Food Preparation Equipment List: The 7 Essentials for Commercial Kitchens

Prepping food is essential to any major commercial kitchen. Commercial food prep equipment is any device used to prepare food before it’s cooked or served. Everything from mixing and blending to slicing or packaging can be done using this equipment, helping streamline the process for your staff. But what do you need? If you’re opening a new establishment or looking to improve your commercial kitchen’s operation, the following food preparation equipment list explains the essential you need and which foodservice applications they’re suited for.

Blenders

No matter the establishment, blenders come in handy when preparing a wide variety of concoctions. Fine-dining restaurants use them to make rich sauces or dressings while neighborhood bars rely on commercial blenders to whip up famous cocktails. There are two traditional types of blenders on the market: stand and immersion. Traditional stand options are better suited for handling firm ingredients found in soups, dips or icy beverages. Immersion blenders, on the other hand, are perfect for beating eggs, whipping cream or making batters, dressings and sauces. You might want to consider the latter if you want to save on space and don’t require something heavy duty to mix drinks or thick soups.

Best Food Applications: Bars, Corporate Dining, Juice Bars, Restaurants, Schools, Hospitals

Vacuum & Food Packaging Machines

Whether you’re dicing onions, chopping walnuts or cutting meat, there are plenty of times when you prep portions in bulk. That means some of the ingredients need to be stored properly for later use. A food packaging machine, such as a vacuum sealer or wrap station, tightly packs your food, blocking exposure to air. This helps product stay fresher longer and stops contaminants like bacteria and mold from penetrating it. That’s why these machines are a crucial investment because they keep ingredients safe and prevent wasted product.

Best Food Applications: All foodservice establishments

Mixers

Every foodservice establishment can benefit from having a mixer in their kitchens. Planetary and spiral models are the two most common types of commercial mixers. Below quickly describes the functions, benefits and proper application for each.

Planetary Mixers

These are all-purpose mixers that can prep everything sauces and frosting to doughs and mashed potatoes. Planetary models typically come with multiple attachments, including beaters, whips and hooks.

Best Food Applications: Bakeries, Corporate Dining, Pizzerias, Restaurants, Schools, Hospitals

Spiral Mixers

Placed on the floor of commercial kitchens, these mixers are ideal for baking doughs. They’re designed to rotate the bowl in both directions and use two different motors. One motor rotates the bowl, and another rotates the spiral arm. This unique operation makes it easier to mix flour and water to a proper consistency.

Best Food Applications: Bakeries, Pizzerias, Restaurants

Processors

Commercial food processors are lifesavers in most kitchens because they come with multiple attachments to do different tasks.  Processors can blend, chop, dice, grate, mix, shred and slice ingredients, which helps significantly cut down on your prep time. Also, unlike blenders that require a decent amount of liquid, these units can prepare ingredients using little to no liquid.

Best Food Applications: All foodservice establishments

Scales

Weighing ingredients with scales not only guarantees your recipe or portions are accurate, but it also helps maintain the taste of your signature dishes. Being just a little bit off, especially in baking, can change the flavor and quality. While traditional dial scales work just fine, digital models can save you time and provide a very accurate reading. Not to mention, some of the latest options have a small footprint, saving you valuable counter space.

Best Food Applications: Bakeries, Delis, Restaurants, Supermarkets

Slicers

From meats to tomatoes, slicing food is much easier with a commercial slicer. There are many types of electric and manual models that you’ve seen in your local grocery stores and delis. These can easily slice cold-cuts and cheese thinly without having to use a lot of elbow grease. However, while restaurants and bakeries might not use these machines, their staffs would benefit from using mandolines or slicers designed specifically for cutting bread, veggies or fruits.

Best Food Applications: Bakeries, Delis, Pizzerias, Restaurants, Supermarkets

Meat Grinders

Some restaurants or foodservice establishments like to make their own sausage and ground beef patties in house. That requires the right types of meat grinders to tackle the task. Traditional, hand-cranked grinders get the job done in some cases, but places that needs to grind a high volume of meats or other proteins likely would prefer electric grinders. All the operator does is feed the product through the chute and let the machine do the work to create ground meat.

Best Food Applications: Delis, Restaurants, Supermarkets