Who knows kitchen flexibility better than a chef? Lexi Zable is the chef/owner of The Grey Owl Bar & Grill, The Dip Net and The Barn, all located in Maine. 

How important is it that your equipment be flexible?

Lexi Zable: It’s very important. We try to buy equipment that we can cross-utilize. For example, I ordered a grill that also had a salamander built in underneath it. That way we could have both those tools on the line without taking up more space. My smallest restaurant has a tiny kitchen, and we cross-utilize equipment all the time. 

How so?

LZ: We only have a four-burner stove in that kitchen. So sometimes when we have a lot of stovetop items, we’ll actually put pans on the grill and cover them to keep the cooking process going. 

How important is equipment that can be moved or stacked?

LZ: In the kitchen at The Dip Net, we don’t have any extra space. So, with things like food processors, if we’re not using it, we can move it right out of the way to have prep space available. That’s really important.

What would you say is your most flexible piece of equipment?

LZ: At The Grey Owl, I would say it’s our stovetop. We have a large, 10-burner stove. It’s ancient, but we can throw grill plates on it to expand our grill space and keep everything hot on the line.

Looking for more? Here are some articles about equipping for equipment flexibility.

Flexibility in Today’s Kitchen

iCombi Pro and iVario Pro: Making Kitchens More Flexible

Cook-Chill Increases Kitchen Flexibility

Producing Food More Efficiently with Traulsen Blast Chillers