If you’re planning to open a new restaurant or catering business, you’ll need to buy commercial appliances. The types of cooking equipment you have available are extremely important for your business, so it’s crucial that you buy the best equipment for cooking and preparing delicious food for patrons.
Considering all the choices available, setting up a commercial kitchen can feel daunting. Here is our guide to all of the various types of commercial appliances available.
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Commercial Ranges – Gas or Electric?
One thing to understand about commercial ranges is that they’re made in electric or gas models. Both types have their benefits and disadvantages.
Gas commercial ranges are much more powerful, and a lot better suited for large scale commercial businesses. The gas appliances heat quickly and are typically a lot more durable. For preparing meals, gas stoves are the better option for chefs. Gas fryers and gas stoves are commonly used in commercial kitchens because they offer more power. Overall, this type of commercial range has less parts and can be easier to maintain and undergo less commercial repair.
However, commercial electric ranges offer benefits too. For example, electrical stoves offer better baking features – such as convection. Electric commercial appliances are usually much easier and safer to use, and are cost-effective. Most of small commercial appliances, including toasters, are always electric.
Different Types of Commercial Appliances
There are loads of different commercial appliances available, all of which are designed for your exact needs. Here are a few of the different subcategories of commercial appliances you can get.
Commercial Exhaust Hoods
Exhaust hoods are necessary addition to any commercial kitchen. They’re required for safe operation of the kitchen, as well as keeping in code with health regulations.
Commercial exhaust hoods serve a couple of different functions. They can be used to eliminate smoke, steam, and hot air from a commercial kitchen while cooking. They can also be used to filter grease and food particles.
No commercial kitchen could function without a proper ventilation system. There are many different kinds of exhaust hoods available for your kind of kitchen and requirements.
Commercial Walk-In Freezers
A walk-in freezer isn’t something you would expect to find in a residential kitchen! But, they are very common in restaurants. These enormous freezers are important for any restaurant operating at a high volume. Commercial kitchens have to have plenty of space to store frozen food and that is why a walk-in is needed.
These walk-in freezers are also a must-have for kitchens that have to freeze large containers or boxes that wouldn’t fit inside of a residential freezer. You can buy many different sized walk-in freezers. They’re custom-made to the amount of space you have.
Commercial Walk-In Coolers
You can’t run a successful commercial kitchen without a lot of food. Commercial walk-in coolers are important for keeping a lot of stock fresh. If you’re managing a large scale restaurant, then a normal-sized refrigerator will not be enough. Walk-in refrigerators make it far simpler to store away food, as well as easier to grab out whatever you need. As with a commercial freezer, these commercial appliances need to be specially made for your kitchen space.
Commercial Fryers
From chicken wings to french fries, a commercial deep fryer can cook a lot of delicious items for a restaurant. Some foods just cannot be made unless there’s a commercial fryer available. These are commercial appliances that will become invaluable assets for preparing meals.
You can decide between electric or gas fryers. Electric fryers take a little while longer to heat up, but they also recover quicker after frying cycles. They’re also much simpler to use. Gas fryers can reach higher temperatures, and they heat up faster than electric.
Beyond electric or gas, you can buy stand-up fryers or countertop fryers. These can come in all kinds of different sizes and volumes, dependent on your needs.
Commercial Grills
The grill is typically the focus of a commercial kitchen. This is where a majority of the hot dishes are cooked, and it’s vital that your grill performs to your needs. Commercial grills are available in all shapes and sizes, and it is important to have the one that is best suited to anything you are cooking.
You can buy electric or gas grills. Gas grills offer higher and faster heat. They also grill more evenly than electric. Electric grills are typically less expensive and may have more functions. However, electric grills heat up slower and can be more difficult to maintain.
Commercial Steam Cooking Equipment
Steam cooking is a great technique that can be used for a variety of meals. This type of cooking is energy-efficient and less expensive. Commercial steamers come in countertop, floor, or microwave models. You can also get steam kettles, combi ovens, steam generators and portion steamers.
Steam cooking is very healthy, and also fast and efficient. It also offers a great way of keeping cooked food warm and not drying out.
Commercial Toasters
Commercial toasters are important for kitchens and restaurants that serve breakfast. Toasters can vary widely, based on what their specific use is. You can buy flat press toasters (excellent for toast), commercial pop-up toasters, roller toasters, bun-grilling toasters and more. Even waffle irons fit under this category.
For kitchens that cook a lot of breakfast foods, fast and efficient commercial toasters are desired.
Commercial Specialty Cooking Equipment
Some unique food items can’t be cooked with standard commercial appliances – especially if you need them cooked at a high rate. This is where specialized cooking appliances comes in.
Specialty equipment serves a single unique function. If you are planning on cooking something very specific, you will desire the exact appliance for the job. This equipment might include pasta cookers, crepe makers, sous vide immersion circulators and more.
Commercial Appliances In Review
Building a commercial kitchen can feel like a challenging task. It’s important that you know the models of commercial equipment available to buy first. The commercial appliances that you install will have to be specifically based on your space, and the kind of food that you’ll be serving.
Within the many categories of commercial appliances, there are so many models out there. Purchasing the best appliance for the task will make all the difference to the success of your kitchen.