Restaurant Kitchen Equipment Information

Restaurant Kitchen Equipment Information

By Denise Brown, eHow Contributor

A restaurant kitchen must have the proper equipment to prepare the dishes on the menu properly. While it's possible to use equipment available to the general public, commercial-grade restaurant equipment can stand up to the rigorous usage demanded of it over the long term. Professional-grade kitchen equipment typically outperforms its non-professional counterpart, which means it needs replacing less often.

Quality

The decision to purchase name brand, new restaurant cookware or appliances is entirely up to the owner. However, a name brand doesn't always mean a quality product. Every type of kitchen equipment has buyer's guides created by experts. While the goal of some buyer's guides is purely to make sales, others have valuable information about the quality of a product. Commercial-grade kitchen equipment should withstand extreme hot and cold conditions, be heavy gauged if metal and easy to sanitize. If the equipment malfunctions due to poor quality, restaurant business may suffer.

Types

There are many types of restaurant kitchen equipment. The cooking and refrigeration appliances are the largest and most expensive to own and operate. Cleaning equipment is essential to passing health inspections. Restaurant cookware cooks the meals on the stove or in the oven. It's also part of the preparation and serving of the meals. Smaller appliances do specialized tasks such as mix food or warm it.

Costs

The restaurant should have a budget. Purchasing kitchen equipment doesn't have to be a budget buster. Once an inventory of equipment is available, it's a simple matter of figuring out what pieces of equipment are necessary to operate the restaurant, and then purchasing them at the lowest cost for their worth. For major appliances, newer, energy-efficient models make more sense to purchase than used models that cost more to operate.

Considerations

With all the many pieces of kitchen equipment on the market, it's easy to want to put each appliance or tool in the restaurant's kitchen. This can be a big mistake. Too many appliances, especially those not necessary for the preparation of food on the menu, only take up space. Generally speaking, it's wiser to have a few good, multi-function pieces rather than many lesser-grade ones.

Warning

Don't purchase any major appliance for the restaurant kitchen without first checking with the local city codes administrator, health inspector and fire codes administrator. They are knowledgeable about potential problems caused by any piece of kitchen equipment. Also, make sure the restaurant has sufficient electrical power to operate any equipment. This includes electric appliances such as microwaves, blenders and grills.

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/about_6619929_restaurant-kitchen-equipment-information.html

Milk Shake Machine Vs. Blender

Milk Shake Machine Vs. Blender

By Athena Hessong, eHow Contributor

Milkshake machines and blenders are both capable of producing frothy ice cream-based drinks, but there are significant differences between these. Restaurants noted for their milkshakes employ specialty machines to do the job rather than relying on a bar blender, but when making milkshakes at home, you likely put your blender to a second use rather than pulling out another appliance. If making the perfect, diner-style milkshake is important to you, you might want to consider getting a milkshake machine to replicate the desserts you covet.

Milkshake Machine History

Comparing milkshake machines to blenders in their history, the milkshake maker wins the longevity race, but only by a hair. In 1911, Chester Beach completed his work on a motor to run on both AC and DC power. He put this motor into a blender specifically designed to blend a popular brand of malted milk powder. Both Beach's company -- Hamilton Beach -- and the milk powder company -- Horlick's -- continue to make their wares today.

Blender History

Blenders came later than milkshake machines, but not by much. It was not until 1922 when Stephen Poplawski created the bar blender to prepare drinks at a soda fountain. Later improvements and marketing by manufacturers in the 1930s and 1950s introduced the public to the many uses beyond fountain drinks they could make with their blenders at home.

Construction

A milkshake machine consists of a spindle suspended from a motor. Commercial versions of the machine have numerous spindles for mixing several milkshakes at once, a unit invented by McDonald's founder Ray Kroc, called the Multimixer. This spindle is inserted into a removable cup and blends and aerates the ingredients inside the cup. A blender has a lidded jar which fits atop a motor. Blades inside the jar spin and aerate and mix the ingredients inside the jar.

Uses

A milkshake machine mixes drinks or thick batters, but that is all the machines will do. Milkshake machines cannot crush ice, grind spices or make chunky soups smooth -- all actions a blender can do. The best uses for a milkshake machine are for combining drink ingredients, especially if one of the ingredients is a powder like malted milk powder or drink mix. A blender will crush ice with other drink ingredients for making icy blended drinks such as coffee frappes and blended margaritas.

