Restaurant Cooking Supplies Key Terms

Understanding some common terminology used for commercial cookware

While shopping for your commercial kitchen, you may find yourself confused about restaurant cooking supplies key terms. Sometimes this is due to a turn of phrase; for example, what's the difference between a copper pan and a lined copper pan? And sometimes it's due to regional differences in tool names. (A good example of this is the myriad titles used to describe the various types of spatulas in different regions across the United States.) Read on for help sorting through some of these confusing terms.

 

Anodized

Aluminum pans are sometimes anodized (or given a special coating) to protect them against corrosion. This coating comes from a chemical bath and makes a pan non-reactive, stick-resistant and an excellent heat conductor.
Try: OnlyCookware.com explains the pros and cons of anodized cookware.

Lined copper

Lined copper pans offer some of the benefits (but less of the expense) of all-copper pans by using copper only at the base. Copper conducts heat well and heats and cools quickly, making it ideal for sauteing.
Try: For a discussion of the benefits of cooking with copper and lined copper pans, visit ChefTalk.com.

Spatulas

Plastic spatulas, which have great flexibility, are used for turning foods like fried eggs. Slotted spatulas are ideal for allowing fat or oil to drain from foods, while solid spatulas are good for transferring heavy foods (like lasagna) to a plate. Small plastic icing spatulas are ideal for frosting cakes, and rubber or silicone spatulas are great for scraping the sides of mixing bowls.
Try: For a rundown of different types of spatulas, see "Spoons & Spatulas" at Foodservice Equipment & Supplies.

Whisk

There is a wide variety of whisks, all designed either for adding air to ingredients (like eggs) or blending together ingredients quickly. Generally, whisks are handheld tools with metal sticks on one end that are used for mixing.
Try: For an illustrated guide to whisks, see RecipeTips.com.

Mixers

The term "mixers" is applied to a variety of kitchen tools, including manual mixers (beaters that are rotated by hand power; these are useful tools for quick, easy mixing), hand mixers (handheld electric mixer machines, best for lightweight jobs such as whipping eggs) and electric stand mixers (do-it-all mixing machines that handle everything from whipped cream to heavy, thick doughs).
Try: Consumer Reports offers a complete guide to the various types of electric mixers and what features buyers should look for.

Sharpeners

There is a wide variety of sharpeners designed to keep kitchen knives useful. These include sharpening stones (usually made of whetstone or carborundum, used for manual sharpening), sharpening steels (also used for sharpening knives by hand) and electric sharpeners (which do automatic sharpening).
Try: PickyGuide explains the various types of sharpeners and offers opinions about the best in each category.

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