The Essential Commercial Kitchen Equipment Every Restaurant Needs

The kitchen is where the magic happens — at home, it’s the heart and soul, the repository of well-loved family recipes passed down from generations; in social settings, it brings people of all walks of life together, where they can bond with family and friends over bold, new favours and various culinary treats. Just as it’s the heart and soul for families at home, it’s the bread and butter of every restaurant in the food industry.

Busy chef in a restaurant kitchen

What’s in your kitchen? At its core, a kitchen is the equipment that makes it, along with the ingredients stored to create signature dishes. For the perfect bite every time, you need tools you can trust — reliable commercial kitchen appliances that can withstand the restaurant rush and help deliver quality taste from storage to stovetop.

A smart investment in commercial kitchen equipment from reputable manufacturers guarantees optimal storage of frozen and chilled food items, and the perfect cook that customers love. With reliable function and excellent customer experience, this investment pays for itself over time, and guarantees the long-term success and transition of your new restaurant into a household name.

Cooking chef

Cooking Equipment

The stove, oven, or grill is just one part of the kitchen, near the end of the cook line and right before service. Before any dish even gets there, its ingredients are first assembled at the prep station, where they’re brought out from storage in a commercial freezer or refrigerator. This entire workflow is composed of multiple kitchen appliances carefully arranged to maximize limited real estate, and ensure optimal storage, cooking, and serving conditions.

Assembling a fully functional restaurant kitchen starts with identifying your menu: what will you be serving, and what types of equipment do you need to whip up these plates? A highly diverse menu that takes inspiration from several cuisines and flavour profiles requires maintaining a range of equipment to utilize various cooking methods.

From the right commercial freezers, pans, and cookware, to the stove, oven, and grill, there’s no shortage of kitchen equipment available for use. All you need to do is figure out exactly what each recipe requires, and invest in the right appliances from optimal, climate-controlled storage and display, to actual cooking.

Commercial refrigerators maintenance

Refrigeration Equipment

Before any dish is served — or even makes it to the prep and cook stations — its ingredients need to be properly stored. A well-maintained inventory is one that stores various food items efficiently, ensuring that the right types and quantities are purchased, stored, and used according to their sell-by date to avoid waste and foodborne illnesses. Fresh, quality taste starts with food safety in refrigeration equipment.

Commercial freezers and refrigerators are designed for the high-volume storage and fast-paced consumption of restaurant kitchens. Unlike their residential counterparts, commercial freezers are much larger and powerful to enable long-term and energy-efficient storage. These freezers need to be properly calibrated to hold consistent temperatures for keeping food at their freshest and safest.

Commercial freezers come in a range of types and sizes to suit a wide range of restaurant kitchens. Aside from traditional solid-door models that require frequent opening and closing, contemporary powder-coated, non-peel finished units featuring clear glass panes and LED lighting are becoming increasingly popular because of their improved inventory visibility and energy-efficient function.

Depending on the size of your restaurant and the amount of inventory used, you can select between one-, two-, and three-door commercial freezers for maximum shelf space and optimal food storage. With proper use and regular maintenance, commercial freezers can help ensure efficient inventory management, food storage, and long-lasting freshness of every ingredient.

Cleaning process

Cleaning Equipment

Climate-controlled storage in a reliable commercial freezer is just one part of food safety and guaranteed quality taste. A major component of a safe and productive restaurant kitchen is cleanliness. A clean kitchen greatly reduces the risk of cross-contamination and foodborne illnesses. For staff, that means safe and pleasant working conditions, and for guests, a delightful experience of your signature flavours.

Every commercial kitchen should be stocked with gloves, mops, brooms, and non-toxic, food-safe cleaning solutions. Make sure to wipe down counters and other surfaces after every use, and keep items inside the commercial freezer organized to avoid cross-contamination, waste, and other food safety issues. As well, clean all kitchen appliances after use to maintain a safe and professional environment and excellent customer experience.

Avoiding workplace accident
photo credit: sgroi / Flickr

Safety Equipment

Restaurant kitchens are a hotspot for work-related injuries: wet, messy floors make staff rushing between prep stations more prone to slip-and-falls, while extremely hot surfaces present the risk of burns, along with fires, equipment damage, and restaurant closure. All of these come at a very real cost: the safety of customers and staff, necessary renovations and equipment replacement, and lost revenue.

To prevent any number of slip-and-falls, fire-related accidents, and other kitchen disasters, especially in a busy restaurant, you need to establish safety protocols with corresponding safety tools and equipment.

For one, make sure that your kitchen is stocked with appropriate safety equipment — this can be as simple as oven mitts, arm guards, potholders, and slip-resistant mats. As well, make sure that the kitchen is fitted with emergency lights, caution signs, and fire extinguishers, and that staff are trained to quickly find and use them properly. These safety precautions ensure efficient and productive workflow and a pleasant dining experience every time.

Find Commercial Kitchen Equipment Today

The restaurant experience is driven by the right equipment as much as it is by the sheer marketability of signature flavours that your customers know and love. Without the right tools, you can’t whip up their favourite dishes, much less store their ingredients to preserve their taste and freshness.

A smart, cost-effective investment in essential cooking, refrigeration, cleaning, and safety equipment helps guarantee the long-term success and survival of your restaurant.

It’s impossible to maintain food safety, consistent taste, and overall restaurant-worthy quality without the right equipment: you can’t achieve the perfect crisp without a proper deep frying pan, or stock up on these choice cuts to begin with if your freezer cannot hold consistent temperatures. It’s only with a well-stocked commercial kitchen that you can promote a seamless and productive workflow from storage to service amidst the daily rush.