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New uses for old equipment save money and space

New uses for old equipment save money and space

With the high cost of construction and equipment, operators are downsizing their kitchens and reducing the number of cooking appliances they install. This can leave chefs feeling constrained by the equipment they have available as they try to change menus or accommodate catering and special events. But kitchen versatility can be enhanced even in a downsized space if operators and chefs are aware of the sometimes surprising or unusual secondary uses of equipment they likely already have.

The king of versatility in kitchen equipment is the tilting skillet or braising pan. While the tilting skillet’s most important use is to braise and sauté, it also can do the jobs of a fryer, griddle, pasta cooker, steamer, stockpot, kettle and bain-marie. Available in sizes starting at 24 inches wide, tilting skillets can fit into kitchens of all sizes and are equally productive whether they use gas or electricity.

The second-most versatile piece of equipment is the combi oven steamer, which in addition to baking, roasting and steaming can be used as a broiler at 575 degrees Fahrenheit, a rotisserie or a even a fryer with the appropriate adapters.

Almost any oven can be used for pizza with the addition of a pizza shoe to create a hard-stone-like deck. With the stone deck, combi ovens and pastry deck ovens with top and bottom heat make excellent pizza ovens, sometimes outperforming conveyor or traditional ovens.

Fryers also can be used to boil water and can thus serve as pasta cookers or bain-maries. This is especially true of old fryers with stainless tanks.

An old single-tank dishwasher can be converted into a vegetable washer by making adjustments to the water pressure on the spray arms and disconnecting the heating elements. It’s a great tool for getting soil off of root vegetables.

A basic four- or six-burner range can do a lot more than sauté and bake. Soak wood chips in a pan under a product, and an oven can serve as a smoker. Several manufacturers offer lift-off attachments that sit over an open burner on a range to be used as griddles, grills or woks.

If you regularly need a griddle for breakfast and a charbroiler for lunch and dinner, however, one of the most versatile cooking appliances is Bakers Pride’s charbroiler with an integral spring-hinged griddle plate. This provides a no-compromise griddle and charbroiler in one compact, 24-inch device with a standard grease trough and pan, and there are no issues with storing and lifting a heavy griddle top.

Creative secondary uses aren’t limited to cooking and baking equipment. Sushi cases make excellent displays for tapas, dim sum and desserts. Portable coffee makers can be used to heat and dispense au jus or hot drawn butter on buffets.

With accessories and a little skill, operators can find a wide range of uses for food-prep equipment. A food processor can dice or cube cheese. A 20- or 40-quart mixer with a paddle can break up lobster shells for bisque or dried bread for bread crumbs. Meat-grinder attachments can be used to grind fresh tomatoes for sauce. A coffee mill can serve as a pepper mill or spice grinder.

Food-warming cabinets can do double duty as plate warmers or be used to dry herbs and wafer-thin slices of tomatoes, fruits and other items. When equipped with humidity pans, warming cabinets can double as proofers.

Consider also that when you reuse older equipment you are recycling the parts and energy that went into making that item as well as keeping it out of the local landfill or junkyard, meaning that you’re conserving the environment along with your money.

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