Chapter 2

Tools and Equipment

Copyright 2011 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Tools and Equipment

A thorough knowledge of equipment is essential.
All kitchen personnel need to be orientated on the proper
usage, cleaning, and safety of all equipment.
Modern cooking and food processing equipment has an
extraordinary capacity to burn, cut, smash, mangle, and
amputate parts of the tender human body.

Never use a piece of equipment until you are thoroughly

familiar with its operation and all its features.
You must learn how to know when a machine is not
operating correctly.
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Tools and Equipment

Not All Models Are Alike
It is important to study the operating manual supplied
with each item or to be taught by someone who
already knows that item well and has operated it.

Tools and Equipment

Cleaning
Cleaning is part of the operating procedure!
Thorough, regular cleaning of ALL equipment is
essential.

Most large equipment can be partially disassembled for

cleaning.

Operating manuals should describe these procedures in

detail.

Tools and Equipment

Cleaning
Look for equipment models that have been tested
and certified by recognized agencies that certify
products and write standards.

Tools and Equipment

Conserve Energy
Know the preheating time for all your cooking
equipment so you dont need to turn it on
before necessary.
Plan production so equipment that requires a
lot of energy is not on for long periods when not
in use.

Tools and Equipment

Your Hands Are Your Best Tools
Machines are intended to be laborsaving devices.
The usefulness of specialized processing equipment
depends on the volume of food it handles.
It takes less time for certain preparations to complete
by hand, versus setting up, using, breaking down, and
cleaning equipment.
This is why it is important to develop good manual
skills.

Cooking Equipment
Rangetops
The range is still the most important piece of
cooking equipment in the kitchen.
Many of its functions have been taken over by
other tools such as steamers, steam kettles,
tilting skillets, and ovens.

Cooking Equipment
Rangetops
Open Elements
Either electric coils or
gas flames.
Fastest to heat and
can be turned off after
short use.
Cooktop space is
limited to one pot per
burner.
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Cooking Equipment
Rangetops
Flattop or Hot Top (lightweight)
Burners covered with
steel plate.
More cook space is
available.
Top supports
moderately heavy
weights.
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Cooking Equipment
Rangetops
Heavy-duty Flattop

Burners covered with heavy

cast steel.
Top supports many heavy
pots.
Requires longer preheating.
Ring-top range is a type of flat
top that has removable rings.
Allows access to more
intense heat from the flames
below.
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Cooking Equipment
Rangetops
Induction Cooktop

Top of an induction unit does not

become hot.

Works by magnetically agitating the

molecules in steel or iron cookware.

Aluminum pots and pans

sandwiched between layers of
stainless steel will also work.

Much less energy is used.

No open flame; kitchen stays cooler.

Only pots, pans and their contents

become hot.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens & Rangetops
The oven and the rangetop are the two
workhorses of the traditional kitchen.
They are often found in the same unit.

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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Enclosed spaces in which food is heated,
usually by hot air.
Or, by microwaves or infrared radiation.
Used for roasting and baking.
Foods can also be simmered, stewed, braised,
or poached in the oven.
This helps to free up the rangetop and the
chefs attention for other tasks.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Ovens for high volume or specialty use:
Conveyor oven: carries foods through the oven on a
steel conveyor belt.
Holding oven or warmer: designed to hold foods at
serving temperatures for extended periods without
drying out or overcooking.
Roll-in oven: high-volume oven with large doors into
which one can roll carts loaded with trays of food.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Conventional Ovens
Operate simply by heating air in an enclosed space.
Most common ovens are part of the range unit.
Separate oven units or ovens as part of a broiler unit
are also available.

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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Stack Ovens
Consist of individual shelves or decks
arranged one above the other.
Pans are placed directly on the oven
deck.
Temperatures are adjustable for each
deck.

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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Convection Ovens
Contain fans that circulate the air and
distribute the heat rapidly throughout
the interior.
Foods cook more quickly at lower
temperatures due to the forced air.
Shelves can be placed closer together
than in conventional ovens without
blocking the heat flow.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Revolving Ovens
Large chambers containing many shelves or trays on an
attachment like a Ferris wheel.
Also called reel ovens.

Slow-Cook-and-Hold Ovens
More sophisticated features.
Computerized electronic controls.
Special probes that sense when a roast is done and tell the
oven to switch from cooking temperature to holding
temperature.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Combination Steamer Ovens
Also called a combi oven.
Can be operated in three modes:
as a convection oven
as a convection steamer
as a high-humidity oven

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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Barbecue or Smoke Ovens
Are like conventional ovens.
Produces wood smoke, which
surrounds the food.
Adds flavor while it bakes or
roasts.
Special woods such as hickory,
mesquite, or fruitwoods such as
apple or cherry must be added.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Infrared or Reconstituting Ovens
Contain quartz tubes or plates that generate intense
infrared heat.
Used primarily for reconstituting frozen foods.
These ovens bring large quantities of foods to serving
temperature in a short time.

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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Woodburning Ovens
Ancient ovens were made
of heavy masonry, brick, or
clay.
Heated by building a wood
fire inside them.
Woodburning ovens have
once again come into fairly
wide use.
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Cooking Equipment
Ovens
Microwave Ovens
Special tubes generate microwave radiation.
Create heat inside the food.

