The Essential Equipment For Your Commercial Kitchen in 2019

Some very interesting restaurant statistics, just for you.

Did you know that in the USA …

When opening a restaurant, you are not only opening a business, you are also creating a unique space where you can give your patrons a great experience. You need fantastic service, exciting food, state of the art design, but most importantly you have the responsibility of providing a safe environment for your diners with regards to food safety and cross-contamination.

Choosing the right design plan and layout for your kitchen is probably a problem that many entrepreneurs have, when starting a new restaurant business.  It is also the biggest investment of any restaurant owner /any restaurant owner can make.

Unfortunately, or fortunately for some, the vast majority of patrons will never set foot in your kitchen.

Of course, you know how to cook, you’re a chef or a restaurant owner, aren’t you? You’ve hit the big time and want to start your own restaurant.

Yes and you know a few things about kitchen appliances.  Great!

You also want to design your own commercial kitchen or you want to renovate and revamp without spending too much money.

The key element is to plan your kitchen design effectively.  Place and plan it on blueprint software, if you have, or get an architect or designer to help you with the initial stages.  Planning is of utmost importance.

Do you know how to design an effectively, well laid out kitchen?

Basically what the average man on the street knows about commercial kitchens, is what we have seen in action movies, when they start running through silver kitchens shooting guns and toting knives, all the while making lots of noise, simultaneously trying to break all the stainless steel they can find.

Modern Commercial Kitchens

Back in the day, when designing a kitchen, you needed to satisfy the needs of the chef, but times they are a-changing!  Not only the chef has a say about a new kitchen. Other aspects need to be taken into consideration as well.

Below, are some tips on how to make your kitchen more environmentally-friendly.

Going Green Commercial Kitchen Tips

Characteristics of a good commercial kitchen

A good commercial kitchen should be:

When choosing commercial kitchen equipment, remember the following:  ALWAYS CHOOSE COMMERCIAL KITCHEN EQUIPMENT,. i.e. HEAVY DUTY!

An effective commercial kitchen should have the following areas:

The Cleaning Area

The ideal equipment for the cleaning area is as follows:

The Storage Area

An often overlooked crucial part of a well-designed kitchen.  The area can be split into 3 different storage areas.

Fridges and freezers are extremely important.

Temperatures to Subzero!

Cold Storage

Good quality fridges and freezers are imperative in a commercial kitchen.  Temperatures should be able to go to below freezing for a freezer and ambient temperature for a fridge.  Fridges should include elite extras like air purification systems and a vacuum seal to keep food fresher for longer.  

Waste not, want not.

These great appliances can be under counter or countertop, if space is a problem for smaller kitchens and restaurants or walk-in, but within easy reach of a chef’s island or cooking top.

The range starts from smaller under-counter units, right up to walk-in cooler rooms for larger restaurants.  Don’t worry if you think you might not need a larger fridge to start, invest in a larger one than required, your restaurant business will soon grow into the new fridge.

It is essential that you choose a good quality fridge as well as freezer that might cost more in the beginning, but by choosing a good brand name, you can ensure that your refrigeration needs are taken care of for the period of the warranty.  The reason for this is that kitchens are very hot spaces so ensure your refrigeration is effective. The guys at ckitchen.com have an excellent range of fridges, ranging from walk-in to undercounter.  They are also extremely talented in kitchen design and can help you at the press of a button.  

Looking for a commercial ice machine?  Always having plenty of ice on hand is absolutely essential.  Invest in a commercial, heavy duty ice machine - one that is always ready to provide.  There is an extremely wide variety of ice machines, categorized into three different types of cooling, air-cooled, water-cooled or remote cooled, depending on your needs and budget.  If your budget permits, it is essential that any green restaurateur purchases an air cooled ice maker. They are extremely easy to install and require only fans and vents instead of invasive installations of piping and water lines.  They can also easily be moved. A win-win situation in my eyes.

Dry Storage

Use for storing any dry ingredients in ambient temperatures. 

Shelves

Should be close to the door for waiters to quickly drop off dirty dishes and for chefs to find clean dishes quickly.

Food Preparation  Area

The Food preparation area is one of the most important zones in a kitchen and should be ergonomically designed, i.e. the staff and chef should have everything at their fingertips, without moving about too much.

There are many appliances that you can purchase to equip your food prep area and I have included a list below, depending on the size of your restaurant.  Remember: Your chef will know exactly which pieces of equipment he or she needs - listen to your chef.

Meal Cooking Area

Now we’re cooking with gas!

A gas cook range that has been installed and operates effectively is the heart of the kitchen.  Nobody wants to struggle to get food cooked when they work in a busy restaurant, as I’m sure any good chef will know.

Choose heavy duty cookers and stoves for commercial kitchens with a lot of traffic because chances are, you’re going to need it.  There is a gargantuan range of heavy duty gas stoves and cookers to choose from. Be kind to the environment and kind to your chef and install gas if space permits.  Gas gives instant heat, while electrical appliances like stoves would still need to warm up, wasting time you might not have.

Service Area

Worktops, surfaces and chef stations    

You can purchase stations and worktops that double up as chef’s stations or ‘workstations’ to begin with and have a communal ‘work station’ as well, when all your chefs and assistants need to work together, side by side.  The more dedicated stations you have, the better your kitchen will function and flow.

It’s essential that you also have dedicated space, like tables for dishes, plenty of shelves for storage and well-designed cooker top placement is essential in an effective kitchen.

Worktops and surfaces needs to be easy to clean and preferably, constructed of stainless steel.  Shelves can be added beneath the surfaces for extra storage space. Include plenty of space for multiple kitchen staff to stand around a single island to cook at, at the same time, or give each one their own station.  You may want to accomplish this more easily by leaving the kitchen designed as an open plan floor, with islands placed in strategic places.

In conclusion, kitchen placement and the workflow plan is the most important element of the whole kitchen.  If your kitchen doesn’t work, your restaurant won’t either. 30%-40% of a restaurant’s total space should be allocated to the kitchen alone.  Don’t skimp on the size, quality or the equipment that you purchase for your kitchen.