5 Essential Pieces of Commercial Kitchen Equipment

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To produce successful meals time after time, restaurants must have a high-performing and efficient commercial kitchen with the right equipment. While there are many different types of restaurants, there are five key pieces of equipment that every commercial kitchen needs to ensure they meet the needs of their customers.

Prep stations

Speedy and efficient food prep is essential for any busy commercial kitchen and having a high-quality prep station will make the job so much easier. Prep stations come in many guises, such as the single, double and triple-sized tables that can be refrigerated or non-refrigerated to enable the preparation of pizzas, salads, sandwiches and burgers. Ideally your prep stations should be located in-between your food storage and cooking areas to facilitate the kitchen workflow.

Ovens

Very few commercial kitchens can operate without ovens. From convection to burner ovens, combi ovens to deck ovens for baking, and microwave ovens, each type offers its own advantages. Your choice of oven or ovens will come down to the type of cuisine and dishes that you serve up so it’s important that you buy the right oven for the job. Good ovens should have the capacity to reach 300 degrees and should have removable drip trays and top plates to enable easy cleaning.

Refrigeration and freezers

To maintain produce at its freshest, every commercial kitchen will need to invest in high-quality refrigerators and freezers. The type and size of freezers or refrigeration units you choose will depend on the quantity of food you will need to store, the size of your kitchen and where they will be located. There are many different types of refrigeration and freezer equipment available for commercial kitchens, including chest and upright freezers, undercounter and freestanding, glass and solid door options, while walk-in fridges and freezers are ideal for large restaurants.

Fryers

Whether fried food is healthy or not, it’s still one of the most popular options on many menus. So, if your establishment offers fried food, it’s vital that you invest in high-quality frying equipment. Commercial fryers are an important addition to most commercial kitchens but it’s necessary to choose the right type. For kitchens where space is at a premium, countertop units can be a great option while freestanding fryers are more robust and can cook large quantities of food and so are suitable for establishments where fried food features heavily on the menu.

Dishwashers and glass washers

Long gone are the days when restaurants solely relied on human potwashers to clean the mountain of plates, dishes and glasses. In today’s modern commercial kitchens they are equipped with a Glass Dishwasher that can speedily clean crockery and glassware to leave them gleaming. These dishwashers are specially made to handle the multiple items used in a restaurant. Commercial dishwashers have a much shorter cycle time than domestic versions so they can quickly and efficiently clean large volumes of dishes, crockery and glasses. The three common types of commercial dishwasher are undercounter for medium sized kitchens, pass-through for medium to high volume, and conveyor dishwashers for establishments with a very high volume of kitchenware and crockery.

These are just some of the most essential appliances you should have in your commercial kitchen.