Kitchen Utensils and Small Equipment

CHAPTER 3 COOKING UTENSILS & SMALL EQUIPMENTS

Classification of equipments

According to its uses, size , fuel, or power services

The term equipment refers to all machinery tools, utensils, crockery, cutlery and furniture that may used for preparation services and storage of food. The types equipments required vary with the activities carried out by in a particular area of work. For e.g. in storage area mobile and adjustable racks are used for selling goods, whereas in the service areas cabinets with drawers for cutlery and napkins are necessary and so on.

There are number of pieces of equipments which can be used in the more one area of activity , such as trolleys used for transportation of goods from stores to kitchen can also be used for transporting prepared food from kitchen to service area. Catering equipments ranges from simple boiling pans or pots. Steamers, ovens grill and temperature controlled fryers. The list can be endless depending on the cooking and eating habits of people in any region and the type of food service. Equipments may be classified in a number of ways according to weight , size, the order in which it is used in the production cycle of a catering establishment or according to their mode of operation.

Weight / Size

Catering equipment is often referred to a heavy – duty medium duty or light duty equipment . The heavy duty category include all equipments that are generally too heavy

To move around and therefore, need to be filled or installed after careful planning such equipment as the name suggests are made of heavy metal sheeting that can withstand hard use for long period of time. These are therefore generally fixed on a platform but may also be free standing with a 10 cm. From the floor heavy duty also indicates that such equipments is capable of performing heavy work and therefore can be subjected to long hours of use. Heavy or large equipments such as ranges, ovens, mixing machines are generally manufactured in standard size with only slight variation.

Medium duty equipment refers to pieces , which are not too difficult to move for occasional cleaning . They may be so constructed as to get dismantled or moved around as such for rearrangements or placed on wheels to make them mobile. Light duty equipments can be more easily handled and moved around or placed anywhere when required for use .It is light to use generally smaller size than heavy or medium equipments.

Order of use

The steps involved in the production of meals are the basis of the classification as follows:-

1. Receiving equipments:- These includes receiving platform weighing scale trolleys and so on.

2. Storage equipments:- Like rack, shelves, bins, jars etc. Portable bins for flour, sugar ,rice , pulses are more convenient to use and keep clean.

3. Kitchen equipments:- This includes all items necessary for the preparation , cooking , holding and serving food a wash up.

According to methods of use

Equipments also can be classified as per the use of fuel or the modes of uses as per manual or electric sources. Non manual equipments should be used after training only as technical parts are mandatory to understand for the better performances.

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