Milkshake Differences

Making a milkshake with a milkshake machine produces a drink with a light and airy texture, but the machine will require twice as long to run as a blender. Blender jars have a larger capacity than the cups designed to fit under the spindle of milkshake machines, making the blender the better choice for making shakes for a crowd. The milkshake machine has an advantage over the blender. After pouring the milkshake into a glass, the leftover shake in the bottom of the blending cup can be given to the drinker, as is a customary practice in some modern soda fountain shops and diners. This cannot be done with a larger blender as the drinker could nick the base of a spoon getting milkshake from around the blades at the base of a blender jar.

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/info_8578169_milk-shake-machine-vs-blender.html

Candy Floss Maker Instructions

Candy Floss Maker Instructions

By Cheryl Macman, eHow Contributor

Candy floss or cotton candy is that lighter than air sweet treat that is often the highlight of going to fairs, carnivals or the circus. Candy floss comes in pink and blue and is made up of heated, blown sugar with a little dye and wrapped around a cardboard cone shaped holder. Making your own pink and blue heavenly candy floss or cotton candy will certainly make your home the hit of the party circuit.

Instructions

1. Remove all the pieces from the box and familiarize yourself with all the working parts of the candy floss maker. Find a working outlet and plug the unit into the outlet. Make sure the wire is out of the way of walking traffic.

2. Turn on the candy maker about 7 minutes before you wish to make the candy. Once it is warmed up, turn it off until you need it. Start making the candy while the machine is warm.

3. Use the scoop that came with the kit or use a tablespoon. Measure out 2 scoops or level tablespoons of pure granulated sugar and pour it evenly into the center of the extractor.

4. Turn the On/Off button to "On." The machine's extractor will heat and rotate the sugar. It should take about 4 minutes for the candy to be ready.

5. Hold a paper cone that came with the kit vertically in the center of the candy. Turn it six or seven times around the outer part of the bowl. Then lay it horizontally above the head of the extractor and rotate it until you have a sufficient amount on the cone.

6. Shut the machine down once you are finished. Follow the cleaning instructions on your unit for cleaning the extractor head, but never use a brush on the bowl. Instead clean the surfaces with a micro fiber cloth to avoid scratching.

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/how_7540767_candy-floss-maker-instructions.html

How to Use a Food Chopper

How to Use a Food Chopper

By Melissa Worcester, eHow Contributor

Food choppers, whether they are electric or hand choppers, are a handy way to quickly chop food for many recipes. There are several styles to choose from, and a few tips to use in order to get the best results.

Instructions

1. Choose a food chopper to buy. There are two basic kinds, though each has some variations. The least expensive are manual choppers. Most of these are shaped roughly like a cylinder, and you press down on the top to chop the food. They chop a small amount of food, like half an apple or half a medium-sized onion. There are also rectangular food choppers with an attachment on a hinge. The attachment has a set of blades arranged in squares, and when you put an item on top of the container and press down on the hinged panel, you cut the item into pieces which fall into the container. You can cut only a small amount at a time, but you can continue with more items quickly because the container holds more than you can chop in one slice. The second main type of food chopper is electric. These look like food processors, only smaller, and are made to chop from one to three cups of food at a time.

2. Pick a recipe and assemble ingredients. Many recipes that require food choppers are those that use vegetables or fruit. Garlic and onions are good foods to chop with a food chopper, as are tomatoes, carrots, celery, and apples. You can also chop nuts, and you can cut food into bite-sized pieces for toddlers to eat. If you are chopping vegetables and fruit, wash them first and cut them to a size that fits in the chopper you are using.

3. Chop the food. Even with electric food choppers, you may only be able to chop a portion of the ingredients at a time. With a hand chopper, you can only do a handful at once. Experiment to determine the placement that works best. With electric food choppers, the placement may not matter as long as the items fit in the chopping container. But with hand choppers, it may make a difference whether you put the skin side up or down, for example.

