Cooking Equipment Overview

No kitchen would be complete without the proper cooking kitchen equipment because it is very essential for making food. Commercial cooking equipment needs to be able to produce food in large quantities while being durable, easy to operate, and consume fewer resources.

Most importantly, it should serve its purpose effectively. Most cooking equipment operates by electricity or gas. The primary function of cooking equipment is to transfer heat to the food being cooked.

Several types of cooking equipment accomplish this task. It is important to understand which is the right one for you. We have made it easier for you to decide by presenting a list below of the different types of cooking equipment and features.

Types of Cooking Equipment

1. Fryers: Depending on your menu, you may need a single fryer or an entire frying battery for sides, appetizers, and main courses. There are two basic version of fryers Electric Fryers and Gas Fryers. Open Vat Fryers, Tube Fryers and Flat Bottom Fryers are the most common types, and each shines at its own application.

2. Ranges: Cooking ranges are very versatile kitchen equipment operating on gas or electricity. They can perform a range of functions. Such as searing, frying, boiling, sautéing, steaming, broiling, and baking. Most commercial kitchens have at least a four-burner range but configurations are available in 4, 6, 8, or 10 burners. All or portions of a range can be fitted with different kitchen equipment such as charbroilers, griddles, hot-tops, salamander broiler, and cheese melters. Making ranges ideal for cooking large volumes of food or a wide variety.


3. Griddles: Griddles excel at cooking multiple foods at one time. The large flat plate helps the griddles distribute heat evenly. They are available in multiple configurations from flat plate to grooved or even both for a double duty applications making it easy to cook a variety of foods at once. They vary in size from large rolling units to small countertop griddles best for kitchens with limited space.

4. Broilers: If you are making streaks, burgers or thick chops then a broiler may be a good choice. They are very hot and are very heavy duty. Broilers shine when it comes to a high out-put of food. Not only are they great for meats but also able to cook vegetables, and fish. Due to the high heat, broilers can caramelize sugared toppings on desserts too. Broilers are a great choice for steakhouses, institutions, military, casinos, large hotels, and specialty burger restaurants.

5. Cheese Melter/ Salamanders: Your menu will determine which unit is better for you. Cheesemelters differ from salamanders; salamanders typically operate at a higher BTU and are designed for broiling meats and fish. Both found at Mexican restaurants, Sandwich shops, and Fast food chains. These are perfect for melting cheeses, crisping toppings, toasting sandwiches, and providing additional heat to food prior to serving. Due to ordinarily using less energy, we suggest a cheesemelter for more savings. Unless you need to broil meats then a salamander would be better.

6. Countertop Equipment: Category includes Rice Cookers/ Warmers, Toasters, Panini/ Sandwich Press, Crepe Machines, and Waffle Cone Makers. These commercial kitchen supplies operate on a much more powerful scale than standard equipment. With their more robust design, these machines will stand up to high out puts and frequent use making them ideal for commercial restaurant equipment.


7. Ovens: Used for cooking, baking, roasting, browning or a combination of the prior operates on either gas or electricity. Convection ovens are popular catering equipment due to being able to turn out large amounts of baked or roasted food in a short period of time.

Another popular choice is the Combination Oven featuring multiple functions in one unit such as convection, steam and combination cooking. Combination ovens  benefit the user by allowing them to cook a wide range food at one time perfect for wide menus, catering, buffets, banquets, and institutional cafeterias.

8. Kettles, Steamers, and Tilt Skillets: Steam equipment comes in different variations. Pressurized steamers provide great results for bulk cooking, while pressureless steamers are preferred for batch cooking. Tilting skillets also use steam to transfer heat for cooking. Steamers are great for cooking a variety of foods including rice, vegetables, meats, poultry, and shellfish. They often require less monitoring than traditional oven cooking.

9. Induction Cooking: Works by using a magnetic field to generate heat energy in metal pots. The pot it self becomes the heating element. This type of cooking is safe due to the cooking top remains cool to the touch. Induction cooking is faster than electric or gas. Benefits include speed, energy savings, and precise accuracy of temperature desired making it easy to get the same results every time. Sizes range from full counter top units to drop-ins.

10. Hoods: When it comes to hoods, a properly designed hood will provide you will great air quality, comfortable working conditions, and savings on your utility bill. Install a demand based compensating exhaust control hood to monitor your cooking. The system changes the exhaust fan speeds to match your ventilation needs and can reduce exhaust system operating cost. For confined spaces or where ductwork cannot be installed we recommend ventless cooking hoods.


11. Gas Connections: Gas-powered equipment requires gas hoes to connect the line between the back of the unit and the supply line. Specific connectors are required because liquid propane and natural gas are kept under pressure. One of the most important things to look for is the diameter of the hoes needed.

Another feature to look for in the kits is Quick Disconnects. Benefits include allowing the user to easily attachment and detachment without having to turn off the main valve. This is helpful when replacing units, servicing units and positioning equipment into place.

12. Specialty Cooking Equipment: Category includes Backguard Flue Riser, Buffet Stations, Asian Equipment Accessories, and Condiment Shelves. Many commercial ranges can only be used with a flue riser; these help vent heat and gases away from your cooktop and towards the ventilation hood. Every buffet service needs variety of buffet stations to serve food. We carry multiple sizes of buffet stations to fit your needs.

We are here to help; Restaurant Equipment World is family owed and operated. We have experienced representatives available at your service. To help you choose the right cooking equipment based on your needs and budget.

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Published by:
Sean Karpowicz

REWrite Blog