Tools and Equipment

Chapter 3

Copyright © 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

• A thorough knowledge of equipment is essential.• All kitchen personnel need to be orientated on the proper

usage, cleaning, and safety of all equipment.• Modern cooking and food processing equipment has an

extraordinary capacity to burn, cut, smash, mangle, and amputate parts of the tender human body.

• Never use a piece of equipment until you are thoroughly familiar with its operation and all its features.

• You must learn how to know when a machine is not operating correctly.

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Tools and Equipment

Not All Models Are Alike• It is important to study the operating manual supplied

with each item or to be taught by someone who already knows that item well and has operated it.

3

Tools and Equipment

Cleaning is part of the operating procedure!• Thorough, regular cleaning of ALL equipment is

essential.• Most large equipment can be partially disassembled for

cleaning.• Operating manuals should describe these procedures in

detail.

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Tools and Equipment

Cleaning

Look for equipment models that have been tested and certified by recognized agencies that certify products and write standards.

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Tools and Equipment

Cleaning

• Know the preheating time for all your cooking equipment so you don’t need to turn it on before necessary.

• Plan production so equipment that requires a lot of energy is not on for long periods when not in use.

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Tools and Equipment

Conserve Energy

• Machines are intended to be laborsaving devices.• The usefulness of specialized processing equipment

depends on the volume of food it handles.• It takes less time for certain preparations to complete

by hand, versus setting up, using, breaking down, and cleaning equipment.

• This is why it is important to develop good manual skills.

7

Tools and Equipment

Your Hands Are Your Best Tools

• The range is still the most important piece of cooking equipment in the kitchen.

• Many of its functions have been taken over by other tools such as steamers, steam kettles, tilting skillets, and ovens.

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Cooking Equipment

Rangetops

Open Elements

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Cooking Equipment

Rangetops

• Either electric coils or gas flames.

• Fastest to heat and can be turned off after short use.

• Cooktop space is limited to one pot per burner.

Flattop or Hot Top (lightweight)

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Cooking Equipment

Rangetops

• Burners covered with steel plate.

• More cook space is available.

• Top supports moderately heavy weights.

Heavy-duty Flattop

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Cooking Equipment

Rangetops

• Burners covered with heavy cast steel.

• Top supports many heavy pots.

• Requires longer preheating.• Ring-top range is a type of

flat top that has removable rings.

• Allows access to more intense heat from the flames below.

Induction Cooktop

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Cooking Equipment

Rangetops

• Top of an induction unit does not become hot.

• Works by magnetically agitating the molecules in steel or iron cookware.• Aluminum pots and pans

sandwiched between layers of stainless steel will also work.

• Much less energy is used.• No open flame; kitchen stays cooler.• Only pots, pans and their contents

become hot.

• The oven and the rangetop are the two workhorses of the traditional kitchen.

• They are often found in the same unit.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens & Rangetops

• Enclosed spaces in which food is heated, usually by hot air.

• Or, by microwaves or infrared radiation.• Used for roasting and baking.• Foods can also be simmered, stewed, braised,

or poached in the oven.• This helps to free up the rangetop and the

chef’s attention for other tasks.14

Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Ovens for high volume or specialty use:• Conveyor oven: carries foods through the oven on a

steel conveyor belt.• Holding oven or warmer: designed to hold foods at

serving temperatures for extended periods without drying out or overcooking.

• Roll-in oven: high-volume oven with large doors into which one can roll carts loaded with trays of food.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Conventional Ovens• Operate simply by heating air in an enclosed space.• Most common ovens are part of the range unit.• Separate oven units or ovens as part of a broiler unit

are also available.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Stack Ovens• Consist of individual shelves or decks

arranged one above the other.• Pans are placed directly on the oven

deck.• Temperatures are adjustable for each

deck.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Convection Ovens• Contain fans that circulate the air and

distribute the heat rapidly throughout the interior.

• Foods cook more quickly at lower temperatures due to the forced air.

• Shelves can be placed closer together than in conventional ovens without blocking the heat flow.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

• Revolving Ovens• Large chambers containing many shelves or trays on an

attachment like a Ferris wheel.• Also called reel ovens.

• Slow-Cook-and-Hold Ovens• More sophisticated features.• Computerized electronic controls.• Special probes that sense when a roast is done and tell the

oven to switch from cooking temperature to holding temperature.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Combination Steamer Ovens• Also called a combi oven.• Can be operated in three modes:

• as a convection oven• as a convection steamer• as a high-humidity oven

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Barbecue or Smoke Ovens• Are like conventional ovens.• Produces wood smoke, which

surrounds the food.• Adds flavor while it bakes or

roasts.• Special woods such as hickory,

mesquite, or fruitwoods such as apple or cherry must be added.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Infrared or Reconstituting Ovens• Contain quartz tubes or plates that generate intense

infrared heat.• Used primarily for reconstituting frozen foods.• These ovens bring large quantities of foods to serving

temperature in a short time.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Woodburning Ovens• Ancient ovens were made

of heavy masonry, brick, or clay.

• Heated by building a wood fire inside them.

• Woodburning ovens have once again come into fairly wide use.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

Microwave Ovens• Special tubes generate microwave radiation. • Create heat inside the food.

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Cooking Equipment

Ovens

• Sometimes called overhead broilers.

• Generate heat from above.

• Food items are placed on a grate beneath the heat source.

