15 March 2010
Restaurant Kitchen’s Essential Equipment
Posted by Crystal under: Equipment Maintenance & Tips; News .
There are numerous gadgets and types of equipment available on the market for all food service industry needs. Numerous utensils and pieces of equipment come in various shapes and sizes to accommodate different tasks. When it is time for a restaurant to purchase new kitchen equipment or utensils, consider many factors, such as size of the equipment, materials the utensils are made of, the quality of the workmanship, the required quantity, etc. Here is a quick overview of some of the most important kitchen’s essentials that should form the foundation of every restaurant’s kitchen:
Cooking Utensils. Cooking utensils include anything from knives, cutting boards, forks & spoons, mashers & slicers, and so on. Knives are often an important item both for the kitchen and diners. When selecting knives for the restaurant’s kitchen, buy a variety of them, including the right kind of chef’s knife – it should have gentle curves, making it easier to cut in a rocking motion. When selecting knives, the higher the percentage of carbon steel in a blade, the better it holds its edge. Most quality knives are made of high-carbon stainless steel. The very best knives are made of forged steel. Lesser quality knives are cut out of thin sheets of steel in a cookie-cutter fashion. For more information about other types of utensils, please visit this page for a large selection of cooking utensils, designed specifically for restaurant use.
Skillets, Pots & Pans. Frying pans come in a variety of sizes and are used for frying, sautéing, and braising. A skillet is basically the same item as a frying pan with sloping sides. Larger sizes of pans and skillets are generally preferred in order to avoid overcrowding the food – to ensure that food actually browns, when needed, instead of just being steamed. Consider what metal the pans, pots, or skillets are made of. Copper is the best conductor of heat, which means that it heats up the fastest and cooks the most evenly. However, copper can be expensive and hard to take care of. A good alternative to copper is a copper skillet lined on the cooking surface with tin (tin-lined pans or skillets). Yet another type of pan or skillet is cast iron, which is much cheaper than copper pans. Cast iron needs more heat than copper to do the same job; however, it retains heat well.
Blenders. Blender is an important piece of equipment that whips cream, eggs, and sauces, makes puree for vegetables and soups, crushes ice, and produces various kinds of desserts. There are many types of blenders, but vast majority of them have a motor ranging from 400 to 600 watt and the canister with a typical capacity of 40 to 60 ounces. Blender’s canister is usually made of glass, plastic, or stainless steel. Immersion blenders are also gaining popularity; they are used to puree soups or blend sauces right in the pot.
Microwave Ovens. Microwave ovens are irreplaceable these days: they cook the food in less time than a traditional oven or a stovetop does; the food tends to stay hot longer; and microwaves don’t heat up the kitchen the way the conventional ovens do. Microwaves are an excellent tool to cook vegetables and maintain their nutrients (which are usually lost when vegetables are boiled). Microwaves are also great for melting stuff, such as butter and chocolate. They also do an excellent job of cooking fish and fatty foods, like bacon. For more information on microwave ovens, click here.
Toaster Ovens. More multifaceted than toasters, toaster ovens perform many functions of conventional ovens. Toaster ovens take up less space, use less energy, and don’t heat up the kitchen compared to conventional ovens. Today’s toaster ovens are big and powerful, capable of many features, with a large capacity; they cook food faster and more evenly. Toaster ovens often have sensors that monitor the temperature and adjust it, if necessary. Many of them have a broiling feature, making toaster ovens an efficient substitute to conventional ovens.
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