Commercial Cooking Utensils Types and Styles

Determine which types of professional culinary tools are best for your restaurant

Commercial utensils give professional chefs the ability to bring menus to life; from stirring to serving, the right tools can aid your chefs in making masterpieces. The variety of restaurant cooking utensils is mind-boggling though, and you may find yourself overwhelmed when it's time to buy smallwares for your new restaurant.

First you have to consider your menu. Determine which commercial cooking tools you'll need to make those dishes, then figure out how many of each you'll need, taking into account the number of services you have in a day. Include both utensils needed for prep and for the service itself. Then consider these commercial cooking utensils types and styles:

1. Use stainless steel utensils when durability is a factor. Metal commercial cooking supplies include spoons and other utensils, measuring spoons, strainers and graters.

2. Buy some inexpensive plastic utensils if you're on a budget and for specific applications. Spatulas and spoons are the most popular plastic professional cooking tools.

3. Consider using wood tools if your restaurant specializes in Asian cuisine. Wooden industrial kitchen utensils are used mainly for stirring and serving and are great for meats and rice.

 

Get a long life out of metal industrial cooking utensils

Metal utensils are great because they won't melt and will last forever. Other accessories, like measuring spoons, also work great in stainless steel form because of their durability. The drawbacks, though, include heat conduction leading to kitchen accidents as well as scraping up the bottom of pots while stirring. Even though these drawbacks exist, stainless steel remains a favorite among chefs and restaurateurs.
Try: Galasource offers a nice selection of assorted stainless steel spoons. Check out the variety of metal spatulas and turners at Food Equipment International. You can find assorted measuring spoon sets and long-handed measuring spoons at The WEBstaurant Store.

Save money or gain flexibility with plastic professional cooking utensils

Plastic utensils work well for restaurants that are just starting up. They are relatively inexpensive but don't last as long as metal utensils do. Plastic utensils are also good for flipping delicate items in a griddle or pan, as they have the flexibility to get up and underneath the product and support it without tearing it up. As long as your chefs don't accidentally leave the utensils sitting on a heat source, you should be fine for months to come.
Try: Browse through the nylon utensils at Central Restaurant Supply. You can also find a variety of plastic serving spoons at Citisco Food Service Equipment.

Consider using professional cooking utensils in lightweight wood

Wood utensils are frequently used in Asian cuisine and in general for stirring meats and serving products like salad and rice. A big draw to these is that they are lightweight and won't scratch up your pots and pans. One downside is that they are porous and must be sanitized between uses to ensure that bacteria like salmonella are removed; harder woods can decrease this problem. Also consider metal products with wooden handles, as this helps prevent hands from being burnt due to heat conduction.
Try: Able Kitchen & Restaurant Supplies has a huge selection of wooden spoons in assorted sizes and lengths. Protect your chefs' hands from heat with the wooden-handled scrapers at FoodServiceWarehouse.com.

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