Appliances for Restaurants
According to the Food Service Warehouse, it is important for new restaurant owners to carefully evaluate their menus to determine their kitchen equipment needs. When starting out, it is important to limit the equipment needed. Prospective restaurant owners should determine the fewest number of appliances needed to produce all of the dishes on a menu and alter the menu if needed to keep the amount of equipment relatively low. By keeping an equipment list restricted to basic necessities, restaurant owners can start small and add needed items later. Employee training requirements, start up costs and equipment maintenance should be quite manageable to start and can become more complex as the restaurant grows.
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Cooking Appliances
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Restaurants may need several different types of cooking appliances. Once foods are prepared, they may be cooked on a grill, on a griddle, in a range, in a charbroiler or in a deep fryer. Items that need to be browned or melted may be placed in a salamander (cheese melter) before serving. Commercial microwave ovens can also be utilized to partially cook, reheat or warm items. Specialty items can include a wood-fired oven, a steamer, a pizza oven or a rotisserie. In order to keep items warm on a cook's line or before serving, a steam table may also be used.
Baking Appliances
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Baking appliances can be used to cook pastry, entrees, bread or other bakery items. These appliances can include a convection oven, a gas oven or an electric oven.
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Cooling Appliances
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Cooling appliances used in a commercial kitchen or restaurant are typically reach-in appliances or walk-in appliances. Depending on the needs of the restaurant and the space allowed, refrigerators and freezers can be large or small or a combination of both. Small reach-in coolers may be needed near a cook's line, while larger walk-in refrigerators may be placed in the back of a restaurant or locked and placed outside. Larger freezers may be utilized as well. If the restaurant kitchen is large with many stations, smaller reach-in coolers or freezers may be placed near salad or dessert stations. Additionally, refrigerated prep tables and coolers located underneath work stations can also save time and space. A blast chiller is used for food safety--it quickly cools hot items so that they can be safely placed in a refrigerator or freezer. Additionally, ice makers are used for beverages and for ice used in cooking or cooling foods.
Cleaning Appliances
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Cleaning appliances include sanitizing equipment and dishwashers. Dishwashers come in a variety of configurations and may include a conveyor system. Dishwashers can be high temperature, low temperature, free-standing, counter-mounted and large or small. Additionally, special machines for washing and sanitizing glasses are also sometimes used in restaurants.
Prepping Appliances
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Many restaurant menus require a great deal of preparation before items are cooked, baked or assembled. Appliances used to prepare items can include slicing equipment, food processors, stand mixers, hand mixers, chopping devices and cutting devices. Other prep appliances include toasters, food warmers, blenders and juicers.
Displaying Appliances
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Often restaurants have items on display. These might require appliances such as steam tables, warmers, salad bar coolers, refrigerators with glass doors or dessert displays.
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References
Resources
- Photo Credit at the restaurant image by Dmitry Nikolaev from Fotolia.com
