Thorough knowledge of equipment is essential for success in the kitchen. Few food service operations depend on nothing more than a range and an oven, an assortment of pots and pans, and knives and other hand tools. Modern technology continues to develop more and more specialized and technically advanced tools to reduce kitchen labour. Much of this equipment is so complex or so sophisticated that only firsthand instruction and practice will teach you how to operate it effectively and safely. Other items, especially hand tools, are simple and need no explanation but require much practice to develop good manual skills.
Modern cooking and food processing equipment has an extraordinary capacity to burn, cut, smash, mangle, and amputate parts of the tender human body. This may sound like a harsh way to begin a chapter, but the intent is not to intimidate you or scare you but to inspire a healthy respect for the importance of proper safety and operating procedures
Points to be kept in mind.
1. Do not use any equipment unless you understand its operation.
2. Use all guards and safety devices on equipment. Set slicing machines at zero (blade closed) when not in use.
3. Don’t touch or remove food from any kind of equipment while it is running, not even with a spoon or spatula.
4. Unplug electric equipment before disassembling or cleaning.
5. Make sure the switch is off before plugging in equipment.
6. Do not touch or handle electric equipment, including switches, if your hands are wet or if you are standing in water.
7. Wear properly fitting clothing and tuck in apron strings to avoid getting them caught in machinery.
8. Use equipment only for the purpose intended.
9. Stack pots and other equipment properly on pot racks so they are stable and not likely to fall.
RANGETOPS
The range is still the most important piece of cooking equipment in the kitchen, even though many of its functions have been taken over by other tools such as steamers, steam kettles, tilting skillets, and ovens.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. Make sure gas pilots are lit before turning on burners. If burners do not light, turn off gas and allow the gas to ventilate before trying again to light pilots or burners.
2. Adjust air intake so gas flames are blue with a white tip for maximum heat.
3. Do not keep flat-top ranges on high heat unless items are being cooked over them. Damage to tops could result
OVENS
The oven and the range top are the two workhorses of the traditional kitchen, which is why they are so often found in the same unit. Ovens are enclosed spaces in which food is heated, usually by hot air or, in some newer kinds of ovens, by microwaves or infrared radiation.
Conventional Ovens
Conventional ovens operate simply by heating air in an enclosed space. The most common ovens are part of the range unit, although separate oven units or ovens as part of a broiler unit are also available. Stack ovens are units that consist of individual shelves or decks arranged one above the other. Pans are placed directly on the oven deck rather than on wire shelves. Temperatures are adjustable for each deck
Do’s and Don’ts
Many of these points apply to other types of ovens as well.
1. Preheat ovens thoroughly, but no longer than necessary, to avoid excess energy use.
2. To avoid high energy loss and interruption of cooking, do not open the door more often than necessary.
3. Space items well to allow for heat circulation.
4. Be sure the pilot light is on before turning on gas ovens.
Convection Ovens
Convection ovens contain fans that circulate the air and distribute the heat rapidly throughout the interior. Because of the forced air, foods cook more quickly at lower temperatures. Also, shelves can be placed closer together than in conventional ovens without blocking the heat flow.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. For most products, set the temperature 25°F to 50°F (15°C to 30°C) lower than you would a conventional oven. Check manufacturer’s recommendations.
2. Watch cooking times closely. The forced heat cooks foods more quickly and tends to dry out some foods excessively if they are overcooked. Roasts shrink more than they do in conventional ovens.
3. Many convection oven models should not be operated with the blower switch off, as the motor may burn out.
4. The forced air of a convection oven may deform soft items. Cake batters, for example, develop ripples. Check manufacturer’s recommendations.
BROILERS AND SALAMANDERS
Broilers are sometimes called overhead broilers to avoid confusing them with grills. Overhead broilers generate heat from above, and food items are placed on a grate beneath the heat source. Broiling is a favourite way of preparing steaks, chops, chicken, and many other items. Heavy-duty broilers produce very high heat and consume vast quantities of energy. Some broilers are said to go as high as 2,000°F (1,100°C) at the burner. Foods must be watched closely to avoid burning. Cooking temperature is adjusted\ by raising or lowering the grate that holds the food.
