Kitchen Equipment and Interiors (Lecture - 7)

Kitchen equipment and interiors: selection,
maintenance and energy management
Chapter 9
Equipment selection
• Basic considerations
Several basic considerations are involved in the selection
of kitchen equipment. Management should consider:
Capacity
Need
Cost
functional attributes and
sanitation and safety
Capacity
1. Analyze each food item on the menu to estimate
the number of portions to be prepared for every
meal period. If menus are changed daily, it will be
necessary to use a sample of dishes to be served.
2. The portion size foe every menu item is then
determined.
3. Multiplying the projected number of portions by
the portion size will give the total volume of food
to be prepared at each meal period.
4. The method of preparation and production is
selected next for each item on the menu.
Depending on the style of operation, items may be
prepared individually to order, in small batches and
finished when an order is received.
5. The batch size is then determined for those items
to be prepared in batches. The smaller and more
frequently prepared the batches the less equipment
capacity is needed and the fresher the end product.
6. For items prepared to order, the number of
portions to be prepared at any one time is
estimated based on the projected number of
customers, which items they are likely to order
and their arrival patterns.
7. Equipment catalogs can then be consulted to
determine of pieces of equipment to be
ordered. Some types of equipment are selected
on the basis of the number of pans they can
hold.
Need
• Equipment should not b e bought or leased
unless it is needed.
• A piece of equipment is “needed” if it
improves the quality of the food being
prepared, produces product and labor cost
savings results in increased quantity of
finished product and contributes to the
profitability of the operation.
Cost
• Various costs are involved in the purchase of a
piece of equipment.
• In addition to the initial purchase price, the
equipment must be installed, insured,
maintained and repaired, financed and
operated.
Functional attributes
• Performance relative to cost and compared to
the performance of other equipment should
be examined carefully.
• Things should consider:
• Quietness of operation
• Availability of parts
• Ease of maintenance
• Type of energy used
Sanitation and safety
• Install a reliable fire-suppression system that
includes tanks on the wall filled with wet or dry
chemicals that are piped to the underside of the
stove hood.
• Building codes may require sprinkler system.
• Fire and business interruption insurance
• Evacuation and recovery plan
• Maintain and clean equipment-duct, filters,
hoods
• Remove all rubbish before the restaurant
closes down for the evening.
• Check that equipment, such as deep fat fryers
and grills has been turned off.
• Designate one staff member during each shift
as the person in charge of evacuation.
• Develop a business continuity plan that
includes contact numbers for the companies
Equipment types
Dry heat cooking equipment
• Ranges
• Conventional ovens
• Convection ovens
• Infrared ovens
• Mechanical and pizza ovens
• Microwave ovens
• Deck ovens
• Broilers
• Griddles
Ranges
• Ranges, either gas or electric, are the most

basic piece of cooking equipment for most
foodservice operations.
• They are mounted on the floor, with the
cooking done in pots directly on the range top.
• A heavy frame is preferred because of the
heavy uses.
Conventional ovens
• Conventional ovens are used a great deal,
durability is important.
• The ease of cleaning and energy conservation
should also be considered.
• Four to five of insulation is desirable to help
cut energy losses.
Convection ovens
• Placement of the heating elements in a
conventional oven does not allow for the
consistent distribution of heat inside the oven.
• The forced air model uses a fan to distribute heat
in uniform manner thus allowing more internal
space to be used.
• In general, convection ovens require less labor,
space and energy; cook at lower temperatures;
and enhance quality by allowing for an even
distribution of heat.
What’s the Difference Between a Conventional
and a Convection Oven?
• Both conventional and convection ovens can be heated

with gas or electricity, but the heat distribution differs.
• The heat source in a conventional oven is stationary,
usually radiating from the bottom, while in a convection
oven a fan circulates the hot air all around the place.
• Convection ovens allow for even, fast cooking because the
temperature stays more consistent, while conventional
ovens can have pockets of warmer or colder air. Hot air
rises, so when you’re cooking food on both racks, dishes on
the bottom rack may undercook while the food on top
burns in a conventional oven.
Infrared ovens
• The relatively new infrared ovens take up less
pace than conventional ovens while using less
energy because they cook at higher
temperatures for relatively short periods.
Mechanical and pizza ovens
• The major differences between conventional
and mechanical ovens are that the latter are
larger and have mechanical parts inside that
help move the food while inside the oven.
Microwave ovens
• Microwave ovens use radiation to cook food.
Because of this, food is cooked faster and the
surrounding air is not heated.
• These ovens are particularly useful for
reheating items and thawing meats.
Deck ovens
• Deck ovens are decked and stacked to save on
floor space.
• They may be roasting or baking ovens.
• Capacity can be estimate by identifying the
number of batches per hour that can be
handled.
Broilers
• Broiling procedures a smoked flavor to meats
by cooking the meat on a grid, which allows
the fat to drip down and partially burn,
thereby imparting the smoked flavor.
Griddles
• A griddle offers heated surface particularly
useful for short-order cooking.
• Space should be provided near the griddle will
range from 1 to 2 minutes for grilled cheese
sandwich to 8 to 10 minutes for a ham steak.
Stem equipment
• Steam jacketed kettles
• Steamers
Steam jacketed kettles
• Steam jacketed kettles are indispensable in

most restaurant kitchens.
• They are excellent for foods that do not
require high temperatures.
• The steam in the jacket heats the metal, which
in turn heats the food inside the kettle- the
steam does not come into contact with the
food, so the nutritional loss is low.
Steamers
• Steamers are capable of cooking large
quantities of food quickly while retaining
nutrient and maintaining quality.
Fryers
• Deep fat fryers
• Tilting skillets
Deep fat fryers
• Deep fat fryers should be made of

noncorrosive material and the temperature
control be placed such that they can be
reached safely without exposure to spattered
fat.
• The capacity of a fryer depends on the pounds
of fat in the fry kettle, the heat input and the
cooking time required.
Tilting skillets
• A tilting skillet pan is fastened to the floor by
brackets.
• Its versatility makes it very desirable.
Small equipment
• Food cutters
• Slicers
• Mixers
• Vertical cutter/mixers
• Vegetable peelers
Food cutters
• Able to handle meats, vegetables and fruits,
food cutters can cut, dice and shred.
• Food is placed in a bowl that rotates and
expenses the food to high-speed rotating
blades.
Slicers
• The essential elements of a food slicer are a
circular knife blade and a carriage that passes
under of then blade.
Mixers
• It is preferable to purchase a larger model over
a smaller one that requires several batches.
• The variety of attachments available makes
mixers very versatile pieces of equipment.
Vertical cutter
• Consisting of a stationary bowl with high speed
horizontal blades, the vertical cutter has a
greater capacity.
Vegetable peelers
• Vegetable peelers consist of a cylindrical tank
that has a revolving disk in the bottom.
• There is an opening above the disk for loading
the vegetables and one below for removing
the peels
Dishwashers
The most common are the immersion
dishwasher, which submerges racks of dishes;
the single tank, stationary type dishwasher,
which racks of dishes with jets of water within
a single tank.

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Kitchen Equipment and Interiors (Lecture - 7)

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Kitchen equipment and interiors: selection,

maintenance and energy management

• Ranges, either gas or electric, are the most

• Both conventional and convection ovens can be heated

• Steam jacketed kettles are indispensable in

• Deep fat fryers should be made of

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