Favorite Commercial Kitchen Equipment

[btbyrd]

There are certain things that home cooks typically do not own but are common in restaurant and bar kitchens. Things like salamanders, planchas, and deep fryers with cold zones. 240V induction units, blast chillers, wok burners, combi ovens, and real ice cream machines. Where home cooks have their Cuisinarts, the pros have Robocoup-jujitsu that can dice a case of tomatoes in two minutes flat.

 

My question to the professionals in the audience is: Of this class of appliance -- of any type or application --which particular models/brands do you love? Why do you love them? Bonus points if they could conceivably be used in a dream home kitchen.

 

I realize this is an extremely broad question, but I'm hoping to elicit people telling heartwarming stories about how awesome their broiler is, or anecdotes about which model of plancha the Adria brothers use in their kitchens. Maybe you're a bartender and there's a specific ice maker that makes perfect cubes for cocktails... or maybe you worked grinding brunch shifts and made a million tedious-but-perfect waffles using an especially trustworthy waffle maker.... whatever it is, write a love note to your favorite gear. Let us home cooks know what we're missing.

[pastrygirl]

The robot coupe for it size and power.

 

 

[MelissaH]

1 hour ago, btbyrd said:

Let us home cooks know what we're missing.

And if there's any reason why your favorite pro gear wouldn't be feasible in a home environment.

[Lisa Shock]

The old-school mechanical can opener clamped to the edge of a counter.

[chromedome]

I'd replace my KitchenAid with a countertop Hobart in a heartbeat. 

[andiesenji]

In the late '60s we renovated the kitchen to make room for a huge Garland range with 8 burners, flat top with the salamander under it two ovens and the "warming shelf" above. 

I used that range a lot.  I baked a lot of bread.  My kids loved it.  They would fire up the salamander to make snacks and impress their friends.  

I had one of the 10-quart Hobart mixers that was mounted on a low dolly so I could roll it out of the walk-in pantry.

One thing I kept from those days was my 36 x 72 butcher block bench on pipe legs.  

 

When I sold the house in 1978, the buyers offered a lot more money if I left the range.

I still miss it but the cost to make the floor, wall and overhead safe, along with an industrial sized exhaust system would have been very expensive had I not been married to a master plasterer and he knew a lot of other trades people who were happy to trade work for work.

When I began catering in the '80s, I bought a Blodgett 10 tray oven that had been converted to 7 tray by the addition of a steam fixture.

I loved the French doors on that oven.

I also had a Hobart undercounter dishwasher with the 90 second cycle - sounded like a jet taking off but it finished so quickly, it wasn't annoying.

 

Several  years ago, since I was no longer using them, I sold the oven to a friend that owned a bakery.  A couple of year later he opened a cafe next door to the bakery and offered to take the Hobart and buy me a new dishwasher and have it installed.  

 

I still have the 20 cup Cuisinart because I use it quite often.  The last commercial item I sold on ebay  was the adjustable pancake dropper.  I no longer need to make dozens of pancakes.

 

 

[Toliver]

12 hours ago, andiesenji said:

I still miss it but the cost to make the floor, wall and overhead safe, along with an industrial sized exhaust system would have been very expensive...

I was going to mention this issue. You can't just install a commercial oven/stove in a house. There are usually strict building codes that need to be followed before such equipment can be installed in a private home. The expense of that alone would certainly rule out commercial equipment in a home.

 

I'd go with Andie's recommendation of the Hobart dishwasher. When I worked in a campus cafeteria during my college days, the Hobart they used to wash dishes totally rocked. It had a super fast cycle. The racks of dishes didn't need to be dried because they were so hot coming out of the dishwasher that they air-dried in minutes, if not seconds. Yes, it was incredibly loud but the noise was short-lived since the machine was so quick to work.

[gfweb]

I had a commercial Vulcan range for years. My new Blue Star kicks its ass , burner and oven wise.

