Cooking Equipment

Ranges are one of the most versatile pieces of equipment in a commercial kitchen. They can be used for almost any cooking task. While cooking, stir-frying, grilling, sauteing, searing, boiling and broiling can be accomplished on the range top, the oven can be used for baking, roasting, warming, broiling, storage, and, if refrigerated or freezer drawers are included, cooling and freezing.

Paul Mann, co-owner of Service Engineering Co., Asheville, N.C., shares his thoughts on what it takes to keep a restaurant range up and running.

Here are five indicators that a foodservice operator should consider replacing an existing range or adding a new unit to their kitchen.

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.

In most foodservice facilities, a range remains one of the more basic and versatile pieces of equipment that an operator can use. In fact, in smaller facilities, a range may be the only piece of equipment on a cook line, depending on space restrictions or budget limitations.

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.