Ultimate Buyer’s Guide For Restaurant Kitchen Equipment

When it comes to starting a restaurant, kitchen equipment requirement tops the list along with commercial space lease, licenses, permits, and marketing expenses.

Investing in good equipment is the best thing you can do for your restaurant and your staff. Getting good affordable and efficient pieces of equipment will equip your servers, hosts, and kitchen staff to get the job done effectively day-in, day-out. 

Your tools and types of equipment will also differ from different restaurant types, the sort of food you serve, etc. But of course, there are some kitchen equipment that are common for each restaurant. 

With so many various brands, models, and suppliers to pick from, it’s easy to become overwhelmed when determining which purchases are important and which are just a waste of money. That is why we have compiled a comprehensive list of commercial restaurant equipment which are commonly needed while opening a restaurant.

Let’s look at each kitchen equipment in detail and the factors to consider while purchasing them:

1. Ovens

While choosing an oven, first determine what sort of dishes you will be cooking frequently. This will mainly influence the type of oven you must buy. If your usage is too much then you must consider buying a specialty oven.

• Standard (Radiant): It is the basic oven that heats up from the bottom. It is inexpensive and can cook slowly and inconsistently.
• Convection: This oven is equipped with a fan that circulates air, which helps cook food evenly all the way through while still maintaining its flavor. It is very easily available and used at homes too.
• Steam: This fast-cooking oven uses water vapor to cook food. It also cooks evenly, but can’t make food crispy.
• Combination: It is a combination of both convection and a steam oven. The main advantage of this oven is versatility- you can roast, steam, smoke, fry, bake or grill. It offers speedy and consistent cooking. 
• Conveyor: Very much similar to a convection oven, but moves food through one side to another where it comes out cooked. Great for making pizza.

2. Food Processors

What’s not to love about a food processor? This magical equipment has the power to change people’s lives! Jokes apart, chefs and kitchen staff absolutely love this equipment. This single piece of equipment does everything- slice, chop, grind, puree, grate, and dice.

The four most popular types of food processors are as follows:

• Batch Bowl: For one batch of processed food at a time, this is the bowl to use.
• Continuous Feed: If you process a huge amount of food, this is a wonderful alternative.
• Combination: Allows you to make a single batch of processed food or feed ingredients into a chute continually.
• Buffalo Chopper: This tool is great for processing large amounts of vegetables or meat.

3. Freezers and refrigerators

There are so many perishable items in stock when you are in a food business. Proper storage and inventory management are very crucial in order to run a profitable business. You should invest in quality freezers and refrigerators to keep your food fresh for as long as possible and to minimize any chance of food safety and health code breaches.

To start with, you should first consider the size and capacity of your restaurant and then the features.

From walk-ins to reach-ins, restaurant refrigerators come in all shapes and sizes. Chest freezers, stand-up freezers, and walk-in freezers are the most frequent types of freezers seen in restaurants.

4. Cooking equipment

Equipment like ovens and dishwashers aren’t the only materials required in the restaurant business. Pots, pans, tongs, spatulas, serving spoons, plates, bowls, and whatever else your restaurant concept requires are also required.

Make sure you have enough of the following items: 

• Pots and pans (of all sizes) with lids
• Spoons for mixing and tasting 
• Chef’s knives
• Mixing bowls
• Whisks
• Spatulas
• Ladles
• Tongs
• Baking pans
• Sheets and roasting pans
• Towels
• Rags 

5. Storage Containers

Food waste must be minimized in order for a restaurant to be successful. This entails having the appropriate food storage containers and training your employees on the best procedures. Because of the many types of food utilized throughout the cooking process, a variety of storage containers are required.

Pick up a variety of containers with colored lids in various sizes when filling your restaurant kitchen so you can keep your dry ingredients and sauces organized and clearly recognized.

Make sure you stock up an assortment of the following:

• Crispers: These are excellent  for storing vegetables and fresh  produce.
• Large ingredient bins: These are great for bulk storage of dry ingredients like flour.
• Canisters:  These are excellent for storing tiny quantities of materials such as coffee or sugar.
• Dough boxes: These are used to store unbaked dough and can come in handy if you plan to prepare bread or sweets.
• Food storage containers: They come in different shapes and sizes, so stock up. You never know when you’ll be in need of them.

We hope you have got a good idea of which restaurant kitchen equipment are the must-haves in your restaurant. Let us know what other equipment do you think is a must-have in your restaurant kitchen.
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