Salamanders are small broilers used primarily for browning or glazing the tops of some items. They may also be used for broiling small quantities during off-peak hours. Salamanders are usually mounted above the range.
GRILLS
Grills are used for the same cooking operations as broilers, except the heat source is below the grid that holds the food rather than above it.Many people like grilled foods because of their charcoal taste, which is created by smoke from meat fats that drip into the heat source. Although smoke from meat fats creates the taste people associate with grilled foods, actual wood-smoke flavours such as hickory or mesquite can be added to foods if those woods are burned in the grill under the food. In order to do this, you must use a grill designed to burn such fuels.
Types
Many grill models are in use. The major differences in operation among them are due to the difference in heat source—gas, electricity, or charcoal. To operate, set areas of the grill to different temperatures and place foods in the areas with the appropriate cooking temperature. Keep grills clean, as the high temperatures can easily start grease fires.
GRIDDLES
Griddles are flat, smooth, heated surfaces on which food is cooked directly. Pancakes, French toast, hamburgers and other meats, eggs, and potato items are the foods most frequently cooked on a griddle. Griddles are available as separate units or as part of a range top. Clean griddle surfaces after every use so they will cook at peak efficiency. Polish with a griddle stone or griddle cloth until the surface shines. Follow the grain of the
metal to avoid scratching. Condition griddles after each cleaning or before each use to create a non-stick surface and to prevent rusting. Procedure: Spread a thin film of oil over the surface and heat to 400°F (200°C).Wipe clean and repeat until griddle has a smooth, non-stick finish
DEEP FRYERS
A deep fryer has only one use: to cook foods in hot fat. Yet because of the popularity of fried foods, this function is an important one.
Standard deep fryers are powered by either gas or electricity and have thermostatic controls that maintain fat at preset temperatures.
Automatic fryers remove food from the fat automatically after a preset time.
Pressure fryers are covered fry kettles that fry foods under pressure. Foods cook faster, even at a lower fat temperature
Do’s and Don’ts
Frying procedures and the care of frying fat are discussed in detail in Chapter 4.The following points relate to the operation of the equipment.
1. When filling kettles with solid fats, set the thermostat at 250°F (120°C) until the fat has melted enough to cover the heating elements.
2. Keep kettles filled to the fill line.
3. Make sure the drain valve is shut before adding fat to the empty kettle.
4. Check the accuracy of the thermostat regularly by reading the fat temperature with a thermometer.
TILTING SKILLET
The tilting skillet, also known as the tilting brazier and tilting fry pan, is a versatile and efficient piece of equipment. It can be used as a griddle, fry pan, brazier, stew pot, stockpot, steamer, and bain-marie or steam table. The tilting skillet is a large, shallow, flat-bottomed pot. To look at it another way, it is a griddle with 6-inch-high sides and a cover. It has a tilting mechanism that enables liquids to be poured out of it. Power may be gas or electric. Clean the skillet immediately after each use, before food has time to dry on. Add water, turn on the skillet to heat it, and scrub thoroughly
MIXERS
Vertical mixers are important and versatile tools for many kinds of food mixing and processing jobs, both in the bakeshop and in the kitchen.
Types
Bench-model mixers range in capacity from 5 to 20 quarts (5 to 20 L).Floor models are available as large as 140 quarts (133 L).Adaptor rings enable several bowl sizes to be used on one machine. Most mixers have three operating speeds.
Agitator Attachments
There are three main mixing attachments, plus some specialized ones. The paddle is a flat blade used for general mixing. The wire whip is used for such tasks as beating cream and eggs and making mayonnaise. The dough armies used for mixing and kneading yeast dough’s.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. Make sure the bowl and the mixing attachment are firmly in place before turning on the machine.
2. Make sure you are using the right size attachment for the bowl. Using a 40-quart paddle with a 30-quart bowl, for example, could cause serious damage. Sizes in quarts are marked on the sides of large bowls and on the tops of attachments.
3. Turn off the machine before scraping down the bowl or inserting a spoon, scraper, or hand into the bowl. Mixer motors are powerful and can cause serious injury.