Tips & Warnings

You will get the best results with items of a certain size. Having a chopper doesn't mean you never use your knife again, but food choppers will save time and yield uniformly sized pieces. Some trial and error may be necessary until you get used to your chopper. Depending on the recipe, you may need to chop each ingredient separately rather than just throwing them in all together

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/how_5580230_use-food-chopper.html

List of Equipment Needed for a Kitchen Restaurant

List of Equipment Needed for a Kitchen Restaurant

By Nikki Jardin, eHow Contributor

Ovens and Ranges

A number of oven and range designs and models are available to fit any style and space needs for the kitchen. Both standard and convection ovens are considered necessary, but combination ovens, which combine elements of the two, can be useful if space is an issue. Stove-top space for a griddle, char broiler and burners also need to be considered and will depend on the overall restaurant menu theme. On the line, a steam table for holding hot foods is also required.

Pots and Pans

Quality cookware sized for restaurant volume is a must. Stockpots from 4- to 20-quart capacity is a good place to start along with varying sizes of saute and sauce pans. These will be the workhorses of your kitchen, so buying the best quality will save money in the long run. You will also need 2- and 4-inch hotel pans, baking sheets and loaf pans. Other equipment can include braziers, pasta cookers, steamers, cast-iron cookware and woks.

The Prep Area

Having a good prep table, shelving and adequate equipment for preparing food will save time and money. An industrial mixer, immersion blender, food processor, microwave oven and a commercial meat slicer are some of the bigger ticket items needed.

Utensils and Small Wares

Other items that you will need for your restaurant equipment include bowls for mixing, cutlery, a food scale, spatulas, whisks, long-handled spoons, juicers, zesters, graters and peelers. Larger prep equipment that you need are bus tubs, cutting boards, salad spinners, commercial can openers and food storage containers.

Cold Storage

Like ovens and stove tops, your refrigeration and freezer capacity might be dictated by the projected volume of meals served in your restaurant and the space available. Many commercial restaurants use walk-in refrigerator units, and some can even house walk-in freezers. However, good quality stand-alone units are available and can be used safely and efficiently.

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/about_5394590_list-equipment-needed-kitchen-restaurant.html

How to Clean Stainless Steel Restaurant Equipment

How to Clean Stainless Steel Restaurant Equipment

By Perry Piekarski, eHow Contributor

If you run your own restaurant, you likely have a number of cooking supplies and equipment made of stainless steel. Stainless steel is practical for restaurant owners because of its resistance to heat, fire and corrosion—and it's inexpensive. Cleaning stainless steel equipment in your restaurant (or even your kitchen at home) is easy to do and only takes a few minutes depending on how dirty it is.

Instructions

Soak the stainless steel object in a sink of warm to hot water before cleaning if the object can be soaked safely. Some electrical equipment in restaurants is not waterproof. It will say on the device whether it is.

Wipe the stainless steel object with a damp cloth to clear away any extra food or grease.

Look closely to determine the direction the grain of the steel. When cleaning stainless steel, you should scrub along the grain to avoid damaging it.

Use a nonabrasive cloth and some mild dish soap in water to scrub the stainless steel along the grain. Alternatives to dish soap include mineral oil, baking soda and vinegar. Vinegar is ideal for removing spots from stainless steel.

Use a damp cloth to again wipe the object of any cleaning agent you used to clean it.

Dry the object to avoid streaking and watermarks.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5865923_clean-stainless-steel-restaurant-equipment.html

Food Processors Vs. Juicers

Food Processors Vs. Juicers

By Sean Russell, eHow Contributor

Food processors and juicers often look similar and take up about the same amount of space on the kitchen counter. The similarities end there, however. Since these two products don't produce the same end result, a strict comparison isn't possible. Yet, food processors and juicers each feature several advantages and disadvantages that determine how often, and in what situations, you use them.

Reduction

Both the food processor and juicers reduce the food put into them. Food processors, which have several settings, can reduce cubed potatoes to mashed, and reduce soft vegetables, such as peas, to the consistency of baby food. Juicers, on the other hand, are designed to drastically reduce fruits and vegetables by spinning them over blades at a high velocity. The result is a pulpy and heavy liquid along with a large amount of wasted pulp and strained fruit material.

Size

The size of the feed opening is another chief advantage of the food processor. Although food processors aren't designed to handle whole fruits and vegetables of any large size, these processors have openings that allow you to spread food out evenly. When processing multiple foods at once, this allows for better blending. Additionally, food processors are set-and-forget items, processing the job automatically once activated. Many electric juicers are plunger/feeder style; this means you feed each piece into the machine one-after-another.

