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Commercial Kitchen Equipment Every Restaurant Needs
Considering all the commercial kitchen equipment needed and planning the perfect location for them is not an easy task. Before you start your business, are you worried about missing or redundant kitchen equipment on your list? Chefmax shares this list of equipment every commercial kitchen needs, divided into four sections – cooking, refrigeration, prep and cleaning – with anyone ready to start a business, for your easy viewing and consideration.
The commercial kitchen equipment that provides the heat source to heat the food, they are the core part, the heart of the whole commercial kitchen. Most of the time, they are directly related to the efficiency of the kitchen, so they need to be chosen more carefully.
Commercial Ranges
The most widely used equipment, there are gas, electric and induction types, which can perform a series of operations such as stir-frying, frying, deep-frying and boiling. Professional chefs prefer the open fire type, and this type of range should be used with a better ventilation system because open fire in will produce a lot of combustion exhaust gas.
Depending on the use and usage habits, there are universal open burners that adapt to all kinds of cookware such as pans and round-bottomed frying pans, Chinese stoves that can fry and cook food in large quantities, space-saving bench ranges, etc. You can choose a combination oven with oven and grill, suitable for multiple tasks at the same time. And bakeries are better suited to countertop induction cooktops, which have the advantage of precise temperature control used for frying fillings and sauces.
View how to choose the right induction cooker
Commercial Grills
These commercial grills that provide heated panels to fry meats, eggs and vegetables can enrich your menu, and they also have a wide range of applications: frying eggs and patties for fast food restaurants, making steaks for western restaurants, and being used to stir-fry vegetables, seafood and noodles in Southeast Asian-style restaurants.
You may need a charcoal grill with an open flame to leave nice charred brown streaks on the bottom of meats, a teppanyaki for cooking demonstrations in the front room, or a panini grill better suited for sandwiches, burgers, and chicken, which is popular in small restaurants and cafes.
Commercial Fryer
If you have a large number of fried dishes on your menu plan, such as fried chicken, French fries, and spring rolls, a commercial fryer is the best choice. This commercial kitchen equipment fries a variety of foods by heating cooking oil in a short period of time, and each type of fryer has a different bias.
Fast food restaurants that fry large quantities of chicken nuggets and fries are suitable for general purpose deep fryers, frying a whole chicken requires a special pressure fryer, and Flat Bottom Fryers can significantly improve the quality of frying large cuts of meat (such as whole cut fish). And if you need to fry foods with fewer deposits, such as onion rings and potato pancakes, an open-pot fryer is the best choice.
Commercial Ovens
Convection ovens are gaining popularity, offering more even heating and faster maturing than conventional ovens, which many chefs are still accustomed to using. In addition, there are kiln-style pizza ovens that specialize in baking pizzas, track ovens that heat up faster, ovens that steam and bake both, and deck ovens that give food a crispy bottom.
In addition to bakeries, most Western restaurants also use ovens, but non-bakery restaurants do not require as much oven expertise because baked goods are not a major part of the menu, and in these restaurants, ovens are also used for grilling meat, roasting vegetables and desserts.
Restaurant Pasta Cookers
Commercial pasta cookers are a smart choice for bulk cooking of pasta, noodles, ramen, vegetables and other pasta dishes and are available in gas, electric and induction types. Depending on the type of basket, you can cook the same kind of food in bulk or separate different foods. Pasta cookers are widely used in Western restaurants, Southeast Asian-style restaurants, and fast food restaurants as commercial kitchen equipment that promotes automation and efficiency, with some types featuring custom menus and automatic lifting.
Automatic Stir Fry Cooking Machine
Designed for restaurants that require batch stir-fry of similar dishes, cooking machines are also known as “cooking robots” because they automate cooking to the greatest extent possible. For regions where labor is more expensive, cooking machines are more often chosen.
Countertop cooking machines are suitable for Southeast Asian-style stir-fry and take-out restaurants, while vertical cooking machines are more often used in cafeterias, hotels and food processing plants because of their large output.
Commercial Steamers
An enclosed commercial kitchen unit that uses high temperature steam to heat food. Regular steamers are suitable for steaming vegetables, rice, buns and meat, while more advanced steamers are suitable for steaming fish and other seafood. Steamers are used in specialty restaurants, casual restaurants, cafeterias and convenience stores.
For restaurants and convenience stores that prepare and heat small quantities of dishes, a countertop steamer will suffice, and countertop steamers are often designed to be stackable without taking up more valuable counter space. Vertical steamers are more productive and can save energy and use different temperatures for heating if you choose a split design.
Steam Tables
Steam tables are not a direct means of cooking food, but they use steam from the bottom or a direct heat source to keep your rice, dishes and soups warm for quick assembly when orders are received, and they are often used in cafeterias.
There are two types of insulated tables, dry heat and wet heat. Wet heat uses a water source and steam to heat the table, and open dry heat is good for keeping fries, fried chicken and some crunchy foods warm, or if you fill the tank with water and use it with an overflow tray, you can achieve the same results as a wet heat unit.
Coffee Machines
If your restaurant serves beverages, a coffee machine is a good choice. Many restaurants that do not primarily serve coffee will purchase a fully automatic coffee machine, this commercial kitchen equipment does not require skill and can be easily operated by novices, while if it is a high class restaurant that requires coffee quality, it will choose a semi-automatic coffee machine that requires skill. Professional cafes will generally choose a manual espresso machine, which requires a professional barista to operate.
