Cooking Equipment

Burger stands, mom and pops, white tablecloths. While these types of operations have little in common, they all rely on fryers. Indeed, it’s odd to run into a restaurant that doesn’t use them. Here are three tips to keeping these units running well.

Conveyor ovens are designed to be as maintenance-free as possible, but operators can take a few simple steps to help extend the service life of this cooking equipment. To remove leftover food debris, these ovens need daily cleaning. If the units are not properly maintained, operating costs will increase.

When the pizza industry was new, traditional deck ovens were the standard. However, during busy periods, these ovens weren’t keeping up with the demand as cooking times could take from 16 to 18 minutes per pie. With the advent of national delivery-based chains came the creation of conveyor ovens, which facilitate faster production.

Here, Bruce Hodge, president of General Parts & Service, Bloomington, Minn., provides insight into extending the service life of rotisseries.

Consultant Q&A: Juan Martinez, principal, Profitality, Miami

Clamshell griddles, also commonly referred to as double-sided grills, have become critical to the foodservice industry, in part because they help operators expand their menus. Foodservice operators can choose from small tabletop panini grills to larger high-production floor models. These come in all shapes and sizes, are available in gas or electric, and have various cooking surfaces from stainless steel to glass ceramic.