Range

Juicers are designed for one primary purpose: juicing. Still, the by-products of juicing fruits and vegetables can be used as soup stock and even pie filling. This doesn't compare to the variety of products created by the food processor. From mashed potatoes and guacamole to whipped cream and meringue, the food processor can help at every step of the food production process. Many food processors can even toss and cut salad.

Clean-Up

During the juicing process, fruits and vegetables are reduced to very fine pulp and then strained through a filter basket. This pulp then sets very quickly on the basket, making it difficult to clean. Food processors feature largely dishwasher safe parts.

Waste

Food processors leave about the same amount of residual waste as is left on a plate at the end of a meal. This is because a food processor's job is to reduce the food to a more palatable consistency. Juicers, however, are designed to separate the liquid of a food from its solid parts. This creates a large amount of waste product that must either be designated for an unrelated use or thrown out.

Original article from: http://www.ehow.com/info_7926373_food-processors-vs-juicers.html

Convection Oven Cooking Tips

Convection Oven Cooking Tips

What is a convection oven? How is it different from a regular oven?

By Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Convection ovens are the norm in most commercial kitchens and fast becoming popular in home kitchens. Convection ovens may be gas or electric. The difference between a convection oven and a traditional (radial or thermal) oven is that the convection oven has the added bonus of a fan. The fan has two major advantages: It circulates the hot air resulting in more even cooking, browning, and crisping, and in doing so, also shortens cooking times by about 25%. Even browning also helps seal meats, resulting in a juicier product. Your food will look and taste better, will be more moist, and you will get out of the kitchen sooner. It's a win-win situation. 

Many current stove models have an optional convection feature, meaning you can use the oven in the traditional manner or turn on the convection option at will. 

Convection Oven Cooking Tips

Here are some cooking tips for using your convection oven and converting your recipes to convection oven use: 

• All ovens vary, so be sure to read the owner's manual for your particular convection oven. 

• For traditional recipes, cooking time is generally 25% less when cooking an uncovered recipe. Start checking for doneness about 3/4 of the way through the recommended cooking time.  

• If you don't want the hassle of trying to figure out that reduced cooking time, simply reduce the oven temperature by 25 degrees F. (about 15 C.) and use the same traditional cooking time. Of course, this defeats the benefit of the faster cooking time, but takes less brain-work. 

• If your recipe calls for covering the food (such as casseroles or Dutch oven dishes), you will most likely need the traditional amount of baking time, so no adjustment should be necessary. If your convection is optional, it's probably best to not even bother using it. Just use the conventional method. 

• Center your baking vessel on the oven rack so air can circulate freely and evenly around the food. 

• When food is cooked uncovered in a convection oven, it browns faster. This does not necessarily mean it is done. Be sure to use a meat thermometer or the recommended testing method in the recipe instructions rather than going by outward appearances. 

• Low-sided roasting pans or cookie sheets are recommended for convection cooking so the air can freely circulate around the food. Meat roasts and poultry should be placed on a V-rack over a shallow pan. 

• If you are using parchment paper in your pan, you will most likely need to weight down the corners with pie weights so the fan doesn't blow the paper over the food. Silpats or silicone liners are recommended in lieu of parchment paper. 

• If you can turn on the convection option at will, consider uncovering casseroles during the second half of the cooking time, then turn on the convection to get a nicely-browned finish. 

Original article from:

http://homecooking.about.com/od/appliancecookery/a/What-Is-Convection-Oven-Cooking-Tips.htm

New ice cream machine donated to VA

New ice cream machine donated to VA

By Shannon Ross

Updated: Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 10:28 PM EST

Published: Wednesday, November 6, 2013, 10:28 PM EST

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Representatives from 20 local groups dedicated a brand new, $8,000 ice cream machine to the Veterans Hospital on Bailey Avenue in Buffalo Wednesday night.

Richard Donn of Ken-Ton Elks #1492 said, "This is one little thing that we can do for them. Ice cream doesn't seem like much but it brings a smile on their face and we have volunteers who won't give it up."

This ice cream tradition was started in the 1980s by a WWII veteran looking to bring some comfort to his comrades. But the old machine broke, so local Legion groups and Elks organizations stepped in to replace it.

Copyright WIVB.com

Original from: http://www.wivb.com/news/local/new-ice-cream-machine-donated-to-va