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Cooking Equipment
Broilers and Salamanders
Sometimes
called overhead
broilers.
Generate heat
from above.
Food items are
placed on a
grate beneath
the heat source.
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Cooking Equipment
Grills
Same cooking operations
as broilers.
Heat source (gas,
electricity, or charcoal) is
below the grid that holds
the food.
Charcoal taste is created
by smoke from meat fats
that drip into the heat
source.
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Cooking Equipment
Griddles
Flat, smooth, heated
surfaces on which
food is cooked
directly.
Available as separate
units or as part of a
rangetop.

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Cooking Equipment
Rotisseries
Cooks meats and other foods by turning them
slowly in front of electric or gas-powered
heating elements.
Especially suitable for chicken and other
poultry.
Can be used to cook any meat or other food.
Drip pans catch juices, which can be used for
basting or making gravy.
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Cooking Equipment
Deep Fat Fryers
Cooks foods in hot fat
Standard Deep Fryers
Powered by either gas or
electricity.
Thermostatic controls
maintain fat at preset
temperatures.

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Cooking Equipment
Deep Fat Fryers
Automatic Fryers
Remove food from the fat automatically after a preset
time.

Pressure Fryers
Covered fry kettles that fry foods under pressure.
Foods cook faster.

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Cooking Equipment
Tilting Skillets
Also known as:
Tilting brazier and tilting fry
pan.
Has a tilting mechanism that
enables liquids to be poured
out of it.

Can be used as:

stewpot

a griddle

stockpot

fry pan

steamer

brazier

bain-marie or steam table

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Cooking Equipment
Steam-Jacketed Kettles
Heated not just on the bottom
but on the sides as well.
Heats much more quickly .
Has more uniform and
controllable heat than pots on
the range.

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Cooking Equipment
Steam-Jacketed Kettles
Tilt or Trunnion Kettles can be
tilted for emptying.
Non-tilt kettles are emptied by
a spigot and drain on the
bottom.
Heat is controlled by regulating
the steam flow or by adjusting
the thermostat.

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Cooking Equipment
Steam Cookers
Ideal for cooking foods rapidly and
with minimum loss of nutrients
and flavor.

Pressure Steamers: cooks foods under

a pressure of:
15 pounds per square inch (1.05
kg/cm) in high-pressure steamers
4-6 pounds per square inch (0.28-0.42
kg/cm) in low-pressure steamers
Door cannot be opened until the
pressure returns to zero
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Cooking Equipment
Steam Cookers
Pressure-less Steamers or
Convection Steamers
This type does not operate under
pressure.
Jets of steam are directed at the
food.
This speeds the heat transfer.
Door can be opened any time
during cooking.

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Processing Equipment
Mixers
Bench Type Mixers
Range in capacity from 5 to 20 quarts.

Floor Mixers
Available as large as 140 quarts.
Adaptor rings enable several bowl
sizes to be used on one machine.
Most mixers have three operating
speeds.
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Processing Equipment
Mixers
Agitator Attachments

The paddle is a flat blade used for general mixing.

The wire whip is used for such tasks as beating.

The dough arm is used for mixing and kneading

yeast dough.
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Processing Equipment
Food Chopper
Also known as the Buffalo Chopper
Used for general food chopping.
Variety of attachments makes it a versatile tool.

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Processing Equipment
Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers
Food Grinder

Used mostly for grinding meats.

Other moist foods may be ground also.

Food is forced through a feed tube into

a screw.

This pushes the food through holes in a

plate.

At this point it is cut by a rotating blade.

The size of the plates holes regulates

the fineness of the grind.
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Processing Equipment
Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers
Slicer/Shredder
Consists of a hopper and a lever
that feeds the food onto a rotating
disk or plate.
The plate cuts or shreds the food
and into a receiving container.
Slicing plate may be adjusted to
cut various thicknesses.
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Processing Equipment
Attachments for Mixers and Food Choppers
Dicer
Attachment forces foods through a grid-type blade that
cuts them into perfect dice.
Blades of different sizes may be used.

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Processing Equipment
Slicer
Slices foods more evenly
and uniformly than can be
done by hand.
Blades set at an angle.
Slices fall away from these
blades.

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Processing Equipment
Food Processer
Used to chop or
pure foods.
To mix or emulsify.
They can also slice,
shred, and julienne
foods.

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Processing Equipment
Blender
Used to mix, pure, and emulsify liquids.
Also used to prepare certain drinks.

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Processing Equipment
Sous Vide

Equipment

Chamber vacuum packer: machine pulls the air

from a specially designed plastic bag containing
food item and seals the bag.

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Processing Equipment
Sous Vide

Equipment

Immersion Circulator
Has a heating element, a
pump that constantly
circulates the water, and a
temperature control.
It is used to heat the water
in a hot-water bath to a
steady temperature within a
fraction of a degree.
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Holding and Storage Equipment

Steam Table
Designed to hold foods above 135F (57C) in
order to prevent the growth of bacteria that can
cause disease.

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Holding and Storage Equipment

Cold Food Storage Equipment
The refrigerator (known in the trade as the
cooler or the box) guards against spoilage and
bacterial growth by keeping foods cold, usually,
below 41F (5C).
The walk-in is a room-size refrigerator with built-in
shelves on the walls.
The reach-in is a standard upright refrigerator that
does not have freezer unit.
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Holding and Storage Equipment

Cold Food Storage Equipment
The freezer stores foods purchased in frozen
form; used to hold foods for longer times.
The walk-in is a room-size freezer with built-in
shelves on the walls.
The reach-in is a standard upright freezer.

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