How to Choose Baking Equipment
http://www.foodndrinks.net/articles/11996/1/How-to-Choose-Baking-Equipment/Page1.html
John Park
Chef John Park has been a chef for over 20 years and serial entrepreneur. Having opened more than handful of restaurants, Chef John also spends his time consulting for various food service restaurant equipment stores By John Park
Published on 01/10/2012
Baking can really differentiate your restaurant or business from others, but it is a time honored craft. What kind of equipment will I need to run a successful bake shop?
Baking can really differentiate your restaurant or business from others, but it is a time honored craft. What kind of equipment will I need to run a successful bake shop?
Mixers
Most mixers usually sit on the floor or countertop and are tough, durable, and built to last, providing years of dependable operation. They generally include a stainless steel dough hook, whip and flat beater. These beaters can be interchanged used to mix pizza, bread, pastry, cookie, cake, donut dough, icing, filling, cream, dressing, etc. Mixers free up your hands to add ingredients as it mixes.
Smaller mixers are 5-20 quart and use 120 volts single phase electricity. Floor models are 30-80 quart and commonly use 220 or 240 volts with either one-phase or three-phase electricity.
Mixers are usually made from stainless steel with a bottom-mounted motor that drives a mixing shaft. Smaller mixers have a removable bowl, larger have a tilting bowl, with a pouring lip to easily dispense product. Hand guards are often made of high-impact, see-through plastic. For safety, an interlock prevents most units from operating when their covers are open or bowls are tilted. Some planetary mixers are made from heavy-duty cast iron more-expensive models have stainless-steel exteriors.
Bakers Tables
These are extra sturdy tables are made with maple wood tops. Woodtop bakery tables are perfect for working with flour and doughs.
Bread Slicers
Bakeries and restaurants that bake their bread fresh will need a bread slicer. When selecting a bread slicer, you should consider maximum loaf length, slice thickness and the number of loaves per hour each model can handle. Models are generally specific to a limited range of slice thickness.
Heated Cabinets
Enclosed cabinets are used to keep pre-prepared food at a safe consistent temperature (140 degrees F) until it is ready to be served. Cabinets can be insulated or not insulated, humidified or dry. There are a variety of options for rack slides so when considering your cabinets, have an idea of what sizes/types of pans you will be utilizing.
Proofing Cabinets
Proofing is the final dough-rise step before baking. A dough proofer is a cabinet that encourages the dough-rise by yeast by providing warm temperatures and controlled humidity. Typically this is 80 - 135 Deg. F. Proofing cabinets are important for any commercial kitchen that produces large amounts of baked goods. Cabinets may be insulated or not, humidified or not. There are three common types of shelving to support your baking pans. Fixed wire shelving has a fixed height interval between wires which is not adjustable. Universal wire shelving consists of wire lips that can be adjusted. Lip load shelving has solid, adjustable "L" shaped brackets
Holding Cabinets
Heated, Transport and Holding cabinets have some common characteristics. Food quality can be easily lost between the time the products are removed from the oven and the time of service. Hot holding cabinets are used to maintain food temperatures at or above 140 degrees F. for both food-quality and -safety purposes. Different models may support variable air temperature and moisture and humidity sensors to keep you prepared hot food fresher longer. Common accessories are casters for mobility, clear doors or multiple doors, as well as varying heights and tray capacities, insulated or non-insulated. cabinets- transport Transport cabinets have a wide variety of options, and may be heated or not, insulated or not. They are constructed of aluminum or stainless steel. Some heated cabinets, or banquet cabinets may support both electric heat or canned fuel heat. They are commonly equipped to transport 18" x 26" sheets pans but a wide variety of options are available.
Dough Sheeters
Available in countertop or floor model sizes. Balls of dough are dropped into the sheeter, which rolls out, in a single or double pass, large sheets of dough for pizzas, pies, calzones, cinnamons rolls, etc. Dough sheeters or rollers should support a precision thickness adjustment mechanism. Dough Presses also support balls of dough dropped into the press, but rather than a sheet of dough, the press should support molds for different shapes and sizes.
