Restaurant Supplies and Restaurant Equipment

Restaurant Equipment Buying Guide: Refrigerators, Fryers and Heated Cabinets

It is a truth universally acknowledged that informed purchasing decisions are by far the best purchasing decisions. Nowhere does this hold more truth than in the restaurant business. Up to half of the cost of setting up and launching a restaurant can be attributed to the acquisition of restaurant equipment not because by choice but purely out of necessity. It is for this reason that we have carefully identified three major categories of restaurant equipment and shared with you our insights on how best to leverage your resources in order to obtain maximum value for your investment. This white paper and buying guide presents tips and recommendations regarding the purchase of commercial kitchen equipment with a single purpose—to help you focus on the finest dining experience a restaurant can provide its customers without your having to become concerned about breakdowns, malfunctions, health code violations and other equipment woes. Additionally, we suggest a few ways in which you can leverage your financial resources to receive true value for your restaurant equipment and restaurant supply investment both of which will remain ongoing exercises as long as you are a restaurateur. Since there are more than fifty categories of restaurant products, we plan to provide you with buying tips and insights through more buying guides as often as possible.

Commercial Refrigeration Equipment Buying Guide and Short Primer

You do not need to own and operate a restaurant in the tropics to invest in commercial refrigeration equipment. Far from it, the more upscale your restaurant is the more refrigeration you will need. Commercial refrigeration is required in abundance not simply to store and condition food but also to chill drinks, ice cream and other types of desserts. High quality and reliable refrigeration is also essential to safely store food and help set and marinate a few delicacies. Here are a few critical factors you should consider when purchasing a commercial refrigeration system.

Why Residential Refrigeration Equipment is not an Option
Before we tell you what to buy, let us first tell you what not to buy. No matter how small your commercial food service operation is, refrigerators and freezers not designed for industrial strength, heavy duty prolonged use are not appropriate. Residential models also do not have features such as digital temperature record keeping and are typically more difficult to clean. Many of them are not NSF code compliant, as we will explain momentarily.

Calculate Future Demand for Space
You may have started out small but restaurants have a tendency to quickly outgrow their premises if their cuisine is successful in touching both the hearts and palates of their guests. Try and invest in a commercial refrigeration system that is at least 10-15% more than what you need so that you do not have another major expense on your hands when your business begins to grow. Models currently available for the food service industry can go up to 72 cubic feet complete with sliding doors and stainless steel construction so you have plenty of good things to choose from.

The Two Ratings
When selecting the right refrigeration unit for your food service or catering operation, there are at least two approvals or certifications you should consider. The first is called the Energy Star rating. This rating is awarded by the US Federal Government and validates the product’s energy efficient status. Visit Energy.Gov for more information. You should also look for the colorful blue NSF logo awarded by the National Sanitation Foundation. This is also important because many jurisdictions in the US will not approve the use of commercial food preparation equipment and label it a health code violation if it is not NSF approved.

Commercial Fryer Buying Guide and Short Primer

There are three types of commercial fryers you can choose from in order to address the various types of frying needs at your food service facility. Each type has its own set of benefits, but your choice of fryer will be driven by the type of foods you will be serving. To select the appropriate fryer for your menu, brief your restaurant equipment vendor about the type of cuisine you are planning to serve. Your consultant at the store will make the right recommendation. You can also talk to your chefs and ask for recommendations assuming you have your human resources in place already. Here are the three types of commercial fryers you should consider:

Tube Type Fryers
Tube type fryers boast a unique design and address a vast array of frying needs. The sediment collection zone—the area where frying residue is collected as they dislodge during a frying operation, is wide and therefore easy to manage. However, tube style commercial fryers do pose mild cleaning problems since the tubing, which contains the heating mechanism, is submerged in the vat area.

Open Pot Fryers
Open pot fryers are the most popular type of commercial fryers within the food service industry for their versatility and ease of cleaning. They have a large frying area and are available in both gas and electric models from many reputed manufacturers. They are less expensive than other fryers and are used to fry just about everything including breaded dishes such as appetizers and pies.

Flat Bottom Fryers
Flat bottom fryers used in commercial kitchens are ideal for what can be best described as “delicate frying.” They are used to fry food items such as Indian crispies called papads, Mexican tortilla chips and other crunchies that need to be fried at the oil surface level. Flat bottom fryers are perfect for lightly battered products too. However, since they do not feature a sediment zone, care should be taken to ensure that food products that cause excessive sedimentation are not fried in flat bottom fryers.

Gas or Electric Commercial Fryers
The jury has been out on this aspect of commercial fryers for long and is hardly expected to return. There are advantages and disadvantages of both and an experienced restaurant equipment professional can easily assess your specific needs and make a recommendation. A tip we would like to share with you is that gas powered commercial cooking appliances are known to preserve the taste, texture and overall integrity of the food being prepared and tend not to dry food out like electric powered appliances do. If this is a major consideration, gas powered commercial fryers are most likely your best choice.

