Top tips to consider when designing your ideal commercial kitchen (Part 2)

When designing your ideal commercial kitchen, the layout will be influenced by the types of cuisine you intend to cook, as well as the volume. 

 

A well-designed kitchen can mean that dishes are cooked quickly and efficiently and served promptly, without keeping your diners waiting. 

 

You need to decide your range of menu while planning your commercial kitchen, not afterwards, as different foods are cooked using different types of equipment. 

 

For example, if you are planning to use a fryer, stove or oven, it is important to install a ventilated canopy above them, with sufficient overhang at the sides to take away any aromas. 

 

If you are planning to fry fish and chips, for example, you need to keep the fryers away from other equipment to prevent any oil spitting out and contaminating other foodstuff. 

 

In a foodservice establishment it is critical to keep equipment used for boiling water, like steam kettles used for steaming and stockpots used for simmering and boiling, at one end of the kitchen, for good health and safety reasons. 

 

In contrast, equipment used for the fast preparation of food, for example fryers, salamanders and griddles, should be kept closest to where the food is served. 

 

Another thing to consider in your new kitchen, is whether to install energy efficient catering equipment like induction hobs, energy efficient grills and combination ovens, to keep your bills down and conserve energy. 

 

An additional advantage to using these pieces of equipment is that they are easier to clean and will speed up the cooking time. 

 

In any hospitality outlet, the food service area is of prime importance as dishes need to be despatched and delivered to your guests as quickly as possible. 

 

You may decide to install heated gantries, which can prove to be of advantage to keep food warm before it is served. 

 

Alternatively, you need to plan where food can be plated up easily and as closely to the cooking area as possible to maintain its heat. 

 

Servers or waiting staff need to have enough room to handle a number of plates at once, whether they are hot or cold, and crockery needs to be kept in a clean area that is easily accessible. 

 

After the diners have finished eating, your waiters and waitresses need to be able to quickly clear away the plates from the table, dispose of the waste and deliver the dirty dishes to be stacked in the dishwasher. Any waste needs to be disposed of and removed from the kitchen area quickly too. 

 

We help these top tips help you. If you need any help planning your commercial enterprise and deciding what kitchen equipment to install and where, get in touch. Marigold Engineers Limited have been supplying solutions to chefs and hospitality outlet owners for more than 30 years.