If you’re just starting out, or you’re looking for a little bit of a refresher when it comes to your commercial bakery equipment, we’ve decided to put together an article that works through some of the essentials that you will need in your bakery kitchen.
Commercial bakery equipment
One of the key pieces of equipment that you’ll be using day in and day out, is your professional oven. Your oven will be an absolute work horse in your kitchen and you need to make sure that you choose the right one for your kitchen.
Many high tech ovens now have the capabilities to have different sections at different temperatures, which means you can cook two things in the oven at once, saving both time and energy. You can also get self cleaning ovens which again help save time, however they can use quite a lot of energy during the cleaning process.
When it comes to catering equipment, what you put in, is what you get out of it. But that can be hard for start ups, so that’s where leasing equipment can come into play. Commercial catering equipment companies such as NWCE Foodservice Equipment offer bespoke equipment leasing contracts, tailored to your business needs.
Cooling racks are another essential in a bakery kitchen. They offer a huge amount of practically as well as being incredibly space saving. It means you can avoid wasting space on counter tops, prep tables, etc when all your products can be cooling on the rack. Of course you don’t have to use them specifically for cooling, they can be used as extra storage.
Prep tables and preperation areas in general are important in all commercial kitchens, not just bakeries. However, as we’ve mentioned before, all commercial kitchens have slightly different needs. But all prep areas need to be in stainless steel.
Stainless steel are stain resistant, non-porous and easy to wipe down and disinfect which is essential not matter what commercial kitchen you’re in. Another bonus of stainless steel prep equipment is that dough doesn’t stick to the surfaces, which makes kneading, rolling and prepping that much easier!
Smaller pieces of essential bakery equipment includes appliances such as mixers. Yes you could save money but not buying a mixer and hand mixing everything yourself. But you need to weight up the cost of a mixer and how much time and energy it will save you in the long run opposed to doing it yourself. Whilst you’ve got your mixer on and working, you could be busy getting other jobs done.
There are a few different mixers that you can choose from including: hand mixers, dough mixers, stand mixers, planetary mixers and table top mixers. You don’t have too buy the biggest and best model, but having even a small electric mixer will help improve your bakeries efficiency.
Chillers are another piece of equipment that is not only useful but space saving and practical as well. Chillers can work at a cooler temperature than a standard freezer, and it’s essential for temperature sensitive ingredients such as milk, cheese, butter and different doughs. With their stainless steel tops, chillers can actually be used as prep tables and extra storage.
It’s worth not forgetting about your freezer though, it can be useful for a vast range of different ingredients, items that aren’t able to be stored in the chiller. It’s especially important if you’re planning to stock and sell refrigerated items on a larger scale.
One piece of commercial equipment that is very specific to bakeries is a proofing drawer/proofing cupboard. These drawers give you control over the humidity and temperature to ensure that whatever product your placing in the drawer proves the way you want it too. It allows your dough to prove and grow in a controlled environment. This is extremely important to ensure the same high standards across all your produce.
Once you’ve got your big bakery equipment pieces sorted, you then need to think about the smaller day to day pieces of equipment that you’ll use. They include sheet pans, baking trays, cake rings, cutlery etc. You’ll need to make sure that you have enough to last you for the day or enough that you can have a full rotation. You don’t want to be waiting around for equipment to be washed and dried.
Professional bakery requirements
Health and safety is top priority in all commercial catering settings, including bakeries. So you need to be aware of your council’s requirements. Some authorities require you to have multiple different sinks or cleaning stations that are separated from each other in order to avoid any cross contamination.
When it comes to creating a safe and successful bakery, you need to make sure you’ve started on the best foot you possibly can. You may have the ideas and the recipes, but if you don’t have the right equipment you’re putting yourself at a bad start.
So why not let catering companies such as NWCE Foodservice Equipment help? They not only offer equipment leasing services, but also provide Bakery Equipment Sales & Installations, as well and bakery equipment service and maintenance plans. If you do decide to take a lease contract with NWCE, you have a regular service plan included in that contract. Having regular services keeps your equipment working as efficiently as possible. They also help to flag up any small issues before they turn into large, costly problems.
We hope you’ve found this article helpful when it comes to planning our your commercial bakery kitchen. If you do need some help or advice, you can contact NWCE Foodservice Equipment either through their website or over the phone on 0161 764 8688.