Every Chef Needs This List of Food Prep Equipment in Their Kitchen!

The chef’s life is no walk in the park. But still, it is a dream for so many talented food artists out there. As a chef, it is your responsibility to make sure your team puts out the best-tasting food, as quickly as possible, safely. 

In fact, there are two things that separate the pace of a home chef and a professional chef: the assembly line-like team and the commercial food prep equipment. 

If you’d like to improve the efficiency of your establishment, it’s important to have the right equipment. Read on for a list of must-have equipment. 

1. Ranges

If you’re planning on cooking anything, you’ll need a range for your kitchen. Your range will perform a wide range of functions, allowing your team to do everything from steaming to sauteeing.

The kind of range you choose depends on your space, budget and cooking style. You’ll have the option between a gas and electric range, which will have a significant impact on the flavour of your food. 

Then within each category, you’ll pick from different materials like cast iron, different coils and flat versus raised surfaces. 

2. Oven

An oven is an absolute necessity if you will be baking or roasting food. There are many types of ovens to choose from.

A convection oven circulates air, which evenly cooks food. It’s great for bakeries.

Like ranges, ovens can be purchased and powered by gas or electricity. There are also wood-burning ovens for pizza establishments and bakeries. These create beautiful exteriors of food.

It is vital to consider how much food will be in your oven at any given hour. For example, a cupcake bakery will use its oven non-stop and would need multiple ovens to bake at different temperatures. 

3. Deep Fryer

A deep fryer is usually placed adjacent to the end of your range. Deep fryers can be used for a lot more than french fries. They can be used for chicken, seafood, tempura and more. 

There are single and multi-basket deep fryers. If you plan to accommodate food intolerances and allergies, you will need a separate deep fryer. This not only applies to the deep fryer, but almost all equipment mentioned will need a duplicate to accommodate restricted eaters.

For a deep fryer, it is really important since the oil isn’t replaced until the end of a workday. This means it can be contaminated with common allergens like gluten and shellfish.

4. Refrigeration

Perhaps one of the most obvious items of food preparation equipment is a refrigerator. There isn’t a food establishment on earth that doesn’t have a refrigerator. A raw food place might not have any cooking equipment but will still have a refrigerator.

You can expect to have a variety of refrigeration options including reach-in, walk-in and chest freezers. This enables you to change the temperature depending on what is being stored. If you offer to-go foods and beverages, you’ll also need a refrigerator in your storefront.

5. Mixers

Mixers here refer to any equipment used to bind ingredients. These include dough mixers, paddle and whisk mixers and food processors.

Commercial mixers are monster-sized! They’re able to mix several batches of a recipe at once to improve efficiency. You’ll be able to mix the dough for hundreds of pizza crusts or pancakes all at once.

6. Sinks

This is a less exciting piece of equipment, but highly important. Most commercial sinks are stainless steel. The difference exists in the design and purpose of each sink. 

There are smaller sinks for handwashing, large sinks for washing produce, and three-compartment sinks dedicated to food safety process dishwashing. 

7. Smallwares

Smallwares refers to all food-equipment items that don’t need to be larger in size but do need to be greater in volume. This includes pots, pans, mixing bowls, mandolines, knives, cutting boards, utensils, serving ware and more. 

A kitchen will need to be well-stocked with all of these items. You have multiple people working in the kitchen at once, so they can’t share these items and wait on each other to finish up. It would put a dent in your service.

When in doubt, have some extra smallwares. Things get lost, misplaced and broken all the time in the fast-paced kitchen environment. One essential smallware item for any kitchen is a reliable bain marie to keep your dishes warm and ready to serve.

8. Beverage Equipment

Commercial blenders, juicers and espresso machines might be necessary depending on your establishment. Choose high-quality commercial beverage equipment built to withstand repetitive daily use.

Blenders sometimes are used for processes beyond drinks, like making soups or aiolis.

9. Workbenches

This one is often overlooked! Your workspace is essentially the spread of tables where you and your team will be chopping, dicing and plating! Usually, a workspace is made up of a few commercial stainless steel tables called workbenches.

There are so many workbenches to choose from! There are flattop workbenches, salamander workbenches, mobile workbenches and more.

Mix and match an assortment that suits the needs of your team. Some workbenches are equipped with shelves for foodservice and tight spaces. Others have drawers to store immediate items.

10. Sanitation and Safety Equipment

Not so glamorous but extremely important is the is the food prep equipment for sanitation and safety procedures.

You’ll need a three-compartment sink in addition to a commercial dishwasher for all of your utensils and serverware. You’ll also have to make a wholesale purchase of cleaning supplies like kitchen rags.

For safety, invest in non-skid rubber mats to prevent dangerous slips and falls. Kitchens are also required to have a first aid kit on hand.

Tailor Your Food Prep Equipment

There is a lot of food prep equipment designed to make the chef’s life easier. Our equipment is created specifically for your commercial kitchens and sold at unbeatable wholesale prices!

We have everything from bakery and pizza equipment to butcher and juice bar equipment. It’s important to buy machinery and equipment that fits your space and your cuisine. You can find a diverse selection in our online shop!

Stop by one of the showrooms to see what we can do for your commercial kitchen! Then shop in person or online to build your commercial kitchen!