second year notes- EQUIPMENT

EQUIPMENTS

Equipment required for mass/ volume feeding

Heat and cold generating equipment

Care and maintenance of this equipment

Modern development in equipment manufacture.

1.) selection of right equipment for quality food production is a major task for any food industry.discuss in detail.

2.) list four international equipment manufacturers and give few example of equipment manufacture by them.

3.)narrate the points to be considered while selecting equipment for quantity food preparation.

4.)list down six mechanically operated kitchen equipment for quantity food production.

5.)list the kitchen equipment (small and large) required for the central kitchen feeding 2000 industrial worker of a factory. it is serving all major and four time tea and snacks in 24 hours.

The term volume cooking , quantity cooking and bulk cooking are all same. Volume cooking involves much more detailed planning and organizing compared to a la carte cooking.

In bulk cooking, time plays important role in kitchen.

Selection of equipment

Some basic factors for selection of equipment are

1. Size and type of establishment: It is very important to select equipment keeping in mind what exactly is your requirement. The design of the equipment should be in harmony with the general plan.

2. Menu: Equipment also depends on the method of cooking. E.g. Menu consisting of fried snacks will require a fryer.

3. Usage: Every equipment selected must be able to fulfill a specific purpose, be it efficiency of production, profitability or customer satisfaction.

4. Price: The investment in equipment has to be made carefully. It is essential to judge whether the new equipment is improving production in both terms of quantity and quality and whether it has no operation and maintenance cost. Selection is also guided by the funds available to the buyer over a period of time and resale.

5. Ease of installation, maintenance and operation: Equipment must be user friendly taking care of the existing skills of the catering staff. The equipment should also be very easy to clean and maintain. If the equipment is very sophisticated then instructions in the form of simple steps should be clearly displayed in the kitchen. Staff should be properly trained to handle the new equipment.

6. Safety: It is extremely important to select equipment that is guaranteed for safety. While in operation and when not in use guards and locks should be provided to avoid accidents.

7. Economy: The operating cost of a piece of equipment is an important consideration in its selection. In some places, electricity may be cheaper than gas or vice versa. Therefore, select equipment accordingly.

8. Ease of cleaning: Equipment should be non corrosive, non toxic and stable to heat moisture.

9. Appearance: Good looking equipment attracts workers attention and creates a desire for using and caring for it.

10. Source of supply: Equipment should be purchased from reputed suppliers so that it is backed by a guarantee and after sales service and maintenance contracts.

Metals : metal sheets and plates are usually specified according to a standard gauge indicating the weight of materials per square feet. A 20 gauge stainless steel sheet weigh 675 g per square foot. The lower the numerical value of the gauge , the thicker the metal sheet. For example , equipment made with a 14 gauge sheet will be much thicker compared to the one made with a 20  gauge sheet.

The following checklist will act as a guide

1. Size of equipment, space in hand.

2. Does it serve the purpose for which it is bought?

3. Easy to use and clean.

4. Could it be used for more than one function?

5. Has it helped to save space, time and energy?

6. Will it save money in the long term?

7. Does the staff like it or are they forced to use it?

8. Is it safe to use?

9. Has the fuel bill gone up or down?

Types of metals used:

Aluminium : many utensils are made from sheets or fairly pure aluminium. Certain heavy pots and pans are casted. Alloy are used with al. to develop greater hardness and corrosion resistance.

Copper : used in Indian restaurant. It is cleaned with acidic medium such as tamarind.

Cast iron : cast iron utensils are made with molten grey iron poured into mould. The exterior is black.

Tin : it is called kalai in Hindi.

Porcelain enamel : utensils made with sheet steel covered with one or more layers of porcelain enamel.

Stainless steel : it contain 70% steel(carbon and iron), 20 % chrome and 10% nickel. The steel recommended for food service equipment is No 302 , which contain 18% chromium, 8% nickel, .08 & carbon, 2% manganese, .04% phosphorous,.03% sulfur, and 1% silicon.

Brass : it is an alloy of copper and zinc.

Bronze : it is an alloy of tin and copper. It is easy for casting.

Ceramic : it is a mixture of many compound such as silicon oxide, aluminium oxide, and magnesium oxide. Porcelain is stone ware that is made usually a type of clay known as kaolin mixed with a silicate materials.

EQUIPMENT USED IN VOLUME COOKING :

Preparation equipment :  equipment used in preparation and mise en place like knives, chopping board, mixing bowl etc.

Holding equipment : equipment used to hold the food before or after cooking such as refrigerating equipment, large plastic boxes etc.

Cooking equipment : comprises of all fixed and move-able equipment required to cook food.

