot and pan washing systems or power sinks, operators can choose from the units' various wash flow designs.