Cooking Equipment

The ability of braising pans to provide precise heating capabilities for various production-related tasks makes them one of the most versatile pieces of commercial kitchen equipment available. These units can function as a griddle, kettle, oven, fryer, steamer, braiser or warming unit to handle almost any task. This includes braising or roasting meats; preparing soup stock; cooking stew; cooking breakfast items like eggs, sausage, bacon and pancakes; sauteing fish; and steaming vegetables.

Operations can use convection ovens to prepare many different menu items. By circulating air in the cooking chamber, they can shorten cooking times and produce crisp crusts on baked goods. Here are a few tips to keep convection ovens running smoothly.

Braising pans are essentially griddles with watertight sides that tilt for easy draining. Foodservice operators can use these units as griddles, but braising pans can perform a variety of other tasks, including boiling, sauteing, steaming and braising. One of the newest innovations is a pressurized braising pan, which works like a steamer for high production in a short amount of time. Since these units can accommodate almost any cooking need, having one is akin to having a kitchen full of different types of cooking units.

Q&A with Marcin Zmiejko, associate principal of WC&P, Denver.

Service Agent Q&A with Josh Taylor, American Kitchen Machinery and Repair, Philadelphia

Consultant Q&A with Marcin Zmiejko, associate principal of WC&P, Denver