16 Tough-Talking Tips to Take From Pro Kitchens
Need some advice to make your kitchen work harder? Take your cues about creating a safe and efficient cooking space from restaurant kitchens
Have you ever peeked into the engine room of a busy restaurant, with all of their exciting steam, smoke, clatter and buzz? Producing sometimes hundreds of dishes a day requires a kitchen that can take the pressure, facilitate speed and ensure the safety of those at the coalface. So what are the secrets of a functional commercial workspace, and how can we adapt some of them to our own busy kitchens?
2. Open all hours
Commercial kitchens love open shelves for grab-and-go convenience. Sticky hands make a mess of cupboard doors and drawers, so some open shelving with your most-used cookware is worth considering. Open shelves are also easier to clean than deep cupboards and drawers. Hang your go-to utensils within easy reach too, for ultra-convenient cooking.
Why you should hang pots and pans
Commercial kitchens love open shelves for grab-and-go convenience. Sticky hands make a mess of cupboard doors and drawers, so some open shelving with your most-used cookware is worth considering. Open shelves are also easier to clean than deep cupboards and drawers. Hang your go-to utensils within easy reach too, for ultra-convenient cooking.
Why you should hang pots and pans
3. Stand up
Have you ever seen what ends up behind stoves, once they’re moved out of the way? Many commercial stoves stand on short legs, enabling complete sweeping and mopping underneath. This ensures dropped food scraps and spills are properly cleaned up – an idea worth looking at in a domestic cooker.
Have you ever seen what ends up behind stoves, once they’re moved out of the way? Many commercial stoves stand on short legs, enabling complete sweeping and mopping underneath. This ensures dropped food scraps and spills are properly cleaned up – an idea worth looking at in a domestic cooker.
4. Steel yourself
Commercial kitchens are stainless steel for good reason. Cookware taken straight from the oven or stovetop can be plonked straight onto it without damaging the surface, and pastry can be rolled directly on it with no need for a board.
Like most other benchtop materials, steel needs to be maintained with a wipe over – stainless steel cleaner does the job in a jiffy. Stainless steel is hygienic and practically indestructible, which is why it can be a bit pricey. Chopping on steel will blunt knives though, though it’s still best to use chopping boards.
Find your ideal benchtop
Commercial kitchens are stainless steel for good reason. Cookware taken straight from the oven or stovetop can be plonked straight onto it without damaging the surface, and pastry can be rolled directly on it with no need for a board.
Like most other benchtop materials, steel needs to be maintained with a wipe over – stainless steel cleaner does the job in a jiffy. Stainless steel is hygienic and practically indestructible, which is why it can be a bit pricey. Chopping on steel will blunt knives though, though it’s still best to use chopping boards.
Find your ideal benchtop
5. Tap into convenience
An idea adapted from restaurant kitchens is a tall, high-pressure tap with a long flexible hose – worth its weight in chrome. It rinses food from dishes, cleans sinks and can be extended past the sink to fill large containers like stock pots or buckets.
An idea adapted from restaurant kitchens is a tall, high-pressure tap with a long flexible hose – worth its weight in chrome. It rinses food from dishes, cleans sinks and can be extended past the sink to fill large containers like stock pots or buckets.
6. Whisk it away
Restaurant benches often have disposal holes over bins underneath, so scraps can be swept straight into the garbage without you having to open a cupboard or lift a lid with dirty hands – very convenient if you have the bench space. The disposal and cover can even look neat and stylish, like this chunky timber one.
Restaurant benches often have disposal holes over bins underneath, so scraps can be swept straight into the garbage without you having to open a cupboard or lift a lid with dirty hands – very convenient if you have the bench space. The disposal and cover can even look neat and stylish, like this chunky timber one.
7. Board meetings
Wooden chopping boards have proven their value for longevity and hygiene. Oiling isn’t necessary, but if you do, avoid vegetable oils that can become rancid over time. Ikea sell a food-grade mineral oil for boards.
Garlic-flavoured chocolate mousse anyone? To avoid these flavour clashes, try to have separate boards for different tasks: meat boards, a ‘smelly’ board for onions, chives and garlic, and one for sweet tasks like chopping chocolate or slicing strawberries. Label with a circle of coloured paint or an initial of in marker pen on the side.
TIP: Don’t chop raw meat and cooked meats on the same board, to avoid cross-contamination. Boards used for raw meat, especially poultry, should be promptly scrubbed with very hot soapy water.
Wooden chopping boards have proven their value for longevity and hygiene. Oiling isn’t necessary, but if you do, avoid vegetable oils that can become rancid over time. Ikea sell a food-grade mineral oil for boards.
