How to equip a catering establishment? 

The equipment in a restaurant kitchen influences the taste and quality of the food served, as well as the pace of work. We suggest what equipment should not be missing in a catering establishment. 

The kitchen is the heart of any catering establishment. Its equipment is of great importance for the quality and comfort of the cooks' work, and also influences the taste of the dishes served. Without the necessary equipment in the kitchen, many dishes cannot be prepared or take much longer to prepare than they should. Work is difficult without the right tools, so no expense should be spared in equipping a catering establishment. What equipment is a must in the kitchen, regardless of what dishes the restaurant specialises in? 

Large kitchen appliances

Huge quantities of food are cooked in catering establishments. In addition, the time taken to serve food also counts, which is why equipment designed for the catering industry must be much larger than standard domestic kitchen equipment. Absolutely essential in a restaurant are cookers. Gas models are most often chosen because chefs emphasise that food cooked over fire tastes better. The cost of using a gas cooker is also not insignificant, as gas, even with rising prices, remains cheaper than electricity. A four-burner cooker may be too small for a large restaurant. Five or six burners will work much better in catering. You can find five-burner gas hobs among the offers on the merXu platform. 

An oven also falls into the category of essential equipment for a catering establishment. An ordinary oven is not the best option for a restaurant, as it maintains a much lower temperature and is therefore less efficient. Catering ovens reach temperatures up to twice as high as domestic ovens. As a result, pizzas can be prepared in them in just a few minutes. Casseroles, tarts and cakes can also be baked at a much faster rate. The dimensions and capacity of catering ovens also make food preparation much more efficient. The oven can be wood-fired, gas-fired or electrically powered. Wood-fired ovens are a very rare choice because their installation involves many technical requirements and, on top of that, it is difficult to control the temperature in the oven. Electric models are distinguished by their fairly low price, but are quite expensive to operate. Their advantage, however, is that the design can be extended. Gas-fired catering ovens cost a little more than electric ones, but in the long term you can save on your bills with them. 

Small kitchen appliances

No kitchen in a restaurant can function without equipment consisting of small kitchen appliances. When cooking for large groups of guests, there is no time to whisk egg whites by hand, mix sauces and mousses and knead several kilos of dough. Catering equipment must make work easier and faster. A good food processor is capable of whipping the perfect meringue mousse in a few minutes, as well as kneading yeast dough or shortcrust pastry. Multifunction food processors combine many different appliances, such as a blender, meat mincer and more. Such a food processor is ideal for smaller and larger premises. Multifunctional food processors save a considerable amount of money, as buying equipment that combines several appliances in one is usually a smaller expense than buying them separately. They also have the advantage of saving space - one appliance with different attachments will take up less space in the kitchen than several smaller appliances that have single functions. 

For blending large volumes (soups and sauces, for example), a hand blender will also be essential. In order for it to work effectively, it needs to be very powerful. Such is the device from Bartscher that you can buy on merXu. An additional advantage in a blender is the control of the blending speed. This is important when blending food with ingredients that should not foam (for example, dishes with raw egg).

Catering equipment should not only be used for cooking, but also for baking. Confectionery and bakeries should absolutely not be without a planetary mixer. This type of equipment allows you to efficiently knead large volumes of dough, as well as cream dough and mix creams. You can match the capacity of the mixer bowl to the needs of your premises, as these appliances come in very different sizes.

Depending on the size of your business and how many guests your restaurant serves in a week, your catering equipment should be different. You can find a very wide range of kitchen equipment for catering at merXu. If you need advice on choosing the right equipment for your establishment, we will be happy to help you find the best equipment.