A good school kitchen should contain food processors, ovens, and dishwashers. In addition, industrial scales and refrigerators are required for food measurement and preservation. For the manual task, you’ll also need knives and cutting boards.
It is essential to plan how to effectively manage this equipment to help in the smooth running of the kitchen in a school. Some of the most essential equipment that is required for a commercial kitchen planning in a school are:
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Food Processors
Any school kitchen needs a food processor. Food processors are used in most schools with kitchens to speed up preparation and save time on manual labour.
They are larger than conventional food processors for chopping, stirring, or shredding that you would have at home. On a larger scale, industrial food processors achieve the same thing, allowing kitchen staff to reduce hand preparation to a minimum.
Depending on your needs, you can choose from various devices, including blixers (a blender and mixer in one), bowl mixers, and vegetable prep machines. When choosing one for your school, make sure it’s the proper size and that you won’t overwork it to achieve the required quantities.
Industrial scales
In your school kitchen, scales will come in helpful. After all, when cooking for a large group, you need to maintain portion uniformity. There’s no better way than with scales. You don’t want to squander food by preparing an excessive amount. On the other hand, you don’t want to run out of food or serve kids unequally sized quantities. When measuring meals, scales are the most excellent option for schools.
You should get commercial scales when purchasing scales. The electronic portion control scale, on the other hand, is the perfect solution for a school kitchen because the results are accurate, quick, and easy to see.
One of the most significant advantages of these scales is that you can program them in whatever units you choose. You don’t have to calculate in kilos if you don’t want to. Scales are essential in the school kitchen planning because they let you keep track of food portions.
Ovens
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Any school kitchen should have an oven. They assist you in preparing meals for the students with minimal manual labour. Of course, some meals will be cooked on the stove, but most school cooks find a way to combine oven-cooked foods.
Regular and convection ovens are available, with the latter being a better option for schools. Because convection ovens cook food faster than conventional ovens, they save you time, energy, and money. These ovens have glass doors that allow you to check on the food during the cooking process if necessary, and they are also easy to clean.
They endure a long time and avoid the need to open the oven to flip the product around, which increases the risk of an uneven finish and heating. Invest in a trustworthy oven if you want to cook quick and excellent meals for your pupils.
Dishwashers
Dishwashers are an essential piece of kitchen equipment in schools. They save your employees time and energy while ensuring proper hygiene. Commercial dishwashers wash at 150 to 160 degrees and rinse at 180 degrees to successfully sterilise dishes. They help overall food safety in your kitchen planning. Dishwashers save electricity and money because they consume less water, soap, and resources.
All they have to do now is load the dishwasher and turn it on. The sole disadvantage is the higher initial cost of such equipment. Not only is the equipment more expensive than a conventional, low-temperature dishwasher, but the greater temperatures need the purchase of a condensate—or type II—hood. They pay for themselves quickly because they can wash more significant amounts and are faster and more sanitary than normal ones. In your school kitchens, commercial dishwashers help you save time and energy.
Refrigerators
Provisions must be stored in a cool location in the school kitchen to be preserved. Otherwise, a lot of food will go bad, and you’ll have to throw it away, which will cost you a lot more money. Durability and reliability should be top priorities when purchasing a refrigerator. While they are important characteristics for all of your equipment, they are especially important for refrigerators. After all, they store so many products that your employees rely on to prepare meals on time.
All of the food will go to waste if the refrigerator goes down and no one notices it in time. You would be wasting money on the supplies and risk leaving your pupils hungry or having to serve an entirely different dinner than intended, with several essential ingredients missing. You must verify that everything is properly stored, labelled, and organised, even with a trustworthy machine.
Otherwise, a product may spoil in the fridge and infect other items, resulting in you throwing out far more than you anticipated. Refrigerators that are dependable and durable are essential for storing and keeping goods in your school kitchen.