Garlic-flavoured chocolate mousse anyone? To avoid these flavour clashes, try to have separate boards for different tasks: meat boards, a ‘smelly’ board for onions, chives and garlic, and one for sweet tasks like chopping chocolate or slicing strawberries. Label with a circle of coloured paint or an initial of in marker pen on the side.
TIP: Don’t chop raw meat and cooked meats on the same board, to avoid cross-contamination. Boards used for raw meat, especially poultry, should be promptly scrubbed with very hot soapy water.
8. No glove, no love
Picking up sizzling pans with a thin fabric oven mitt is asking for burns, and most fabric mitts are pretty useless. Opt instead for silicon mitts that extend past the wrist – it’s not just the heat of a pan handle that burns, but also splashes from boiling water, steam that billows out when you remove a pot lid, or the racks inside a hot oven. Gloves with fingers enable greater dexterity than mitts do, and silicon withstands temperatures of around 260-300 degrees Celsius.
TIP: Never grab a hot dish with a damp cloth – the heat goes through fast and steam burns hurt!
Picking up sizzling pans with a thin fabric oven mitt is asking for burns, and most fabric mitts are pretty useless. Opt instead for silicon mitts that extend past the wrist – it’s not just the heat of a pan handle that burns, but also splashes from boiling water, steam that billows out when you remove a pot lid, or the racks inside a hot oven. Gloves with fingers enable greater dexterity than mitts do, and silicon withstands temperatures of around 260-300 degrees Celsius.
TIP: Never grab a hot dish with a damp cloth – the heat goes through fast and steam burns hurt!
9. Splurge to save
Many appliances for the domestic cook have plastic parts and less-than-powerful motors, which mean they underperform and don’t last very long. If you only make pasta twice a year, for example, buy a basic pasta maker rather than a high-end one and put what you save into a durable, commercial-grade appliance you will use daily. Go to a commercial kitchen supplier or check out auction houses that handle secondhand equipment and utensils.
Many appliances for the domestic cook have plastic parts and less-than-powerful motors, which mean they underperform and don’t last very long. If you only make pasta twice a year, for example, buy a basic pasta maker rather than a high-end one and put what you save into a durable, commercial-grade appliance you will use daily. Go to a commercial kitchen supplier or check out auction houses that handle secondhand equipment and utensils.
10. Equip yourself
A restaurant’s batterie de cuisine is the range of cookware and utensils used as a chef’s artillery. Speed counts for chefs, so pans that go from stove to oven, with oven-proof handles, are a must – heavy-grade aluminium or cast iron are often used.
Copper also gets many chefs’ votes. It’s highly conductive, distributes heat evenly and releases food particles quickly for cleaning. Copper for cooking is always lined with stainless steel to prevent heat-induced toxicity. A copper bowl for whisking egg whites is not lined. It gives more volume and a stable foam that is harder to over-beat, but don’t use an unlined copper bowl to cook in.
A restaurant’s batterie de cuisine is the range of cookware and utensils used as a chef’s artillery. Speed counts for chefs, so pans that go from stove to oven, with oven-proof handles, are a must – heavy-grade aluminium or cast iron are often used.
Copper also gets many chefs’ votes. It’s highly conductive, distributes heat evenly and releases food particles quickly for cleaning. Copper for cooking is always lined with stainless steel to prevent heat-induced toxicity. A copper bowl for whisking egg whites is not lined. It gives more volume and a stable foam that is harder to over-beat, but don’t use an unlined copper bowl to cook in.
11. Treat your feet
It’s vital that high-traffic commercial floors are non-slip and easy to clean. In domestic kitchens, cork and linoleum tick these boxes and also absorb some impact underfoot. If you like the look of harder flooring materials though, reduce leg fatigue by wearing well-padded shoes. Most restaurants stipulate that kitchen workers wear closed-toe shoes – hot liquids or dropped knives play havoc with exposed feet.
TIP: Why do many chefs wear clogs? They support arches, add height for reaching up, and can be slipped off easily. Consider leaving a pair of orthopaedically designed slip-on shoes in the kitchen for long cooking stints.
It’s vital that high-traffic commercial floors are non-slip and easy to clean. In domestic kitchens, cork and linoleum tick these boxes and also absorb some impact underfoot. If you like the look of harder flooring materials though, reduce leg fatigue by wearing well-padded shoes. Most restaurants stipulate that kitchen workers wear closed-toe shoes – hot liquids or dropped knives play havoc with exposed feet.
TIP: Why do many chefs wear clogs? They support arches, add height for reaching up, and can be slipped off easily. Consider leaving a pair of orthopaedically designed slip-on shoes in the kitchen for long cooking stints.
12. Slice and dice safely
Do you marvel at the slicing and dicing techniques of TV chefs? It’s not just about showmanship – knife control is a skill that promoted both speed and safety. Cooking schools sometimes offer chopping classes, or you can check out online tutorials. Then practice on celery sticks or carrots until you’re TV-worthy.
