What’s the best way to select cooking equipment based on your menu and volume?

Choosing the right commercial cooking equipment should generally start with your menu plan and looking at what you want to be preparing on a regular basis and figure out what kind of equipment you need to deliver that. Next, you’ll also want to calculate what kind of volume you need based on your seating volume and average dining time. From there, you can start a list. If you want to be able to expand on your current menu in the future and experiment more, but also need high capacity, your kitchen will likely benefit from versatile solutions like combi steam ovens that can steam, roast and bake in a single unit, reducing the need for multiple appliances. If you’re more in the business of fast turnover options, including anything like grilled, charred or fried menu inclusions, you’ll want to look at things like char grills or griddles, and of course deep fryers with a high capacity to handle peak periods. When you’re unsure which commercial ovens, fryers, or grills are best for you or you need help with sizing, please contact the team at REO and we can help you with a personal recommendation.

How do you plan kitchen layout to prevent service bottlenecks (hot line flow, pass, prep adjacency)?

If you’re refurbishing or building from scratch, getting the layout when it comes to cooking equipment is important. Consider the flow of how food will get prepared, starting with any storage like commercial refrigeration, through to prep zones, finishing with your cooking equipment. It should be arranged in a sequence that minimises backtracking and congestion as much as possible, while also leaving space for staff to move through the kitchen as needed. Having your oven, grill, or deep fryer near the collection spot for waitstaff is also advisable to make serving faster and reduce the need for too much movement within the kitchen. Equally, you’ll want to make sure you have proper ventilation over your cooking equipment for health and safety to keep your staff more comfortable so installing additional exhaust canopies may be necessary.

Which features help maintain consistency during peak periods (heat recovery, zoning, controls)?

Having reliable temperature control and quick heat recovery ensures equipment returns to the optimal temperature you need it to be at even between batches of cooking. This is important in preventing uneven cooking or irregularities in texture and is ideal when you’re getting through a high volume of batches in a short space of time. When it comes to controls, those with a digital thermostat help give you a more accurate reading so you can be confident whatever commercial cooking appliance you’re using is at the right temperature for your needs. Another feature to look for is having zoned cooking surfaces or multiple options in things like chargrills and griddles, one with a plate and a ridged area for example. This allows you to make multiple items at once, with each having a slightly different finish or texture.

How do you compare gas vs electric vs induction in a commercial environment?

Each has its own benefits and the right one for your commercial kitchen will come down somewhat to preference but also depends on what you’re cooking. Gas equipment is often a chef favourite due to its quick heat response and the fact you can monitor the temperature visually with the flame. When you’re using anything like a grills or wok stations for example, gas is often a popular choice. When you’re using an electric appliance, you’ll benefit from precise temperature readings and controls and even heat distribution. This makes for an ideal power source when it comes to baking and roasting. Finally, induction cooking delivers rapid heat-up, is often better in terms of energy efficiency and can help to keep your kitchen a more comfortable temperature. It’s a great choice when you’re cooking on the stovetop a lot, doing anything from sautéing to boiling, particularly in open plan kitchens.

What ventilation/hood considerations should you account for when upgrading equipment?

When you switch to a higher powered method of cooking, your ventilation needs will change. If you have appliances that utilise 8kW of power, any deep fryers, or gas appliances, you’ll need proper ventilation though it’s worth checking local legislation to ensure you’re compliant with current health and safety guidelines.

What’s a realistic maintenance plan to extend equipment lifespan and reduce breakdowns?

Cleaning and maintenance is important when it comes to delivering the best possible results with your cooking, but also when you’re trying to maximise the return on your investment. Each commercial cooking appliance will have slightly different maintenance requirements and you’ll get all that information in the manufacturer’s guidelines. As a standard, routine daily cleaning like checking filters, sanitising any dishwasher safe parts, and filtering oil for deep fryers is a good place to start. Long term, you should check the connections, do proper boil-outs for your deep fryer, and get periodic servicing for appliances that need more intensive maintenance.

What capacity markers actually matter when comparing units (burner output, plate area, chamber size)?

Along with choosing the right kind of commercial cooking equipment, selecting the right capacity matters too. You’ll want to look at features like burner output for things like grills to get an idea of how much power a unit can deliver, with a higher number being better for essential for rapid searing, boiling or high-volume production. Equally, the actual dimensions of the plate area on grills and griddles determines how many portions you can cook at any one time. Oven chamber size and deep fryer well capacity are two other things to look at. For ovens, check if the racks are adjustable so you can rearrange or remove trays as and when needed and for deep fryers, ensure you have enough space for oil volume but make sure you account for displacement when you actually cook your food as well.