What Every Commercial Kitchen Needs

When kitting out your commercial kitchen, it’s important that you choose the right equipment for your business to run as smoothly as possible. You need to make efficient use of the space you have, and getting all the right equipment in the right places will mean you have less to worry about once you are open, so plan carefully. Safety and workflow should be the most important factors in your kitchen design and it’s best to follow the general rules of the Golden Triangle.

Here is our guide to what every commercial kitchen needs. We'll be taking a look at what you need in your kitchen for before, during and after service.

Before Service

Depending on how often your produce is delivered will affect your storage needs. You need to consider how much refrigeration, freezer and dry storage space you are going to require. Work out the frequency of your delivery and forecast how quickly you expect to use the produce so you can gauge what you’ll need storage-wise. Make sure that for delivery purposes your kitchen is accessible and there is a place to drop deliveries without the delivery personnel having to enter the food prep area to avoid problems during service hours.

Fridges

Counter refrigeration is a great way to save space by incorporating it into your prep stations, as this offers both a workspace and fridge space. Upright cabinet fridges are also available as an option and can be bought in light or heavy duty models. For very high volumes of fresh produce it may be necessary to consider a cold room if you have the space for one. You will need more storage for food that has been prepped for the next day, or leftovers that can be used again, so keep this in mind when you are calculating storage for incoming deliveries.

Freezers

Counter freezers and under counter freezers are similarly useful, offering a prep surface and saving space. Chest freezers also offer a large freezer space, and with a stainless steel lid can double up as a prep surface if needed. As with cold rooms, freezer rooms are available for venues that have very large quantities of frozen food to store.

Buying Guide: For an in depth look at commercial fridges and freezers check out our buying guides:

• which is the best commercial fridge to buy?
• which is the best commercial freezer to buy?

DURING SERVICE

Prep stations

Ideally your prep area will be situated in between your food storage and the cooking area, so your kitchen flows in a logical order. You need to keep raw meat prep separate from other foods as this helps to avoid potentially dangerous cross-contamination. For help reducing bacteria during prep you can refer to our guide to colour coded chopping boards. It’s best to install stainless steel prep tables as these are durable and easy to wipe clean after use. Don’t forget to include sinks for your pot washers and a separate hand wash basin in this area.

Ovens

If you require an oven, you need to decide if you want your oven to be gas or electric, and both have their own benefits. Gas is seen as heavier duty and is more responsive when adjusting heat levels than electric. However, your kitchen may not have access to a gas supply and installation can be costly, so always check before making any purchases. Also check whether you will be restricted on your oven by the size of your incoming electrical supply before you purchase anything. For smaller spaces, consider combi ovens as these are multi-functional and can save you buying extra equipment.

Buying Guide: Which commercial oven is the best fit for you?

Extraction units

It’s also important to consider your extraction unit and find the right model to suit your kitchen. Commercial kitchens have strict regulations, so make sure your design complies with these. You need an interlocking system, meaning adequate ventilation and a gas cut-off in case the ventilation hood fails, and this is now mandatory for any new kitchen.

Fryers

Fryers are a fast and efficient way to cook certain foods, such as fries and onion rings or fried chicken. If you require a fryer, you have a choice between free standing fryers or a countertop fryer. Free standing fryers can cook a large quantity at any one time, and are robust, whereas countertop fryers offer a space-saving alternative.

Buying Guide: Which type of fryer do you need?

Microwaves

If you require a microwave in your kitchen, you need to make sure you have a commercial standard one, as domestic microwaves are not durable or powerful enough to cope with use in a busy commercial kitchen. Commercial microwaves are designed not to lose power as they get older and can sustain long periods of use, and the usual turntable is removed and replaced with a flat surface for easy cleaning.

Buying Guide: Find out more about what to look for in a commercial microwave in our guide on which commercial microwave to buy.

AFTER SERVICE

Dishwashers

Getting the right sized commercial dishwasher for your kitchen is key to your success during service. There are three common types of dishwasher: undercounter for medium sized venues, pass through for medium to high volume and conveyor for very high volume. If you work out roughly the volume of kitchenware and crockery you expect to be using during service then you can get an idea of the type of dishwasher you will need. Make sure you have separate routes for dirty dishes to come in and food to go out to avoid any time wasting or confusion.

Buying Guide: Not sure how to choose a commercial dishwasher? Take a look at our guide on the different types of dishwashers available.

Waste

Keep waste away from your food prep areas as much as possible and with a clear route to any outside bins. It’s best to implement a responsible waste recycling programme if you can, and for high volume venues you can even invest in a waste compactor to reduce the number of bins needed.

Do you need help with the design?

If you are a little unsure of what you need and where, it might be a good idea to ask the opinion of a kitchen designer and you should also involve your head chef in the design process. Experienced chefs will have a very good idea of how they would like their kitchen kitted out and may bring something to the table that you are unaware of. This will give you a better understanding of the equipment you actually need so you’re not wasting space and money on unnecessary items. Your needs will be specific to your menu and the space you have so there’s no general plan that can cover every kitchen.

When ordering large appliances, always make sure there is adequate space for delivery and installation before arrival. Watch the video for more information regarding large item deliveries.