Serial no	Name of the equipment	Description
1	Brat pan / braising pan/ tilting pan	It is widely used in volume cooking.  It is used for making gravies, sauces, stew etc.
2	Steam jacket kettle / steam kettle/ soup kettle	This equipment is operated with help of steam. This kettle is mostly used for preparing soups and stocks, can also be used for boiling  and stewing.
3	Gas burner / gas range/ cooking stove	Various kind of gas ranges are used in commercial establishments. For bulk cooking one could have low height stock pots ranges with burners placed at a distance to accommodate large pots.
4	Oven / batch oven/ rotator oven	Ovens are traditionally used for baking purpose. In bulk, large rotary ovens are good choice.
5	Convection oven / combi oven	Work on the principles of circulation of hot air. They are also called combi ovens as they have facility of using moist as well as dry heat.
6	Walk –in / cold storage room	Walk in are refrigerated compact areas where one could walk inside, hence the name walk in.
7	Freezer / deep freezer	Freezer are available in various sizes, are important for any bulk operations.
8	Deep fat fryer	It is safer in bulk cooking for deep frying.
9	High pressure steamer	They are efficient as they require less cooking time and also maintain nutrition of the food commodities.
10	Vegetable washer	Heavy duty vegetable washer are a standard in most bulk cooking operations, where the focus is on food safety and hygiene.
11	Vegetable processor	It helps to speed up the jobs of cutting, chopping, slicing etc.
12	Potato peeler	This equipment rubs the potato skin against coarse inner lining of its cylinder, with continuous water supply.
13	Onion peeler	Helps in removing onion skin.
14	Pulverizer/ Grinder	Pulverizer is one of the equipment that are frequently used in Indian bulk cooking. This equipment has various attachment of mesh that can be installed as per the requirement
15	Masala Grinder/ Masala chakki	A masala grinder can be of two types: dry and wet. It has stone rollers inside which crush the masala into very fine powder.
16	Dough sheeter	It helps to roll out the dough for making breads.
17	Retarder proofer	A retarder proofer is used in bakery operations involving yeast leavened products. It can be timed for around twenty four hours, where the products will freeze, thaw, and proof as per programme set
18	Blast-chilling unit	Blast chillers and freezers are two of the most important equipment used in bulk cooking operations. These come in very handy in commercial establishments such as airline catering and cruise lines, as the food cooked need to be frozen in less than two hours, thereby maintaining food safety.
19	Dough divider/ Dough cutter	This equipment is used to divide dough. Some models also help to shape the rolls. A standard dough divider divides the dough into 36 pieces.
20	Stick blender/ Blixer	Heavy duty stick blenders are very helpful in blending large amount of gravy and soups.
21	Dough mixer/ planetary dough mixer/ spiral dough mixer	This machine comes in handy when one has to produce breads in bulk.
22	Flour sieve/ sifter	This equipment is used for sifting flour. It operates on electricity.
23	Pizza oven	These ovens are different from regular ovens as they are mostly used for baking pizzas only.
24	Sandwich griller/ Contact grill	This equipment is used for grilling sandwiches.
25	Salamander	This equipment is mainly used for gratinating.
26	Tea/coffee/milk dispenser/Urn	This equipment is used for dispensing tea, coffee or milk.
27	Vacuumpacking machine	Processed and portioned meats and commodities can be vacuum packed and sealed in this machine and then frozen until further usage.

List four international equipment manufacturers and give few example of equipment manufacture by them?

Answer:

1.      Williams

2.      Hobart

3.      Rinac

4.      Robocoupe

Copies of the purchase specification need to be sent to the following:

1.      Purchase department

2.      Supplier

3.      Executive chef

4.      Receiving department

However, there could be many other factors that could have an impact on the purchasing systems and procedures. These could be dependent on the following departments:

1.      Type of establishment

2.      Style of operation and service

3.      Type of function

4.      Storage space available

5.      Geographical location

6.      Financial aspect

7.      Skills of the employees

Documents Used by Receiving Department

The receiving department needs to maintain certain documents in specific formats in order to help in control of goods received or rejected.

1.      Gate pass (Returnable)

2.      Gate pass (non-returnable)

3.      Memorandum invoice: this invoice is made only when the receiving department does not receive a proper bill for any item received by it.

4.      Inspection report: This report is prepared in case the quality of imported items received by the department does not match the standards specified for the unit.

5.      Short supply report

Storage for bulk

Storage areas are the places that are designed to store the raw or cooked food before or after the cooking and service operations. It is mandatory to keep the store under proper clean and hygienic conditions.

Theft, spoilages, infestations through pests, and non-accessibility of products in the store are four major concerns of any food store department, and so it is important to have strong system control in place.

The following points must be considered while designing the store room for bulk feeding:

·         The storeroom’s proximity to the receiving department as well as to a central position for all user departments should be kept in mind.

·         The volume of business and type of establishment also play a major role in the designing of a store room.

·         It should be spacious, free from pests and rodents, and low in humidity.

·         There should be ease of operation and ease of cleaning after goods have been stored.

·         It should facilitate the monitoring of goods in store.

·         It should have an optimum space utilization design and should have a sufficient number of racks and shelves.

·         The type of food store required, cold store or dry store, should also be considered.

·         The store room design should aid proper stock rotation method.

·         The store room should have proper lighting and should also be well ventilated.

·         The variety or number of items to be stored with their par stocks and the space required for them should also be considered.

·         The store room should be well illuminated as dark corners can be prone to pest infections.

Types of Storerooms

There are many types of store rooms. These are described below:

·         Engineering store: This type of store is usually located near engineering department and stores all the spares of machines.

·         Chemical store: This stores chemicals used in cleaning of the hotel.

·         Beverage store: This stores all hard and soft beverages.

·         General store: This store keeps all general items such as paper and other supplies such as stationary, ribbons, requisition books, cleaning supplies etc.

·         Food store: This store is used to store food items.