9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

If you’re getting ready to outfit your kitchen for the first time, a quick walk down the kitchen gadget aisle can be pretty overwhelming. There are a ton of single-use tools out there.  Any kid fresh off the line with any chops whatsoever could tell you that you don’t actually need an avocado slicer. That same kid will also tell you you need to throw down for an immersion circulator and a cryovac machine. Why? Mostly because he wants a chance to play with all of the toys the big kids are playing with.  The question remains, though: what do you actually need to stock the kitchen?

Robot Coupe

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

A solid, well-made powerhouse of a food processor can make the production needed to keep a busy restaurant going a breeze. The lack of a good food processor can make your life hell.  They come equipped with attachments to slice vegetables, shred cheese, or emulsify an aioli. These guys are irreplaceable in the daily operations of every kitchen I’ve ever worked in.

Immersion Blender

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

If you’re making soups or huge amounts of house mayo, a big one of these (we used to call it a “bazooka”) will outpace their smaller brethren by an enormous margin.  Quite frankly, they’re worth their weight in gold.

A good blender

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

Blenders are integral in both the back-of-house and most modern bar programs.  For emulsified vinaigrettes, fruit purees, and even grinding peppercorns, these are a great all-around tool.

Meat Slicer

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

If you’re running a sandwich shop, this is an obvious choice.  But for slicing charcuterie, or cutting cabbage for coleslaw or sauerkraut, they’re indispensable.

Mandoline

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

I didn’t have access to a mandoline until I was in my twenties. I got by julienning cucumber and hand-cutting pickles. Did I developed better knife skills for it? Sure, but you know what? Never again. With an adjustable, easy-to-sharpen cutting blade, and additional blades for a variety of cuts, a mando will always have a place in my home or professional kitchens. It should have a place in yours, too.

French Fry Cutter

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

The thing about potatoes is they’re cheap.  Yes, maybe it’s easier to buy a bag of frozen fries, but they’re always going to be frozen french fries. With a fry cutter, a few potatoes, and a little labor, you end up with a premium product that you can charge a premium price for.

China Cap

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

If you only have one strainer in your kitchen, let it be this one.  If you’re straining soups or stocks, this should be your go-to. With the addition of some cheesecloth, you can skip a chinois.

Silicone Baking Mat

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

Buying box after box of sheet pan liners can get pricey, especially if you have any sort of baking program. In that case, silicone baking mat or two (or three, or five) is a worthwhile investment.  Pro-tip – they also insulate the bottom of whatever you’re baking, buying you an extra minute or two before you have to sprint to the oven.

Salad Spinner

9 Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets in a Commercial Kitchen

You know what I always thought was a joke? Salad spinners. That was, until I started buying greens from a farmers’ market, and came to a rude awakening. Vegetables grow in the dirt, and thus need a wash before serving. And once you’ve washed your lettuce, spinning it dry is hugely important to the shelf life of the product.

Sure, there are any number of other things you’re going to need, but the fewer tools that you have that are single-use, the better.  Plus, stocking your kitchen is expensive enough already – don’t get sucked in to buying more than you need.

NEED HELP WITH THIS?

Get immediate help with this topic from a certified PJP Product Specialist.
Typical response within 24 hours.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.


Ryan Lamon

Professional Chef/Restaurateur and Recipe Writer/Tester

Ryan, a second generation Georgia pitmaster, began his career at his father’s restaurant, Frank’s Real Pit BBQ in Hoschton, GA. After working at several restaurants in Georgia, Ryan moved to New York City where he cooked at the original Fatty Crab under James Beard Award-winning chef Zak Pelaccio. He later he earned a Bon Appetit Best New Restaurants nod in 2012 as the opening chef de cuisine of Plum Alley in Salt Lake City, Utah. In 2013, Ryan started Peaches’ Smokehouse & Southern Kitchen, a gourmet BBQ and Southern food truck, and followed it up with Poppy+Rose, a brick-and-mortar in downtown LA a year later. He is currently operating a small consulting firm, Smoke and Vinegar Co.

1 Comment

  • Anime Cosplay

    I’m gone to convey my little brother, that he should also pay a visit this weblog on regular basis to obtain updated from hottest reports.

  • Write a Comment

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *