Professional Documents
Culture Documents
17
Miscellaneous
Kitchen
Equipment
2014 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Learning Objectives
Food Mixers
Food Mixers
12 to 20 qt.
30 qt.
40 to 80 qt.
Motor
HP
1/6th
to 1
to 1
Up to 2
5
Food Mixers
Food Mixers
Bowl guard Heavy wire shield fits over bowl during mixing to prevent
hand injuries. Mixer cant operate unless bowl guard is in place.
Agitators Beaters, paddles, balloon whips, dough arms are designed for
specific mixing jobs and different bowl sizes.
Optional tools Slicers, grinders can be attached to the power take-off
(PTO), a hub on the motor that makes mixer more versatile. Speed-drive
attachments make some accessories work faster.
Mixer Variations
Hand-held mixer Allows mixing without having to transfer food from a pot
or pan into a mixer or food processor. Can be fitted with agitator attachments.
Sized based on container they can mix, from 1 pint to 30 quarts.
Spiral mixer Designed to mix large batches of dough, with a large (7-10
HP) motor and programmable speeds for kneading.
Vertical cutter mixer (VCM) Best described as a combination mixer and
blender. Cutting or mixing blades can be attached to a central shaft for a
variety of tasks: chopping, kneading, mashing, shredding, etc. Sizes from 4
quart tabletop (1 HP motor) to 130 quart freestanding (25 HP motor).
Vacuum tumbler A motorized mixing machine specifically for kneading
meat with marinades. Helps meats cook uniformly and increases yield.
Salad greens washer/spinner Gentle agitation in cold water cleans salad
greens, which are then dried through the centrifugal force of spinning. Helps
greens last longer and thorough washing is a precaution against food-borne
illness.
Food Slicers
Menu and volume What will you be slicing, and how much of it? There are
medium-duty and heavy-duty slicers. Cheese is especially tough on slicer
blades.
Identified by diameter of cutting knife or blade; 10-inch and 12-inch disks are
most popular.
Manual or automatic Hand-operated for slicing to order, or a machine that
can slice large amounts quickly?
Check safety features Slicer accidents are fairly common.
The HP motor is a better overall choice than the 1/3 HP motor, which
might not be quite powerful enough for some jobs.
Check for ease of cleaning, sanitizing, as this must be done daily.
Specialized slicers available for slicing and stacking large quantities of
lunchmeats; also for bread, for making french fries, and for coring tomatoes.
Food Processing
Blenders
Blenders
Specialty blenders
Spindle blender
(seen on left) has
stainless-steel mixing
head(s) and mixing
cups. Best known for
making milkshakes.
Juicer or juice
extractor squeezes
fresh fruit to make
juice. Manual-feed or
hopper; motor to
HP.
Courtesy of Waring Products, a division of Conair Corp., East Windsor, New Jersey.
Blenders
Selecting a blender
Toasters
Toasters
Selecting a toaster
Menu and volume What will you be toasting and how much of it during busiest
time periods? Manufacturers output figures are on the high side.
Who is making the toast? In self-serve settings, pop-up or pop-down are good
choices.
There are 2 to 7 heating elements in a toaster. The options:
Quartz sheath Heats up quickly but is brittle and can break.
Metal sheath Heats more slowly than quartz, but holds heat longer and is
more durable.
There are electric and gas-powered toasters but, since gas requires venting,
electric is often more practical.
Having an internal temperature monitor is important.
For continuous toasters, select a single control for heat and conveyor speed or
separate controls for each.
How much space do you have? Vertical conveyors can be 3 feet tall.
Food Warmers
Food Warmers
Steam table heats using shallow tanks of water, into which pans are
placed.
Hot-food table heats using hot air that circulates beneath the pans of food.
Both types available with gas or electric power, in a variety of lengths and
sizes. Some (such as the unit below) have ovens installed beneath.
Pans need to be covered to retain heat. NSFI suggests dividing large
batches of food into smaller portions for holding and serving.
The bain-marie is a small,
uncovered variation of the
steam table, a single
container for cooking,
holding and serving soups
or sauces.
Coffee Makers
Espresso Machines