Providing refrigerated and frozen temperatures to keep food fresh is also an indispensable commercial kitchen equipment for every kitchen, and they come in various types to serve different restaurants and ingredients.
Reach-in refrigerators&freezers
A storage device found in the back of almost every restaurant, offering different temperatures to extend the shelf life of ingredients, typically used in kitchens for vegetables and meat, and in bakeries for eggs, butter, cream and fruit.
There are numerous types of this equipment, with solid doors for better insulation and glass doors for visibility and easy access at all times.
Prep tables
Both refrigerated and frozen workstations will provide flat countertops as preparation areas with storage cabinets below, so operators do not have to run back and forth between workstations and refrigerators to improve efficiency.
Chef base refrigerator will design the storage space below as drawers to sort ingredients and place small cooking equipment on the countertop for easy removal and cooking.
There are also prep tables designed specifically for salads, sandwiches and pizzas, half of which hold multiple portion trays and remain refrigerated, designed with stainless steel or glass lids that can be opened. Salad and sandwich prep tables have smaller countertop sizes than pizza prep tables because more space is needed to make and assemble pizzas.
Commercial wine fridge
They are divided into types such as back bar cooler and wine fridge, both with glass doors for optimal visibility, storing various types of wine, juice, soda and other beverages, and are used in bars, restaurants with bars and cafeterias.
Back bar cooler only need to be refrigerated to store alcoholic beverages, while wine fridges are much more demanding, with temperature and humidity being precisely regulated and vibration being limited to a minimum.
Ice machines
Cooling beverages and preserving meat use large amounts of ice. Ice machines are essential commercial kitchen equipment for beverage stores, cafes, bars and cafeterias, and can make different shapes of ice by simply changing the molds. Ice machines are available in air-cooled and water-cooled types, and are also divided into one-piece and split types depending on output.
Selling and display refrigeration
Display refrigerators are used in bakeries, cafeterias and some restaurants where ingredients need to be displayed, and can also be often seen in stores and supermarkets. They are available in frozen and refrigerated types, in which vegetables, beverages and meats can be placed. These units are paired with transparent glass and LED lights, which pay more attention to the beauty and fashion of the appearance than other kitchen equipment, achieving the best display effect and being able to attract customers well.
Blast chillers
Blast chillers is a kitchen equipment that quickly lowers the internal temperature to -25℃ to -80℃ to deep freeze food, maintain the taste and stop the growth of bacteria, after deep freezing the food can be put into a normal freezer or cold storage for long term storage, or use the cold chain to transport to various places. Meat, seafood, cakes, pasta, etc. can be stored in this way. Depending on the food, there are various modes and times to choose from, such as soft freeze for fish and other seafood, and hard freeze for pasta.
Kitchen equipment designed to save labor and increase the speed of processing ingredients, their presence can simplify the workflow and shorten the overall processing time.
Dough mixers
Bakeries use this commercial kitchen equipment more often. By changing different accessories and adjusting the speed, the mixer can complete tasks such as mixing fillings, whipping egg whites and cream, and mixing dough, so it is often seen in hotels, cafes, bars, etc. Divided into tabletop and floor type, there are two types of belt drive and gear drive, belt is easy to maintain and less noisy, while gear brings more powerful power.
Meat slicers/choppers
Efficient in your kitchen when you need to handle large quantities of ingredients, save time and labor costs by adjusting the thickness of meat rolls, slices, patties and cubes.
Commercial food processors
Grate cheese, chop carrots and cucumbers, switch between slicing, dicing and grating by changing the different types of blade discs, important for all types of vegetables and fruits, make fillings and toppings, simplify the process of food processing.
Commercial Dough Sheeters
Often seen in bakeries and pizzerias, this type of commercial kitchen equipment allows for batch pressing of dough in minutes, eliminating the need to manually roll out the dough, and the thickness of the sheets can be adjusted and specified for subsequent uniform production and baking, ensuring consistency in the baked product.
Hygiene and safety standards need to be implemented in every kitchen. In addition to cleaning agents, sanitizers and regular hygiene checks, these common cleaning and sanitizing equipment can help restaurant kitchens improve the quality and efficiency of cleaning.
Dishwashers
To clean dishes quickly and meet the demand of dishware use during peak traffic periods, commercial dishwashers are mostly of high temperature type. High temperature brings faster dissolution of grease and shorter drying time of dishes, while reducing detergent usage. The disadvantage of the high-temperature type over the low-temperature type is that heating consumes more energy.
Depending on the amount of cleaning, dishwashers are divided into under-counter, hood type and conveyor types that clean glasses, dishes, knives and forks and other restaurant items, in addition to ultrasonic dishwashers that use the ultrasonic method of cleaning.
Disinfection cabinet
Disinfect dishes, knives and forks, tools and towels to prevent the growth of bacteria and maintain hygiene and safety. Disinfection cabinets are available in infrared, hot air circulation, ozone and ultraviolet, and can be used at high, medium or low temperatures that protect dishes from deformation to thoroughly disinfect dishes.
Hoods
Ventilation measures should be taken into account in every kitchen, especially those using gas appliances. Food generates a lot of fumes during cooking, even in places like baking kitchens where there is rarely open cooking and open flames, and gas ovens generate combustion exhaust and heat during operation, all of which have to be properly handled using ventilation equipment.
Different types of kitchens have different choices for commercial kitchen equipment. This guide presents the most common equipment in kitchens for your reference and hopefully will help you plan your kitchen. For more information, please see the list of equipment needed for different commercial kitchens at the end of this article or contact Chefmax for a quick response and reply.