When you’re starting a new commercial kitchen in a hotel, it’s essential that you choose pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment that allow your mealtime services to run as smoothly as possible.Â
No matter whether you have 10 covers or 100, you need to make efficient use of the space your kitchen has available. You also need to make sure you have the right layout and catering equipment.Â
Thankfully, if you’re planning on creating a commercial kitchen in your hotel, then our hotel catering buying guide can help you discover exactly what you need.
Ovens
The heart of many professional kitchens, a commercial oven covers every professional kitchen need, from combination steaming and convection cooking to traditional range options and pizza baking solutions.Â
Generally speaking, gas ovens are seen as heavy-duty appliances. They’re also more responsive when adjusting heat levels than electric ovens. However, installation can be costly and not all kitchens have access to a gas supply.Â
If the commercial kitchen in your hotel is small, then a combi oven is likely to be the best piece of hotel commercial catering equipment for your needs. This is because these ovens are multi-functional and can save you from buying extra equipment.
Fryers
If you’re planning on cooking fries, onion rings or fried chicken, then your hotel kitchen will likely require a fryer. A fast and efficient piece of hotel commercial catering equipment, a fryer can cook large volumes of food without taking up much space.Â
Depending on the size of your kitchen and the amount of food you need to fry, you can choose between single basket and twin-basket options. Light, heavy duty, countertop and floor standing variants are also available.Â
While free-standing fryers can cook a large quantity at any one time (up to 36kg of chips per hour), countertop fryers are an ideal space-saving alternative.Â
Grills
In a commercial kitchen, salamander grill tops are in constant use. Perfect for cooking, baking, browning, toasting, grilling or even flash cooking, these practical pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment allow you to create a range of dishes quickly and easily.
Our commercial grills are designed for continuous heavy use. They are available with smooth and ribbed surfaces, and can be freestanding or positioned on a countertop. Available in gas and electric, they’re ideal for dishes like crème brûlée, cheese-topped sandwiches and the rapid grilling of meats and fish.
Griddles
A commercial griddle is a great piece of equipment for any hotel kitchen that needs to turn around large quantities of food quickly.Â
Electric griddles are often viewed as more convenient alternatives to gas griddles, and both countertop and freestanding models are available. Especially good for cooking eggs, bacon, steaks, fish and vegetables, these appliances come in several different sizes and suit the needs of a broad spectrum of catering environments.
Microwaves
Many kitchens also employ the use of commercial microwave ovens, which are great for cooking, reheating, defrosting and steaming a wide range of foods. As well as saving chefs time, these pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment can also help save money and effort… not to mention space.Â
Again, commercial microwaves come in different shapes and sizes, with some suited to light use and others more suited to heavy use. Remember, domestic microwaves are unsuited to commercial kitchens. You should always opt for a commercial microwave, as these have been specifically designed to maintain power and sustain long periods of use. Â
Fridges
In any hotel kitchen (or any commercial kitchen for that matter), adequate refrigeration is essential.Â
The right type of refrigeration for your hotel kitchen will depend on two factors: the number of people you need to serve and the space you have available.Â
If space in your kitchen is limited, then counter refrigeration is the perfect solution. When you opt for counter refrigeration, you can either integrate your fridges in an undercounter capacity or install a 2-in-1 refrigerator-worktop solution that provides you with additional surface space for food preparation.
If space isn’t necessarily an issue and you have a large amount of fresh produce to store, then an upright refrigerator will probably be a better solution. Offering a vast internal capacity, upright commercial fridges are ideal for professional kitchens. Available in single door, double door, or slimline options, upright fridges are highly efficient and ingredients are kept fresh even when ambient temperatures reach 32ºC.
If you’re running an incredibly busy hotel kitchen with hundreds of covers in each service, then you may find that a full walk-in fridge or cold room is best for your needs.
Freezers
Similarly, commercial freezers are must-have pieces of hotel commercial catering equipment. Again, freezers are also available in upright and undercounter configurations, with chest freezers also available.Â
As with cold rooms, freezer rooms are available if your hotel has a lot of frozen food to store.
Dishwashers
To make sure everything goes to plan during service, you need the right commercial dishwasher.Â
If space is limited, undercounter dishwashers are a great option. These compact machines are front loading and fit into the same footprint as a domestic machine. However, they’re boosted by the enhanced cleaning performance that’s offered by their purpose-built commercial design. They also feature time-saving cycles and water-saving programmes that are perfect for use during a busy service.Â
If you’re expecting a high turnover of plates and crockery, then you’ll require a dishwashing ‘workhorse’. In these instances, a passthrough dishwasher is ideal for the job as it can wash hundreds of plates per hour.Â
Alternatively, it’s also worth considering whether a freshwater and energy/water-saving tank type dishwasher is more appropriate for your setting. These are perfect for environments like hotel kitchens, where audited infection control and compliance with food hygiene regulations is critical.
Glass Washers
Particularly during peak periods, hotel restaurants go through a high number of glasses. Due to this, a commercial glass washer is a vital piece of equipment if you want to ensure that you have clean glasses readily available for your customers and guests.Â
Providing reliability, speed, quality and efficiency, commercial glass washers will not only make sure that you have enough glassware available at all times, but they will also ensure that your glasses always have a sparkling finish.Â
Utensil washers
Finally, consider whether a utensil and pot washer is required to keep your pots, pans, gastronorm trays and other equipment sparkling clean. With cycle times as low as two minutes, these pieces of equipment allow you to process everything quickly and efficiently so your cookline can keep moving along smoothly.Â
We hope our hotel cooking equipment guide has provided you with all the information you need. However, if you need further support selecting the right hotel commercial catering equipment, then please do not hesitate to get in touch with our catering experts today. Whatever your business needs, we have a solution.Â
Download the JLA hospitality sector brochure
Take a look at our detailed brochure for more information on how JLA can help hotels and spas.
- An overview on how JLA can help hotels and spas
- Sustainability and ESG
- Laundry, catering, HVAC and fire safety products
- Digital support
- Network of engineers
- Purchase options, including Total Care
