How to mark my tools

[JeanneCake]

I rent space from a caterer and we share the cost of a dishwasher who is usually pretty good about knowing what stuff is mine and which is not. But for those times when it's busy, all bets are off.

I need a way to mark my rubber spatulasand icing spatulas so they find their way back to me. One of my teachers used red duct tape, but that washes off; I've tried hooking elastic bands to the loops on the rubber spatulas (they fall off when they're washed), but I am tired of losing my icing spatulas - especially the small offset ones. I have both wooden handles and the plastic handles.

I've given up on the sheet pans. I've been at this space for 3+ years and came in with 50 brand new sheet pans - all of which have been subsequently shared and beaten up over time.

So, any ideas?

[mignardise]

Hey Jeanne,

When I went to school........I lugged around some of my own tools. I used colored 3M electrical tape to mark my utensils. Cut in half/ thin strips. Wrapped around several times. Worked for me.

[mrose]

Why not use an engraving tool & etch your initials on the handles.

[chezcherie]

one o f my culinary instructors insisted that each of the students in that class find a unique color of paint and dip the end of each knife, melon baller, peeler and what-have-you in that color, so tools could be identified at 50 paces....I didn't wanna, but my teal knife handles are like a beacon across a crowded kitchen to me still! maybe a stipe down the back of the sheet pans?

[nightscotsman]

I used orange electrical tape in school, but it was not allowed at Bellagio (health code violation ), so we used an engraver. In my new job the tape is OK, so now I've go both.

[Fat Guy]

You've got to be careful with paint and tape, because if a health inspector sees that you could be in trouble. Etching/engraving is a better bet because it doesn't present any inspection risks. You don't have to do anything fancy -- you can just put a Z or some other distinguishing mark on all your tools.

[Fat Guy]

P.S. A Dremel engraver should be less than $20 at Home Depot.

[Pam R]

We use paint. Because we follow kosher dietary laws, handles (and the bottoms of pots and pans) get painted with white, red or blue high-temp enamel paint. We also used to cater in a lot of synagogue kitchens, who also painted their stuff - so all of our pans had our company initials painted on the bottoms.

We NEVER paint where paint will come into contact with the food.

This is fairly standard in the commercial kosher kitchens I've been in. After 20 years of health inspections it's never been a problem (last inspection was this week - no problem) - but you'd want to check with your own health department.

[andiesenji]

I have used Plasti-Dip on the handles of tongs, whisks, metal spoons and ladles.

A local meat cutter has several of his knife handles coated with it, mainly to make them easier to grip.

Once the stuff cures, it is far more stable than paint, except for epoxy.

It is used on food-grade container handles.

You can check specs at this site.

[prasantrin]

I need a way to mark my rubber spatulasand icing spatulas so they find their way back to me.  One of my teachers used red duct tape, but that washes off; I've tried hooking elastic bands to the loops on the rubber spatulas (they fall off when they're washed), but I am tired of losing my icing spatulas - especially the small offset ones.  I have both wooden handles and the plastic  handles.

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For your rubber and icing spatulas, if they have holes at the ends of the handles, can you loop plastic electric ties in them? They're quite sturdy, and should stand up to hot dishwashers. They're cheap, and they come in a multitude of colours so the entire kitchen could colour-code their spatulas!

edited for typos

Edited May 21, 2006 by prasantrin (log)

[Sethro]

Pee on them!

[nightscotsman]

The problem with just engraving your name on tools is you can't pick out your tools from a distance. It's much too easy for someone who took your knife to say in feigned innocence "oh, is this yours? I didn't see your name there".

[K8memphis]

Hmm, wouldn't it be cool to have a little device in there that would determine dna or finger prints or something & it would zap the sh*t out of the wrong set of fingerprints or dna that tried to walk off with it???? Like clappers on steroids.

[RuthWells]

I used orange electrical tape in school, but it was not allowed at Bellagio (health code violation ), so we used an engraver. In my new job the tape is OK, so now I've go both.

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New job? Do tell!

[nightscotsman]

I used orange electrical tape in school, but it was not allowed at Bellagio (health code violation ), so we used an engraver. In my new job the tape is OK, so now I've go both.

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New job? Do tell!

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We opened Restaurant Guy Savoy in Caesars Palace on Wednesday.

[JeanneCake]

Congratulations on the new job!

Thanks for all the suggestions, everyone - I am heading to Home Depot for the engraver for the sheet pans; and to see if they have the plasti-dip for my spatulas and/or cable ties for the rubber spatulas.

[RuthWells]

I used orange electrical tape in school, but it was not allowed at Bellagio (health code violation ), so we used an engraver. In my new job the tape is OK, so now I've go both.

←

New job? Do tell!

←

We opened Restaurant Guy Savoy in Caesars Palace on Wednesday.

←

Congrats!

[Kent Wang]

Hmm, wouldn't it be cool to have a little device in there that would determine dna or finger prints or something & it would zap the sh*t out of the wrong set of fingerprints or dna that tried to walk off with it????

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This sounds just like the guns in Judge Dredd. Definitely would be a cool idea.

[JanMcBaker]

I don't know how this goes with health laws, but how about a dab of nail polish in some outstanding color?

[K8memphis]

I don't know how this goes with health laws, but how about a dab of nail polish in some outstanding color?

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Ain't even 'sposed to wear it on your nails. Nice try though.

[greenbean]

Home Depot also carries something called Liquid Electrical tape. It's like paint but thicker and doesn't come off like regular electrical tape. It comes in about five colors, and all of my tools have a green band around the handle. I've had the liquid electrical tape on them for over a year with no problems.

Actually, at school, all the baking sheetpans had green spray paint on the short end outside rims so the hot side wouldn't use them (I wish they would do this at work). This also made it easier to identify them in a stack.