Equipment Safety Guidelines & Cleaning Recommendations

1. Safety: • Before using any piece of equipment new staff should be fully trained to prevent accidents • Always use guards for equipment • Equipment should not be overloaded • If a piece of equipment is faulty it should be taken out of use until replaced of repaired.. Report it to supervising immediately • If equipment is being used dangerously this should be reported • Regular maintenance and servicing of machines will help their efficiency and reduce breakdowns. Large equipment Cleaning Equipment: Equipment should be cleaned as necessary using appropriate cleaning solutions following guidelines for protective clothing and usage etc

2. or Electric? Gas Cleaner to use Slow to heat up and cool down, therefore not so efficient Can be hot and not show it Fast and controllable Hot.. Naked flames… fire hazard Bit messy to clean • Ordinary electric or induction? These use electromagnetic induction to heat a pan… as soon as the pan if off the hob the heat is turned of. Need magnetic pans! Expensive to buy Cooks twice as fast as electric Uses half the energy as electric or gas Cooler to uses as it heat the pan not the hob Very safe and easy to clean as food does not burn onto them

3. Convection oven • Has a fan that forces hot air around oven • Is very expensive to buy • Cooks food quicker than in conventional ovens and uses less fuel • Cooks at lower temperatures and is therefore more energy efficient • A combi oven (combination oven) steams food as well • Comes in different sizes

4. Griddle and Double Grill • Salamander has heat from above only like a domestic grill… food that needs cooking both sides will need turning… good for au gratin dishes • Double grills cook both sides at the same time – but with heat loss… also make kitchen very hot • Griddles cook one side at a time. The food is touching the heat source. • Some double grills are actually double griddles such as this panini grill.

5. Deep fat fryer • Usually thermostatically controlled and with timer • Safety issues of hot fat.. Splashing… do not overload or throw items into fryer. Avoid wet food or water going into fryer • Cooks food very quickly • Oil retains flavours such as fish • Dirty oil does not get hot so does not fry as well • Health issues!! Better to cook in oil

6. Bratt pan • Cooks large quantities of food at a time • Is used for frying, poaching, stewing, boiling and braising - it is versatile • Food and liquid is easily poured into smaller containers ready for service • Its wide shallow pan cooks large quantities evenly

7. Gastronorm trays Stainless steel trays that sit in a trolley or serving counter keeping food hot for service. They are usually fitted with a lid and come in a range of sizes to fit into a range of trolleys

8. Bain Marie • A large shallow container of hot water that gastronorm containers sit in • It keeps food hot at the correct temperature during service without burning it or drying it out

9. Robo Coupe - Food processor • Slices, grates, shreds, chips and chops up to 150kg of fruit, vegetables or cheese an hour

10. Mixers • Have different attachments: A whisk for eggs and cream A paddle to make cakes and biscuits A dough hook to make bread They come in different sizes – often standing on the floor

11. Blast chiller • With the use of a strong fan – (it is noisy) – it reduces the temperature of food to below 5°C very quickly • Food can be prepared beforehand so fewer chefs are needed at one time Fridges and freezers • In a large establishment this is likely to be a walk in. • Usually have external and internal thermometer for checks • Often a sepearate fridge for raw and ready to eat to help prevent cross contamination

12. Dishwashers • Most of the equipment used is washed in an electric dishwasher • This is more hygienic than hand washing as a higher temperature can be used – 83°C • An in and out dishwasher can be used or a conveyor dishwasher for very large quantities