Categories: Food & Beverage

Making the grade

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-687" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" alt&equals;"Kitchen" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2014&sol;07&sol;Kitchen&period;jpg" width&equals;"200" height&equals;"150" &sol;>If you&&num;8217&semi;re looking to give your school kitchen a boost then pay close attention to these industry pointers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Smart commercial kitchen design can only be fully appreciated after having worked in a badly designed space&period; A well-designed kitchen with great appliances can help work flow more effortlessly&comma; help you avert bottlenecks and improve safety&period; The size of your kitchen sometimes determines how you plan it out but&comma; whatever the amount of available space&comma; you need to make the most of it without sacrificing creativity&comma; speed and safety&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A well-planned commercial kitchen should be configured for ease of movement so that your students can navigate the area smoothly and safely&period; This is essential&comma; especially during busy periods&period; The ergonomics of your kitchen should ideally ensure that employees complete tasks in the fewest steps possible&semi; they should be able to stand in one spot&comma; operating with minimal bending&comma; reaching&comma; walking or turning&comma; you need to ensure that all your equipment is accessible and usable&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>A well-designed kitchen has the potential to be more energy efficient&period; As such&comma; the prime consideration for any commercial kitchen should be saving money on utility costs&period; In order for your kitchen setup to be more energy efficient&comma; you should ensure that any refrigerated appliances and any cooking equipment are kept as far apart as possible while still being practical&period; Cooking equipment should be strategically placed to maximise the efficiency of the exhaust hood&period; There is no definite rule regarding how to configure your commercial kitchen equipment&comma; as it all depends on the space available to you and your particular needs&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When planning your commercial kitchen here are some valuable tips&colon;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Consider your space and the configuration that fits your particular requirements&period; An ergonomic configuration takes into account the comfort of the students and teachers but this may not be the most energy efficient&period; For example&comma; an ergonomically arranged kitchen might have an under counter freezer located directly beside the commercial deep fryer&period; Although this is not energy-efficient&comma; it allows for easy transfer of items from freezer to fryer&period; A better and more energy efficient solution for you might be to have a freezer away from the main work zone&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Your kitchen may need to be zoned in blocks&colon; for food preparation&semi; for cooking&semi; for refrigeration&semi; for cleaning&period; This configuration ensures that refrigeration and cooking equipment be kept as far apart as possible&period; This is the most energy efficient way to configure your kitchen because every time the door is opened on a commercial refrigerator or freezer the cold air will rush out and hot air will rush in&comma; If the freezer equipment is situated in the hot cook zone it poses a definite problem&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When designing your space remember to keep all of your worktops at the same height as the countertop or the top of your range&comma; griddle or other piece of cooking equipment&period; By having everything at the same height you ensure good ergonomics and you will easily facilitate an assembly-line process&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Make the most of your wall space with the creative use of wall shelving&period; Store important&comma; regularly needed ingredients and utensils above the cooking appliance and prep area&period; Then store heavy items&comma; like bags of flour&comma; close to the floor using racks&period; Hangers&comma; hooks and racks are perfect for hanging oven mitts&comma; cookware and large kitchen utensils in useful places&period; Word of warning though&colon; be sure to keep all food items off the ground by at least six inches and be very careful not to block air vents&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Always buy new commercial equipment from reliable suppliers&comma; this way you know that the equipment you are purchasing is dependable and will give you years of trouble-free use&period; Always ensure that you routinely maintain and clean your equipment as per the manufacturer&&num;8217&semi;s recommendation as this is the best way to enjoy years of service&comma; particularly for items such as commercial deep fat fryers&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>When shopping for items like a commercial deep fat fryer&comma; make sure that you choose a power source that matches the utility hookups in your kitchen&period; Try to purchase the most advanced models that you can afford as this will save you time and money in the long run&period; For instance&comma; with deep fat fryers the more advanced models come with computer controls &&num;8211&semi; this is a huge bonus because they provide accurate temperature controls and can be programmed to cook different menu items&period; Also advanced commercial deep fryers have built-in filtration systems that allow you to filter the fryer oil while it is still hot&period; This helps maximise food quality and oil life while maintaining employee safety&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Planning and organising a commercial kitchen is not an easy task and it is a good idea to get help from people who specialise in their design and layout for the best result possible&period; You can also ask your local restaurant equipment supplier as he or she may have experience with commercial kitchen layouts&comma; remembering that every kitchen is different&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>To get the best long-term results from your commercial kitchen you need to determine your priorities and choose a design that is well equipped to work within your space&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;

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