There was a time, not so long ago, that a commercial kitchen and a domestic one weren’t that dissimilar, most things found in a commercial kitchen were at least recognisable. However, with the rise in molecular gastronomy and ever increasingly technical methods of cooking, things have changed. Here are the five appliances a commercial kitchen cannot do without to stay ahead of the game.
Sous Vide
Although it might seem like ‘boil in the bag’, Sous Vide is one of the standout techniques of the last few years. The Sous Vide method cooks food in a sealed bag at a low temperature, allowing the food to be cooked for long periods to achieve maximum tenderness. It’s not cheap though, with high end commercial sous-vide water baths costing upwards of several hundred pounds.
Ceramic BBQ
Inspired by Japanese kamado ovens, ovoid ceramic BBQ’s can do everything from grill and smoke to bake. No wonder chefs from Heston Blumenthal to Tom Sellers all swear by it. Its sealed unit means that it doesn’t have to be ‘BBQ weather’ to have a BBQ.
Commercial food processor
Imagine something that weighs, chops, blends, kneads, steams, juices, grates, whisks, simmers, mills and crushes; and you’ve got the modern food processor that thinks it’s a celebrity chef. Used in all the best kitchens, including Sat Bains Restaurant with Rooms, it’s an indispensable piece of kit.
Dehydrators
Dehydrators do just what they say on the tin, and can be used to make hundreds of items including Parma ham and beef jerky. Good for veggies too, it will make kale chips and dehydrated strawberries, feeding into the craze for raw foods that is currently in vogue. Most professional dehydrators will keep a temperature between ambient and 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
Ice cream makers
They’ve been around for a long time and are a staple of most commercial kitchens, however it’s what’s being done with ice-cream makers today that means they are indispensable for modern chefs – bacon and egg ice-cream anyone?