4. Turn off the machine before changing speeds.
FOOD CUTTER
The food cutter or food chopper, familiarly known as the buffalo chopper, is a common piece of equipment used for general food chopping. A variety of attachments (described in the next section) makes it a versatile tool.
General Operation
Food is placed in a rotating bowl, which carries the food to a pair of knives that are spinning rapidly under a cover. The fineness of the cut depends on how long the food is left in the machine.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. Always make sure the machine is completely assembled before use.
2. Close the cover lock knob, or the machine will not turn on.
3. Never reach under the bowl cover while the machine is running.
4. For uniform chopping, place the food in the bowl all at one time.
5. Keep the knives sharp. Dull knives will bruise food rather than cut it cleanly.
SLICER
The slicer is a valuable machine because it slices foods more evenly and uniformly than can be done by hand. Thus it is valuable for portion control and for reducing cutting loss.
Types
Most modern slicers have blades set at an angle. Slices fall away from these blades with less breaking and folding than from vertical blades. With manual machines, the operator must move the carriage back and forth to slice the food. Automatic machines move the carriage with an electric motor.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. Be sure the machine is properly assembled before using.
2. Always use the end weight to press the food against the blade. This protects the hand from serious cuts and provides a more even pressure on the food, resulting in more uniform slices.
3. Set the thickness control knob at zero when the machine is not in use or is being cleaned.
4. Always unplug the machine before dismantling and cleaning.
5. Keep the blade sharp with the sharpening stones provided with the slicer
VERTICAL CUTTER/MIXER
The vertical cutter/mixer (VCM) is like a large, powerful, high-speed blender. It is used to chop and mix large quantities of foods rapidly. It can also be used for puréeing (soups, for example) and for mixing liquids.
Types
VCMs range in size from 15 to 80 quarts (litters).The small models have a hand-operated mixing baffle, which moves the foods into the blades. Larger machines have automatic baffles.
Do’s and Don’ts
1. Watch processing times closely. Chopping times are so short that an extra second can make cabbage soup out of coleslaw.
2. Make sure the machine is properly assembled before use.
3. After turning the machine off, allow the blades to come to a full stop before opening the cover.
4. Keep the blades sharp. Dull blades bruise food
HOT FOOD HOLDING EQUIPMENT
Several types of equipment are used to keep food hot for service. This equipment is designed to hold foods above 135°F (57°C) in order to prevent the growth of bacteria that can cause disease. Because food continues to cook at these temperatures, it should be held for as short a time as possible
Steam tables are standard holding equipment for serving lines. Standard-size counter pans or hotel pans are used as inserts to hold the foods. Flat or domed covers may be used to cover the foods. Check water levels in steam tables periodically to make sure they don’t go dry. Electrically heated counters that operate dry—without steam—are also available.
2. A bain-marie is a hot-water bath. Containers of foods are set on a rack in a shallow container of water, which is heated by electricity, gas, or steam. The bain-marie is used more in the production area, while the steam table is used in the service area.
3. Overhead infrared lamps are used in service areas to keep plated food warm before it is picked up by the service staff. They are also used for keeping large roasts warm. Foods dry out quickly under holding lamps. This is a disadvantage for almost all foods except French fries and other deep-fried foods, which lose their crispness if they are kept moist.
COLD FOOD STORAGE EQUIPMENT
The quality of the food you serve depends to a great degree on refrigeration equipment. By keeping foods cold, usually below 41°F (5°C),the refrigerator (known in the trade as the cooler or the box) guards against spoilage and bacterial growth.
Freezers are used to hold foods for longer times, or to store foods purchased in frozen form. There are so many sizes, models, and designs of refrigeration equipment that it would be futile to try to describe them all here. To enable refrigerators and freezers to work at top efficiency, observe the following rules:
1. Place items far enough apart and away from the inside walls of refrigerators so cold air can circulate. Freezers, on the other handwork most efficiently when they are full.
2. Keep the door closed as much as possible. When storing or removing an item, do it quickly and shut the door.
3. Keep stored foods well wrapped or covered to prevent drying and transfer of odors.Meats are an exception to this rule.
4. Keep refrigerators spotlessly clean.
