A SNEAK PEEK BEHIND CLOSED DOORSMallory ThomasMrs. Shellie Dore

HUEC 3119

What’s in your kitchen?• Have you ever wondered what’s behind the doors to the

kitchen in your favorite restaurant?!• How do they make your favorite dish? • Who’s making your favorite dish?• Are the dishes even clean…….

Steam Jacketed Kettles• Offers fast cooking about 1/3 the time of a stockpot on a

cooking range• Most frequently used by large institutional food service

operations like those found in hospitals and school cafeterias

• Food DOES NOT come in contact with steam• What exactly does it do?

• Steam flows in a space or “jacket” surrounding a kettle, utilizing the steam for heat to cook the food

Features• Steam outlet safety valve and pressure gauge• Steam pressure inside the jacket that determines the

kettle’s operating temperature • Direct connected or self generated steam supply• Mounted on tubular legs, pedestal,

wall brackets, or set on a table• It’s modular design makes it easy

to combine with other equipment

to save space

+ Advantages/ - Disadvantages• Advantages

• Primary advantage: much less laborious than cooking over a hot stove• No danger of scorching food, as there is with direct heat

• More efficient – greater quantities can be produced at one time• Improves consistency & reduces product loss from burn-on• Reduce heavy lifting• Easier to clean (especially the tilting versions)

• Disadvantages• Large footprint requires additional space in kitchen• Large models require additional floor drains for cleaning• The most efficient of the three fuel types is direct steam, but

requires the most initial investment in that a boiler is required.

The “Ins and Outs”

Who?: Blodgett, Cleveland Range, Southbend, Vulcan-Hart

How much?: Ranging from as little as $3,100 to $79,000• Based mostly on:

• Size (some of the biggest being 250 gal, and smallest being 1 gal)• Options• Power type (electric is more expensive)• Manufacturer

*Life Span: 15-25 years

What does it run off of?• A choice of 4 different voltages that can require up to 42,000 watts of power

(the last three voltages are for the large kettles, with most requiring what is called “3 phase” power)• 120 volts• 208 volts• 240 volts• 480 volts

• Energy Star rated kettles are available• Additionally, Kettles can be obtained that run on direct steam (supplied by a

boiler), or on natural gas / propane.

2 Shells • There is an inner and outer shell:

• Outer shell can extend up the sides half-way, two-thirds, or all the way to the top of the inner shell.

• This provides many more square inches of heating surface

than can be obtained with a stock pot on a range.• Stock pot can only be heated on the bottom, and

foods are subject to scorching and sticking.• This is why kettles require little supervision during

the cooking process!

Types• Deep kettles, fully or two thirds jacketed • Shallow kettles, always full-jacketed• Trunnion or tilting kettles• Stationary types

*Deep kettles, fully or two thirds jacketed

• Best for soups, puddings, and pie fillings • Two thirds jacketed kettles make up the majority of the

installations (steam jacket surrounds two thirds of the kettle’s product-contact surface)

• These units are usually deep and use a minimum of floor space

*Shallow kettles, always full-jacketed• Best for braising and browning meats and stews• Fully jacketed kettles are shallower and are usually

selected for special-purpose cooking situations because they reduce food crushing, as is experienced when boiling potatoes, and they provide easier access to cooked products

*Trunnion or tilting kettles• Includes a tilting device and pouring lip for unloading• Used predominantly by military and family style food service• Self locking devices to secure kettle in desired position• Large floor models or small units• Capacities: from 1 qt-80 gal (up to 12 gal suitable for table mounting

and rotation vegetable cookery)

*Stationary types• Best for liquids or thin mixtures• Tangent outlet for straight flow drain off• Capacities: 10-500 gal• Most Expensive

References

1. Food Service Management, Principles and Practices (June Payne-Palacio, MonicaTheis)

2. http://www.cooksinfo.com/steam-jacketed-kettle

3. http://www.unifiedbrands.net/assets/docs/groen/CulinaryCollectKettle_LowRes.pdf

4. http://www.alabamapower.com/business/services/architects-engineers/library/cooking/kettles.asp

5. http://www.cesa.org.uk/media/company_brochure/117_Groen_Catalogue09.pdf

6. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/equipment/steam-kettles/c3791.aspx

7. Design and Layout of Foodservice Facilities, Third Edition (John C. Birchfield, John Birchfield, Jr.)

Dish machines• Dish machines are the commercial/institutional

versions of your household dishwasher• Probably one of the most important purchases for a

food service facility!• Come in a variety of sizes, depending on the amount

of dishes needing cleaning per hour. The higher the demand, the larger capacity washer needed. And as usual, a bigger washer costs more money!

