Restaurant owners know that the key to their success is an efficient kitchen. When it comes to running an efficient restaurant kitchen, it takes more than just an experienced and motivated staff. The kitchen appliances are also of great importance. When your staff is able to use reliable and functional commercial food equipment, they can perform their tasks a lot easier, faster and better. That being said, if you’re setting up a new restaurant kitchen, you need to invest a great deal of your attention and finances into selecting the right machines.
When it comes to commercial food machines Australia restaurant owners get to choose from an incredibly wide range. But a kitchen only has limited space and you can’t fit all the machines out there. Knowing what your needs are and which machines can suit them best is crucial. Considering this, every restaurant will have a different kitchen setup. Nevertheless, there are certain types of equipment that are considered a staple and can be found in all restaurant kitchens, no matter their speciality. Here are the basic food machines you need so that you can start building your kitchen from there.
Food Prep Equipment
Rather than list all the potential food preparation equipment, here’s a list of the essential food machines Australia restaurants deem indispensable for processing all kinds of ingredients.
• Food Processor – This is one of the most versatile appliances that can be found in a commercial kitchen. A food processor is a machine equipped to chop, dice, shred and mix. You can use it to slice cheese, chop and dice vegetables, combine ingredients and much more. Considering this, a food processor can help cut down on prep time and save valuable floor space.
• Prep Tables – A prep table is a sturdy working surface which also includes storage drawers and chilled compartments you can use to keep ingredients and kitchen tools within easy reach. Besides using it as a surface for prepping and assembling dishes, you can also place appliances and equipment on top of these sturdy tables.
• Mixers – Although mixers are most commonly used in bakeries and patisseries, they are also a useful piece of equipment for every restaurant. After all, pizza and desserts like cake and ice cream are some of the most popular menu items. While you may not need a heavy-duty spiral mixer for working with large quantities of dough like bakeries do, a simple planetary can really speed up things up and prevent worker burnout caused by mixing by hand.
• Blenders: Blenders have a multitude of uses that make them absolutely necessary for bars, cafes and restaurants. You can use a blender to make cocktails, combine sauces, or create marinades.
Cooking Equipment
Once you’re done with prep work, the next step is cooking. And cooking equipment is the cornerstone of any commercial kitchen. When choosing cooking equipment for your restaurant, be sure to think about your venue capacity and how many guests you need to serve in a given time. While smaller pieces of equipment may be less expensive, they may not meet your capacity needs efficiently. And this can result in delayed serving times, which can badly affect customer satisfaction. In any case, here’s the list of essential cooking equipment for a restaurant.
• Ovens – Oven – You will rely on ovens for the dishes that need baking, roasting and braising. When it comes to baking ovens, commercial models differ vastly from residential ones both in offering . For instance, if you’re offering pizza, a pizza oven can make a big difference in terms of taste. A deck oven contains separate racks or rotisseries that can be used to cook various items such as vegetables, chicken and lamb simultaneously and evenly.
• Deep Fryer – Used for frying a variety of foods such as chicken tenders, calamari, mozzarella sticks, french fries and other customer favourites. If you only need to prepare a limited amount of fried foods, a countertop fryer is an excellent way to compromise between performance and saving space. However, if frying is an integral cooking method for your restaurant, for instance, if you run an Asian restaurant, then a high-volume floor fryer can meet your needs better.
• Grill – Many recipes taste much better when they have a smokey and charred flavour, which is why restaurant chefs commonly use grilling. If you want to spoil your customers with grilled dishes, a charbroiler is perfect. Considering how a charbroiler runs entirely on electricity, it can help impart a mouthwatering smokey aroma to foods without creating actual smoke in the kitchen which can be uncomfortable for the staff.
• Salamander or Broiler: These appliances are perfect for adding a finishing touch to dishes, toasting bread, or melting cheese. Additionally, salamanders offer a high enough heat output to broil salmon or other fish and seafood.
• Toaster – If breakfast is going to be a part of your restaurant’s menu, then you will definitely need a toaster for making toast, sandwiches, bagels and similar popular breakfast recipes.
• Coffee Brewer – Coffee is a popular beverage and no doubt a big number of customers will be asking for it. Even if you’re not opening a cafe or bakery, a coffee brewer is a great addition.
• Microwave – It’s convenient to prepare some sauces or other ingredients and keep them stored in a freezer for further use. A microwave can help you heat up these items whenever needed, in addition to helping you defrost frozen foods and re-heat products.
Refrigeration Equipment
Most of the ingredients used by restaurants are perishable and need to be stored properly to prevent them from spoiling. Depending on your needs, you can benefit from a variety of refrigeration equipment. For instance, a large restaurant may need a walk-in cooler to stock large amounts of items and maintain an organized inventory. A smaller restaurant, on the other hand, can make do with double-door reach-in refrigerators. You will also need a freezer for storing meat, fish and seafood.
Besides buying refrigeration equipment that offers enough capacity for your storage needs, also make sure to pick energy-efficient models as these appliances will work 24/7 and can drain a large amount of electricity. As required by the Australian government, energy rating labels are issued on new appliances. With the help of the energy rating the appliance has, you can easily calculate how much running it will end up costing you.
Photo by Daniel Nijland on Unsplash