High-tech Commercial Fryers
Advancements in computer technology have helped commercial fryers to graduate to 21st century digital status. Many if not most of these features can make the difference between a happy customer and a disgruntled one. Here is a short list of features in order of preference which we would like to share with you so that you could pick the features we believe are extremely helpful.

• Temperature on command
• Digital timers and temperature sensors
• Programmable cooking cycles with memory
• Ability to save individualized settings
• Several types of audible alarms and audio indicators
• Count down time keeping
• Temperature displays both in Fahrenheit and centigrade (C and F)
• Control panel or admin panel

Warming and Holding Equipment Buying Guide and Short Primer

The only time your restaurant guests will see any warming and holding equipment at your restaurant is when you serve buffet style lunches or dinners. However, their use goes well beyond the buffet since hot foods need to be kept at a stable and consistent 140°F to preserve taste, texture and nutrition value. More importantly, hot foods remain safe for consumption at this temperature. We present in the concluding section of this buying guide a few important factors to consider when selecting warming and holding equipment for your food service operation.

Food Merchandisers
As an adjunct to both food preparation and food presentation, heated food display cabinets are extremely useful and popular to keep hot foods and soups hot and safe. This is a broad class of food warming equipment and includes:

• Soup merchandisers
• Full service heated merchandisers
• Self-service heated merchandisers
• Pizza cabinets

If your customers have direct access to food products as is the case in some diners, cafeterias and convenience stores, these types of heated merchandising cabinets will be an essential part of your equipment inventory. They are available in a wide array of sizes and shapes and have been customized for self serve packaged foods, food warming and soups. For packaged foods, we recommend those that open from the front as well as from the back. Food service personnel can load fresh products from the back into these heated cabinets in order to maintain both temperature and quality while customers can retrieve these delicacies from the front self-service style. You can also choose the right colors to match your décor. Snack and soup warmers typically come with many accessories for an additional price. They include sneeze guards, extra trays or shelves, separators, lights signage, and more.

Hot Food Tables
Although hot food tables have been traditionally associated with cafeterias and restaurants that regularly feature buffets, every commercial food preparation facility can use them. Once you have determined the sizes and quantities, you are all set to make your purchasing decisions. Look for the models that are constructed from sturdy stainless steel and feature well-insulated three pin electrical connections. Some models also have additional safety features such as auto shut off in case of a short circuit. We recommend them strongly. Others have programmable thermostats so that you can adjust the temperature based on the food product, which needs to be kept hot, and fresh. Some manufacturers have also introduced models, which include cutting boards, extra workspaces, end tables, tray rails and a host of accessories and matched service spoons.

Food Bars
Like heated food tables and steam tables, food bars are also considered by many to be an indispensable part of food service and food presentation especially in a self-service setting. If you are planning to use food bars for merchandising purposes, you can choose the right size and design to match and blend in with the ambience. Many models come with casters for ease of transportation and are perfect for fulfilling your iced buffet or salad bar needs. Look for standard food pans that are of durable stainless steel construction and are matched with the food bar you eventually select. If you anticipate an expansion phase, consider investing in a food bar with a modular design. If tabletop food bars meet your needs, you can consider them too. Since the range of options you have is quite extensive, we recommend that you first explore and then purchase.

One Size does not Fit All
Once you muster the courage to go restaurant equipment shopping, you will begin to notice the bewildering variety there is available from manufacturers from all over the world. Merchandisers continue to gear up to sell their products based on the demands of the marketplace and ecological considerations. Since these are long-term investments, you should take the time to understand your own needs and make informed decisions.

Conclusion

As discussed, there are many categories of restaurant equipment products covering all spheres of the restaurant and food service industry. In this paper, we started with three of the most popular restaurant equipment categories we suggest a few ways in which you can leverage your financial resources to receive true value for your restaurant equipment and restaurant supply investment both of which will remain ongoing exercises as long as you are a restaurateur. Since there are more than fifty categories of restaurant products, we plan to provide you with buying tips and insights through more buying guides as often as possible.

About Jeff Breeden and Cook’s Direct:

Jeff Breeden is active in the Foodservice Industry through his work at Cook’s and as a member of NAFED (National Association of Food Equipment Dealers). During the past 12 years, he has held a variety of roles including project management, priority account service, product research and marketing. In his current responsibility as Chief Merchant, he utilizes his vast experience and expertise to find innovative equipment and supply solutions to meet the ever evolving needs of restaurant and institutional foodservice operations. Cook’s provides a full range of commercial kitchen solutions to correctional facilities, institutions and other large foodservice operations across North America. The company was founded over 10 years ago and is known for its innovative products, strong customer service and overall knowledge of institutional kitchen operations.

Inquiries can be sent to:
Jeff Breeden, Chief Merchant
Cook’s Direct
630-821-6300
http://www.cooksdirect.com/