• These machines perform a critical task in maintaining food safety, with most adhering to or exceeding NSF/ANSI-3 requirements to maintain public health and sanitation standards.

• Dish machines come in two basic types:

High Temp and Low Temp

Features• Machine sizes are judged in terms of the number of “racks” they can

process per hour• A rack holds about 18 dishes or 36 glasses• For every 100 meals served, approximately 35 racks of dirty dishes need to be

washed. • The number of meals served per hour in an establishment will dictate the size of

the machine required.

• Low temp machines use chemicals and water to sanitize dishes. The chemicals require special handling and need monitoring in order to assure the dishes are properly cleaned

• High temp machines use very hot water to sanitize dishes. These machines feature booster heaters to increase the temperature of the water to that required by NSF regulations

• Most all the dish machines require the dishes and glasses to be loaded into special crates or “racks” to hold the dishes while they are being cleaned

+ Advantages/ - Disadvantages• High Temp machines

• Advantages• No chemicals required• Dishes are flashed dried at the end of the cycle and ready for use• Most effective at removing grease

• Disadvantages• Higher initial cost• Higher energy consumption• Heating elements can fail and require maintenance

• Low Temp Machines• Advantages

• Lower initial cost• Lower energy consumption• No heating elements to fail

• Disadvantages• Relies on chemicals to sanitize the dishes• Chemicals must be routed to the sewer along with waste water• Dishes require longer to dry

The “Ins and Outs”

Who?: CMA, Hobart, Insinger, Jackson, Meiko

How much?: Ranging from as little as $3,100 to $21,000• Based mostly on:

• Size (Some of the biggest can process several hundreds of plates per hour)

• Configuration: door type, under counter, or conveyor fed• Type of machine: high temp or low temp (high temp is more expensive)• Manufacturer

*Life Span: 20-25 years

What does it run off of?• As with many different pieces of commercial kitchen equipment, dish

machines can run off a choice of 3 different voltages that can require up to 41,000 watts of power (voltages for the large all-electric machines typically require what is called “3 phase” power)• 120 volts• 208 volts• 240 volts• 480 volts

• Many hi temp models include options for heating that include the use of steam, natural gas burners, or electric heat. They are available in energy star rated models to save on energy.

Types / Configurations• The two different types of commercial / institutional dish

machines come in six basic configurations:

• Low temp door type• High temp door type• Low temp conveyor fed• High temp conveyor fed• Low temp under counter• High temp under counter

*Door Type Dish Machines

Low Temp High Temp

•Door type dish machines offer the intermediate capacity range for dish machines with processing capacities of 100-150 racks per hour. •This is the style found most often in restaurants.

*Conveyor Fed Dish Machines

Low Temp HighTemp

•Conveyor fed models offer the highest capacity, with some being able to easily process 400 racks per hour. These are ideal for large facilities such as cafeterias. •These are the most expensive dish machines

*Under Counter Dish Machines

Low Temp High Temp

•Under counter models can process about 35 racks per hour. This is roughly equivalent to a residential dishwasher, and is reserved for those facilities with the smallest of demands. • These are the least expensive of the dish machines

References

1. http://www.restaurantsource.com/dish-machines-and-warewashing/dishwashers/ProdList.aspx

2. http://www.foodservicewarehouse.com/education/understanding-restaurant-equipment-and-supplies/commercial-dishwashers-buying-guide/how-do-high-temperature-dishwashers-compare-to-low-temperature-dishwashers/c27967.aspx

3. http://www.allianceforwaterefficiency.org commercial_dishwash_intro.aspx

4. http://www.jesrestaurantequipment.com/jesrestaurantequipmentblog/commercial-dishwasher-buying-guide/

THE END!