When you own or operate a commercial food establishment in Delaware, a commercial griddle is an essential piece of equipment for food preparation. Before you cut the check for a new griddle, you have to determine your needs in order to find the right griddle for your business. If you’ve been in the food service industry long, you know that the heat source is important—cooking on an electric griddle is much different than cooking on gas. But there are other things to consider, too, including placement and size. Read on to learn what you need to know about choosing a commercial griddle for your food establishment.
Heat source options
When selecting a griddle for your food service business, the first thing to consider is the type of heat source that’s best for your needs. You might think that all griddles produce the same results, but preparing food on an electric griddle is much different than using a model powered by gas or induction heating. Here’s a brief rundown on these heat sources:
- Electric heating: If you choose an electric griddle for your Delaware food establishment, you’ll see that it cooks with very even heat. These models can be purchased with energy-efficient features, reducing your monthly energy bills. While they’re easy to clean, they don’t heat up as quickly as griddles that use gas.
- Gas heating: The main benefit of choosing a gas griddle for your business is that it heats up very quickly, and the heat can easily be adjusted with thermostatic controls. For these reasons, this model is ideal for professional chefs and other cooks who like to have a great deal of control over the temperature during cooking.
- Induction heating: Griddles that use induction heating are relatively new on the market. They heat up very quickly, speeding up cooking times. If you operate a busy restaurant and cook a high volume of food regularly throughout the day, an induction griddle is a great option.
Griddle size
The size of your commercial kitchen, as well as the amount of food you’ll prepare on a daily basis, will dictate the size of griddle you should purchase. The most common sizes are 24”, 36”, 48”, 60” and 72” widths. If you plan on cooking a lot of food each day, get the biggest griddle that fits your kitchen and your budget.
Griddle placement
The space you have available in your commercial kitchen, as well as the amount of food you plan to prepare on it, is another consideration to take into account when choosing the right appliance for your needs. There are two standard options when it comes to the placement of a griddle: a self-contained unit placed on the floor or a countertop griddle. A self-contained unit takes up a lot of space, but it’s ideal if you have a large kitchen and need to cook a high volume of food. Countertop griddles are smaller and more portable, and they come in many sizes. It’s a great option for catering halls, buffets and smaller restaurants.
A commercial griddle is a key piece of equipment for your food establishment in Delaware. Contact Commercial Equipment Service Inc. to help you choose the right griddle for your business.