Sheet a variety of doughs to precision thicknesses and are perfect for:
- Pizza Crusts
- Calzones
- Pita Bread
- Pastries
- Tortillas
- Pie Crusts
Mixers
Most mixers usually sit on the floor or countertop and are tough, durable, and built to last, providing years of dependable operation. They generally include a stainless steel dough hook, whip and flat beater. These beaters can be interchanged used to mix pizza, bread, pastry, cookie, cake, donut dough, icing, filling, cream, dressing, etc. Mixers free up your hands to add ingredients as it mixes.
Smaller mixers are 5-20 quart and use 120 volts single phase electricity. Floor models are 30-80 quart and commonly use 220 or 240 volts with either one-phase or three-phase electricity.
Mixers are usually made from stainless steel with a bottom-mounted motor that drives a mixing shaft. Smaller mixers have a removable bowl, larger have a tilting bowl, with a pouring lip to easily dispense product. Hand guards are often made of high-impact, see-through plastic. For safety, an interlock prevents most units from operating when their covers are open or bowls are tilted. Some planetary mixers are made from heavy-duty cast iron more-expensive models have stainless-steel exteriors.
Bakers Tables
These are extra sturdy tables are made with maple wood tops. Woodtop bakery tables are perfect for working with flour and doughs.
Bread Slicers
Bakeries and restaurants that bake their bread fresh will need a bread slicer. When selecting a bread slicer, you should consider maximum loaf length, slice thickness and the number of loaves per hour each model can handle. Models are generally specific to a limited range of slice thickness.
Heated Cabinets
Enclosed cabinets are used to keep pre-prepared food at a safe consistent temperature (140 degrees F) until it is ready to be served. Cabinets can be insulated or not insulated, humidified or dry. There are a variety of options for rack slides so when considering your cabinets, have an idea of what sizes/types of pans you will be utilizing.
Proofing Cabinets
Proofing is the final dough-rise step before baking. A dough proofer is a cabinet that encourages the dough-rise by yeast by providing warm temperatures and controlled humidity. Typically this is 80 - 135 Deg. F. Proofing cabinets are important for any commercial kitchen that produces large amounts of baked goods. Cabinets may be insulated or not, humidified or not. There are three common types of shelving to support your baking pans. Fixed wire shelving has a fixed height interval between wires which is not adjustable. Universal wire shelving consists of wire lips that can be adjusted. Lip load shelving has solid, adjustable "L" shaped brackets
Holding Cabinets
Heated, Transport and Holding cabinets have some common characteristics. Food quality can be easily lost between the time the products are removed from the oven and the time of service. Hot holding cabinets are used to maintain food temperatures at or above 140 degrees F. for both food-quality and -safety purposes. Different models may support variable air temperature and moisture and humidity sensors to keep you prepared hot food fresher longer. Common accessories are casters for mobility, clear doors or multiple doors, as well as varying heights and tray capacities, insulated or non-insulated. cabinets- transport Transport cabinets have a wide variety of options, and may be heated or not, insulated or not. They are constructed of aluminum or stainless steel. Some heated cabinets, or banquet cabinets may support both electric heat or canned fuel heat. They are commonly equipped to transport 18" x 26" sheets pans but a wide variety of options are available.
Dough Sheeters
Available in countertop or floor model sizes. Balls of dough are dropped into the sheeter, which rolls out, in a single or double pass, large sheets of dough for pizzas, pies, calzones, cinnamons rolls, etc. Dough sheeters or rollers should support a precision thickness adjustment mechanism. Dough Presses also support balls of dough dropped into the press, but rather than a sheet of dough, the press should support molds for different shapes and sizes.
Sheet a variety of doughs to precision thicknesses and are perfect for:
- Pizza Crusts
- Calzones
- Pita Bread
- Pastries
- Tortillas
- Pie Crusts