For a busy commercial kitchen, food preparation for a hectic shift ahead can be a laborious and tedious task. Often staff members need to work efficiently with haste and with precision in order to get the kitchen ready in time. Some restaurants prefer to use a good old fashioned knife for all food preparations, however by investing in some simple but essential tools you can maximise your kitchen staff’s time and energy.
Potato chippers and peelers
A commercial kitchen uses a large amount of potatoes during one shift. It is vital to find a method to produce a high quantity of peeled potatoes, all done with as little waste as possible, in order for your kitchen to be able to offer fluffy and fresh ingredients. By hand this task would seem to take forever, however by investing in a fundamental sturdy, durable potato chipper and peeler you will be able to increase your kitchen production rate in a minimised amount of time.
Slicers and Graters
Obviously a grater is a must-have for any kitchen however a slicer may not be seen as a necessity for every food prep personnel. A slicer allows for a consistency and precision that is not guaranteed with a manual knife. For speed, a slicer will also be able to produce more at a quicker rate.
Food processors and Veg Prep Machines
These pieces of equipment, also known as blixers, although resembling in appearance what may be found in domestic households deliver the increased speed, efficiency, consistency and accuracy demanded in a commercial environment. Commercial grade equipment is far more durable and can easily withstand the high usage rate. Chopping, dicing or grating, these preparation items should always be present in a working commercial kitchen.
Blenders and Mixers
Food can be blended manually but is obviously far more time consuming in a fast paced job. When speed is of the essence using a blender or a mixer will allow the combination of ingredients to be mixed with ease and the minimum of fuss whilst still producing the same quality results.
Mincers
If your restaurant prides itself on using fresh produce, including your meat ingredients, using your own mincer will allow you to create these fresh ingredients on site as and when you require them. These simple to use machines are perfect for busy kitchens that have a high customer turnover but still believe that only the best quality will do.
Spice grinders
Spices are a main ingredient of many dishes and unless prepared correctly will not release the potential flavour encased inside. Nothing beats the aromatic smells of freshly ground spices but sometimes a traditional pestle and mortar is just too time consuming when in a commercial kitchen environment. Using a spice grinder will free up some precious time once the kitchen is in service and will allow for a higher turnover of customers. A spice grinder is more than capable of producing consistent and quality ground spices that are always to the same standard as when prepared using more traditional methods.
Investing and equipping your kitchen with tools that allow for consistent and efficient results will ensure that your staff members can produce higher turnovers of food preparation whilst still retaining the quality and the standards that your restaurant prides itself on.