How to choose the right kitchen knives
Do you marvel at the slicing and dicing techniques of TV chefs? It’s not just about showmanship – knife control is a skill that promoted both speed and safety. Cooking schools sometimes offer chopping classes, or you can check out online tutorials. Then practice on celery sticks or carrots until you’re TV-worthy.
How to choose the right kitchen knives
13. Be prepared
An essential part of restaurant food preparation is the mise en place – literally, to put in place. It is the practice of measuring out and making ready all ingredients before you start to cook. This practice prevents frequent trips to cool rooms and pantries during rush hour. Adopt this process before you tackle a tricky dish or complex meal – it’s a great time and energy saver.
An essential part of restaurant food preparation is the mise en place – literally, to put in place. It is the practice of measuring out and making ready all ingredients before you start to cook. This practice prevents frequent trips to cool rooms and pantries during rush hour. Adopt this process before you tackle a tricky dish or complex meal – it’s a great time and energy saver.
14. Scrub up
Cooking is a wonderfully tactile, hands-on pursuit – a bit like adult mud-pie making. But food-flaked hands can transfer bacteria unknowingly. Wash hands between messy jobs, especially when handling fresh meats and seafood, and keep hand wash or anti-bacterial wipes handy.
Restaurants have separate hand-washing sinks and often use air dryers, but paper towels are a clean domestic solution. Remove jewellery when cooking, as ingrained food particles harbour germs – and spoil your bling.
Cooking is a wonderfully tactile, hands-on pursuit – a bit like adult mud-pie making. But food-flaked hands can transfer bacteria unknowingly. Wash hands between messy jobs, especially when handling fresh meats and seafood, and keep hand wash or anti-bacterial wipes handy.
Restaurants have separate hand-washing sinks and often use air dryers, but paper towels are a clean domestic solution. Remove jewellery when cooking, as ingrained food particles harbour germs – and spoil your bling.
15. Chill out
Food safety regulations concerning temperature control in commercial cool rooms and fridges run to many pages. Food-safe home strategies are simple – ensure your fridge temperature is 5 degrees Celcius or less (check with a thermometer) and that fridges aren’t opened more than necessary. Hot food should go through the ‘chill zone’ (the cool down time) as quickly as possible. Store cooked and raw foods separately, and always cover refrigerated food.
How to choose the best fridge-freezer for your needs
Food safety regulations concerning temperature control in commercial cool rooms and fridges run to many pages. Food-safe home strategies are simple – ensure your fridge temperature is 5 degrees Celcius or less (check with a thermometer) and that fridges aren’t opened more than necessary. Hot food should go through the ‘chill zone’ (the cool down time) as quickly as possible. Store cooked and raw foods separately, and always cover refrigerated food.
How to choose the best fridge-freezer for your needs
16. Put first aid first
Kitchen accidents are common, with burns and cuts occurring most frequently. Keep first aid supplies close to hand, particularly sterile wound pads and dressings, pressure bandages, large bandaids and antiseptic.
TIP: Pro kitchen favourites for easing burns are ointments containing butesin pycrate and the herbal gel Combudoron – magic! Kitchen staff also wear blue bandaids, to make sure that stand out if they fall into the potato salad.
TELL US
Do you have any food safety or kitchen design tips that make your cooking life easier? Share them with us in the Comments section.
MORE
Key Measurements to Consider When Designing the Perfect Kitchen Island
Forget Kitchen Triangles - Work Zones Are Where It’s At
Designing Your Kitchen: Terrific Taps to Tap Into
Kitchen accidents are common, with burns and cuts occurring most frequently. Keep first aid supplies close to hand, particularly sterile wound pads and dressings, pressure bandages, large bandaids and antiseptic.
TIP: Pro kitchen favourites for easing burns are ointments containing butesin pycrate and the herbal gel Combudoron – magic! Kitchen staff also wear blue bandaids, to make sure that stand out if they fall into the potato salad.
TELL US
Do you have any food safety or kitchen design tips that make your cooking life easier? Share them with us in the Comments section.
MORE
Key Measurements to Consider When Designing the Perfect Kitchen Island
Forget Kitchen Triangles - Work Zones Are Where It’s At
Designing Your Kitchen: Terrific Taps to Tap Into
Commercial kitchen layouts are planned for use by multiple cooks, with accident-free traffic patterns. This is a prime consideration for domestic kitchens too, particularly if cooking is a shared activity. Easy movement around work zones is essential to avoid collisions when carrying hot, heavy or sharp items. A minimum aisle width is 105cm, but squeeze what you can out of available space, even going as wide as 140cm.
TIP: Many restaurant kitchens are designed with a long horizontal bench, known as the ‘line’, where several chefs work side-by-side.
More on galley-style kitchen