How Commercial Cooking Equipment Is Different from the Average Appliance

Commercial kitchens use multiple types of equipment depending on their size, menu and other factors. If you have visited any restaurant kitchen, you must have noticed that these devices considerably differ from the average appliances. You might not have paid enough attention to note all the minute things but what you couldn’t have missed is the difference in construction quality. Appliances used in large-scale cooking should never be of average class. They must be designed and made to serve the heavy-duty foodservice needs.

Let’s take a more in-depth look into how commercial cooking equipment differ from the average appliances,

Highly powerful

Cooking equipment used in the foodservice business essentially packs high power. Restaurants prepare foods in high volume within strict time constraints. To help in the preparation or cooking the device needs to be extremely powerful and able to deliver consistently. Consider the range, one of the primary workhorses in every kitchen. The restaurant ranges provide high heat continuously on all the burners, ensuring that foods are cooked within minimum time. An average quality range will never be able to deliver similar efficiency, slowing down the back of the house processes.

High-quality refrigerators used in foodservice business essentially come equipped with a powerful, branded compressor to suffice all storage and freezing needs. An average quality appliance will not have a branded compressor, which will naturally compromise on the cooling or freezing power of the refrigerator. Notably, a refrigerator without a branded compressor is not dependable at all and can breakdown anytime.  

When it comes to the exhaust system of the cooking area, the power of the device becomes a crucial deciding factor. The power of the industrial exhaust system is often determined by the authority depending on the style of the kitchen and volume of food to be prepared. An exhaust system of average quality can never meet the specifications mandated for commercial kitchens. 

Energy efficient

Buying kitchen equipment is often a one-time investment, but the daily operational cost is a recurring expense of your business. In restaurants and food shops, different equipment is often in use for the whole day and might even stay operational even during the night hours. Unless the appliance is energy efficient, it can quickly add up a considerable sum to your power bills. More to the point, at the present scenario, it is only a wise choice to use environment-friendly devices that consume less power for maximum efficiency.

The equipment for restaurant kitchens and catering is essentially designed, keeping these points in mind. You will not find any cooking or catering appliance from a good brand that is not energy efficient. However, the average quality devices often lack on this aspect. They might look similar and are priced lower, but their operational expenses are usually much higher compared to the commercially designed ones.

Stronger construction

Equipment for restaurant use has a more robust construction to survive regular wear and tear. These devices are designed for heavy-duty, rigorous, and often rough use. The stronger construction ensures that the device can be used extensively without frequent breakdowns. 304 type stainless-steel is typically used in making commercial kitchen appliances. This alloy is resilient and resistant to corrosion. It ensures that the devices are strong enough to survive the regular high-demand use. As these devices are resistant to corrosion, they are also easy to clean and maintain.   

Average commercial kitchen equipment, on the other hand, is often made of plastic or low-quality steel. None of these materials is strong enough to survive the day-to-day use of a busy restaurant. Moreover, low quality steel is prone to rapid corrosion and can deteriorate quickly over time.  

Suppose you are spending on a good quality stainless steel workbench designed for use in restaurant kitchens. Even if you do not take a lot of care of this unit, it will serve you years. All you need to do is clean it daily. That said, an average workbench will not give you a long service and will require much more maintenance and cleaning efforts.

Maximum longevity

Commercial cooking appliances are expensive, but they are designed for long-lasting service, and many of them might serve you as long as a lifetime if maintained properly. These devices are made from a high-quality material like 304 stainless steel which makes them resilient and resistant to corrosion. More on the note, this alloy is easy to clean and maintain. Just a wipe with a dry and soft cloth can be enough to keep your workbench clean.

As these devices are fitted with high-quality parts and motor, they rarely breakdown. Even after heavy-duty use and often misuse the commercially designed cooking appliances will give you long service, and you might need to buy one equipment only once in your lifetime. The average quality equipment, on the other hand, is naturally prone to breakdown, particularly in the heavy-duty environment of a restaurant kitchen. 

Additional features

Many industrial cooking appliances are provided with special features, and these features make the operation of the device in the kitchen safe and straightforward. The average equipment typically misses out on these features because they are not designed keeping the exact use in mind. Moreover, in order to keep it cheap, they naturally compromise with the features.

For example, ranges and most of the other gas equipment like griddles, grills designed for use in a restaurant, essentially come with the flame failure system. It is a feature implemented in the gas equipment to prevent leakage of gas in case the flame is extinguished without notice. Either the flame is automatically re-ignited, or the gas supply is automatically turned off in case the flame goes off. Now, this feature is essential to avoid any risk of fire accidents, but average appliances will typically miss these advanced systems. 

Also, often a difference can be noticed in the overall look and design of the commercial-grade equipment and the average ones. It is always advised to spend only on commercial grade appliances for use in a commercial place. An average quality device or even a household appliance will never be able to survive the commercial heavy-duty usage and demand. If you are running short on budget, talk to your commercial kitchen equipment supplier for best deals instead of compromising on the appliance quality.