[dscheidt]

9 hours ago, Toliver said:

I was going to mention this issue. You can't just install a commercial oven/stove in a house. There are usually strict building codes that need to be followed before such equipment can be installed in a private home. The expense of that alone would certainly rule out commercial equipment in a home.

 

Most places in the US, you simply cannot install a commercial stove in a residence, because the manufacturers do not list (certify they meet UL or other suitable national testing standards) them for that purpose, and the model fire code requires equipment to be listed for the use they're being used for.  I did some network installation work at a lake mansion in Michigan about a decade ago.  The owner had a giant commercial sectional range (10 feet long), a grill, and deep fryer installed.  I asked the building dept inspector that was around about that, and he said the builder had paid for the equipment to be certified on-site, and had spent ~50K to do so.  That didn't include the equipment, nor the hoods, fire suppression system, etc; just the engineering work and testing. 

 

The owner did not cook, the kitchen was for the staff brought in for parties.  The previous mansion had a separate kitchen building, but he didn't want one there. 

 

  (I also told the guy I was working for he should have charged more...) 

[weinoo]

There is nothing I've used, or would like more, than a real combi oven. 

 

I think a Robot-Coupe would come in 2nd.

[andiesenji]

On 11/2/2017 at 9:40 AM, Toliver said:

I was going to mention this issue. You can't just install a commercial oven/stove in a house. There are usually strict building codes that need to be followed before such equipment can be installed in a private home. The expense of that alone would certainly rule out commercial equipment in a home.

 

I'd go with Andie's recommendation of the Hobart dishwasher. When I worked in a campus cafeteria during my college days, the Hobart they used to wash dishes totally rocked. It had a super fast cycle. The racks of dishes didn't need to be dried because they were so hot coming out of the dishwasher that they air-dried in minutes, if not seconds. Yes, it was incredibly loud but the noise was short-lived since the machine was so quick to work.

Having experienced tradesmen who had installed a lot of commercial equipment was not a problem. They wrote up the permit applications, the gas company installed a new meter with the larger 3/4" "demand" fitting with the automatic cut off valve for earthquakes and we had a quick cutoff in the kitchen with a bright red handle, the required 6 feet from the range.  The floor, wall and ceiling was lined with fire brick covered with stainless steel panels.  that extended 3 feet beyond each end of the range.  And that section of the floor had to be lowered and the floor itself reinforced from below (we were on a raised foundation) to carry the weight of the range.  

My husband priced it out and had we had to pay to have all the work done, it would have cost us 18K and that was in 1967/68.  We also installed a separate 40K BTU AC  through the wall in the kitchen to handle the heat when we didn't need AC in the rest of the house.  I can't find a photo that shows the range but this is the wall with the AC and my butcherblock bench.  Beyond that was 12 feet of counter with a sink in the center and on the opposite wall this side of the range was another 12 feet of counters with cabinets below.  At the far end we had what was originally a laundry room but we moved washer and dryer out to the attached garage, removed the big sink and put the big Kelvinator "food-a-rama" 32 cf fridge and an upright freezer out there.  

You see the eggs on the counter. We had a neighbor who sold eggs locally.  They did not require refrigeration.  

Edited November 3, 2017 by andiesenji (log)

[andiesenji]

I can't remember what the exhaust system cost but in addition to the ductwork they put in the attic and through the roof, we had to get a roofer to pull off all the shingles and install a 4' x 4' "seamless metal flashing skirt" through which the 10" exhaust pipe was mounted. Only the edges of the "skirt" could be covered and only with fireproof shingles.

Since they were already ripping off shingles, we told them to go ahead and do the entire roof.

The roofer was one of my dad's sub-contractors and my dad paid for it.  (My dad was a general contractor in the L.A. area from 1947 until he retired in 1969.)  

 

[weinoo]

Your booze is too high up!

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, weinoo said:

Your booze is too high up!

That was there mostly for ambiance.  Neither my husband or I drank hard liquor. Mostly wine, though not a lot of that.  We kept the booze for guests.  