Cooking Equipment

Broilers and Salamanders

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• Same cooking operations as broilers.

• Heat source (gas, electricity, or charcoal) is below the grid that holds the food.

• Charcoal taste is created by smoke from meat fats that drip into the heat source.

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Cooking Equipment

Grills

• Flat, smooth, heated surfaces on which food is cooked directly.

• Available as separate units or as part of a rangetop.

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Cooking Equipment

Griddles

• Cooks meats and other foods by turning them slowly in front of electric or gas-powered heating elements.

• Especially suitable for chicken and other poultry.

• Can be used to cook any meat or other food.• Drip pans catch juices, which can be used for

basting or making gravy.28

Cooking Equipment

Rotisseries

Cooks foods in hot fat• Standard Deep Fryers

• Powered by either gas or electricity.

• Thermostatic controls maintain fat at preset temperatures.

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Cooking Equipment

Deep Fat Fryers

Automatic Fryers• Remove food from the fat automatically after a preset

time.

Pressure Fryers• Covered fry kettles that fry foods under pressure.• Foods cook faster.

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Cooking Equipment

Deep Fat Fryers

Also known as:• Tilting brazier and tilting fry

pan.• Has a tilting mechanism that

enables liquids to be poured out of it.

Can be used as:• a griddle• fry pan • brazier

• stewpot • stockpot• steamer• bain-marie or steam table

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Cooking Equipment

Tilting Skillets

• Heated not just on the bottom but on the sides as well.

• Heats much more quickly .• Has more uniform and

controllable heat than pots on the range.

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Cooking Equipment

Steam-Jacketed Kettles

• Tilt or Trunnion Kettles can be tilted for emptying.

• Non-tilt kettles are emptied by a spigot and drain on the bottom.

• Heat is controlled by regulating the steam flow or by adjusting the thermostat.

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Cooking Equipment

Steam-Jacketed Kettles

Ideal for cooking foods rapidly and with minimum loss of nutrients and flavor.

• Pressure Steamers: cooks foods under a pressure of:• 15 pounds per square inch (1.05

kg/cm) in high-pressure steamers

• 4-6 pounds per square inch (0.28-0.42 kg/cm) in low-pressure steamers

• Door cannot be opened until the pressure returns to zero

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Cooking Equipment

Steam Cookers

• Pressure-less Steamers or Convection Steamers• This type does not operate under

pressure.• Jets of steam are directed at the

food.• This speeds the heat transfer.• Door can be opened any time

during cooking.

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Cooking Equipment

Steam Cookers

Bench Type Mixers• Range in capacity from 5 to 20 quarts.

Floor Mixers• Available as large as 140 quarts.• Adaptor rings enable several bowl

sizes to be used on one machine.• Most mixers have three operating

speeds.36

Processing Equipment

Mixers

Agitator Attachments• The paddle is a flat blade used for general mixing.

• The wire whip is used for such tasks as beating.

• The dough arm is used for mixing and kneading yeast dough.

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Processing Equipment

Mixers

Also known as the Buffalo Chopper• Used for general food chopping.• Variety of attachments makes it a versatile tool.

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Processing Equipment

Food Chopper

Food Grinder• Used mostly for grinding meats.• Other moist foods may be ground also.• Food is forced through a feed tube into a

screw.• This pushes the food through holes in a

plate.• At this point it is cut by a rotating blade.• The size of the plate’s holes regulates

the fineness of the grind.

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Processing Equipment

Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers

Slicer/Shredder• Consists of a hopper and a lever

that feeds the food onto a rotating disk or plate.

• The plate cuts or shreds the food and into a receiving container.

• Slicing plate may be adjusted to cut various thicknesses.

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Processing Equipment

Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers

Dicer• Attachment forces foods through a grid-type blade that

cuts them into perfect dice.• Blades of different sizes may be used.

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Processing Equipment

Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers

• Slices foods more evenly and uniformly than can be done by hand.

• Blades set at an angle.• Slices fall away from these

blades.

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Processing Equipment

Slicer

• Used to chop or purée foods.

• To mix or emulsify.• They can also slice,

shred, and julienne foods.

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Processing Equipment

Food Processer

• Used to mix, purée, and emulsify liquids. • Also used to prepare certain drinks.

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Processing Equipment

Blender

• Chamber vacuum packer: machine pulls the air from a specially designed plastic bag containing food item and seals the bag.

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Processing Equipment

Sous Vide Equipment

• Immersion Circulator• Has a heating element, a

pump that constantly circulates the water, and a temperature control.

• It is used to heat the water in a hot-water bath to a steady temperature within a fraction of a degree.

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Processing Equipment

Sous Vide Equipment

• Designed to hold foods above 135°F (57°C) in order to prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause disease.

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Holding and Storage Equipment

Steam Table

• The refrigerator (known in the trade as the cooler or the box) guards against spoilage and bacterial growth by keeping foods cold, usually, below 41°F (5°C).• The walk-in is a room-size refrigerator with built-in

shelves on the walls.• The reach-in is a standard upright refrigerator that

does not have freezer unit.

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Holding and Storage Equipment

Cold Food Storage Equipment

• The freezer stores foods purchased in frozen form; used to hold foods for longer times.• The walk-in is a room-size freezer with built-in

shelves on the walls.• The reach-in is a standard upright freezer.

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Holding and Storage Equipment

Cold Food Storage Equipment