I used some for cooking. I used a lot of wine in cooking.  Gallo Hearty Burgundy (not really a Burgundy) was sold in gallon jugs and there was always one on the bottom shelf of my baking bench.  

[Doofa]

We need more photo's Andie. Fascinating. D

[rotuts]

Combi-Oven

 

w the Top or your choice :

 

Induction for me

 

Flame for you is you prefer.

[lindag]

22 hours ago, andiesenji said:

That was there mostly for ambiance.  Neither my husband or I drank hard liquor. Mostly wine, though not a lot of that.  We kept the booze for guests.  

I used some for cooking. I used a lot of wine in cooking.  Gallo Hearty Burgundy (not really a Burgundy) was sold in gallon jugs and there was always one on the bottom shelf of my baking bench.  

 

I remember seeing those great big jugs of Gallo way back when.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

4 hours ago, lindag said:

 

I remember seeing those great big jugs of Gallo way back when.

I wouldn't turn down a jug of Gallo Hearty Burgundy.

 

[andiesenji]

1 hour ago, JoNorvelleWalker said:

I wouldn't turn down a jug of Gallo Hearty Burgundy.

 

It was unavailable for a long time.  It was a blend of many varietals, nothing like a true Burgundy, but it was a terrific cooking wine.

 

They brought it back a few years ago, I read a story about it awhile back.  It is available in a 1.5 liter "jug" but at a much higher price than the original.

We had Italian friends that loved to drink it. Said it was more like the "old-fashioned" Italian table wine that had disappeared in the '50s.

[weinoo]

Oh yes, the "Hearty Burgundy" was very popular during my years in California...perfect for cooking, with little to no wood/tannins at all.  

[Thanks for the Crepes]

On 11/3/2017 at 8:12 PM, andiesenji said:

Gallo Hearty Burgundy (not really a Burgundy) was sold in gallon jugs and there was always one on the bottom shelf of my baking bench.

 

Now that my memory has been stirred, I think this is the first alcoholic beverage I ever tasted. I found the jug under the stairs of the basement while doing the laundry. I don't remember the "Hearty" part, but definitely recall the (Ernest and Julio) Gallo Burgundy part and and the green glass gallon jug. Seems like there was a pretty picture of grapes on the label, too, although I can't swear to it 47 years later. 

I didn't like it, so only took a sip. What did I know? I was eleven years old. Also found a copy of the "Kama Sutra" down in the basement around that time, and it was way too early for me to appreciate that too. I still remember the word "yoni", though and picked up the meaning from the context. That basement was a treasure trove for a curious kid doing the drudge work of family laundry for sure, though. 

 

Hobart mixers are the bomb. We had a couple in the school cafeteria where I worked to get free lunch. It was gigantic, and if I had fallen in somehow, it was perfectly capable of pureeing me. The lunch ladies warned me many times to stay away, emphasizing how dangerous they could be. I'm sure if they made a home version, it would be perfect for kneading bread or mixing stiff cookie doughs, or pureeing small animals, like hapless counter cats. These things were so sturdily built workhorses.

 

In a dream world, far away from my actual life, I would want a pizza oven. Pizza to me is only perfect for the time it takes to eat a slice or two, even if it is cooked to perfection. Good pizza is in my top favorite foods, along with perfectly cooked beef steak. There are many other things, but those two keep returning to the top of my focus.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

7 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

 

Now that my memory has been stirred, I think this is the first alcoholic beverage I ever tasted. I found the jug under the stairs of the basement while doing the laundry. I don't remember the "Hearty" part, but definitely recall the (Ernest and Julio) Gallo Burgundy part and and the green glass gallon jug. Seems like there was a pretty picture of grapes on the label, too, although I can't swear to it 47 years later. 

I didn't like it, so only took a sip. What did I know? I was eleven years old. Also found a copy of the "Kama Sutra" down in the basement around that time, and it was way too early for me to appreciate that too. I still remember the word "yoni", though and picked up the meaning from the context. That basement was a treasure trove for a curious kid doing the drudge work of family laundry for sure, though. 

 

Hobart mixers are the bomb. We had a couple in the school cafeteria where I worked to get free lunch. It was gigantic, and if I had fallen in somehow, it was perfectly capable of pureeing me. The lunch ladies warned me many times to stay away, emphasizing how dangerous they could be. I'm sure if they made a home version, it would be perfect for kneading bread or mixing stiff cookie doughs, or pureeing small animals, like hapless counter cats. These things were so sturdily built workhorses.

 

In a dream world, far away from my actual life, I would want a pizza oven. Pizza to me is only perfect for the time it takes to eat a slice or two, even if it is cooked to perfection. Good pizza is in my top favorite foods, along with perfectly cooked beef steak. There are many other things, but those two keep returning to the top of my focus.

 

There also was/is a Gallo "Burgundy".  No "Hearty".  Not the same stuff.  Only had it once, did not care for it.  I still buy their Hearty Burgundy from time to time.

 

Though the idea may fall flat, I'm working on a single woman's pizza oven solution.  Stay tuned.

 

[andiesenji]

Single woman's pizza "oven" might be satisfied with THIS.  KALORIK HOT STONE PIZZA OVEN.  It's not exactly an oven per se. but it certainly gets hot.

 

My friends, Erik and Charles  got one of these for Christmas last year from a doting aunt.  

They thought it was a gimmick but found it worked fairly well.  One of their dogs managed to pull it off the counter (it was cold and unplugged) and broke the stone.

Rather than replace it, they upgraded to the Breville, which they use frequently for parties - setting out the "fixings" and prepared pizza dough rounds and letting their guests "customize" their pizzas.  

 

They have urged me to get one but sadly, I can no longer consume pizza. The heartburn that follows is excruciating

[pastrygirl]

10 hours ago, Thanks for the Crepes said:

Hobart mixers are the bomb. We had a couple in the school cafeteria where I worked to get free lunch. It was gigantic, and if I had fallen in somehow, it was perfectly capable of pureeing me.

 

The bomb indeed.  They go all the way down to this little 5 qt size.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobart-mixer-N50A-model-commercial-mixer-/322866559615

I'd like one in the 10-20 qt range.  Small enough to be table-top but large enough for a really big batch of cookies or several loaves of brioche.

 

And yes, the 2-minute dishwasher.  Probably actually the best part of commercial kitchens.

 

As for Gallo Hearty Burgundy, that brings to mind my cousin once-removed's 2nd or 3rd husband bringing his own gallon to a holiday dinner at Grandma's house, must have been Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Now, we're wine drinkers, my dad was Italian and I helped make wine as a kid, but that this guy kept his jug on the floor behind his chair and drank most of it over the evening was a bit scandalous.

[andiesenji]

3 hours ago, pastrygirl said:

 

The bomb indeed.  They go all the way down to this little 5 qt size.  https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hobart-mixer-N50A-model-commercial-mixer-/322866559615

I'd like one in the 10-20 qt range.  Small enough to be table-top but large enough for a really big batch of cookies or several loaves of brioche.

 

And yes, the 2-minute dishwasher.  Probably actually the best part of commercial kitchens.

 

As for Gallo Hearty Burgundy, that brings to mind my cousin once-removed's 2nd or 3rd husband bringing his own gallon to a holiday dinner at Grandma's house, must have been Thanksgiving or Christmas.  Now, we're wine drinkers, my dad was Italian and I helped make wine as a kid, but that this guy kept his jug on the floor behind his chair and drank most of it over the evening was a bit scandalous.

 

I had the 10 quart Hobart but it was too tall for a regular kitchen counter.  I had it bolted to a heavy wood "dolly" or cart that was about 18" high and had 4" locking wheels.  Under the platform to which the mixer was bolted, there was room for the beaters and a couple of extra bowls.  It was very heavy.