If you are a food service operator and own a steam table food warmer , then chances are you will find yourself having to remove water from the food warmer. The best way to remove water from a steam table is to first turn off the steam table and allow the water to cool completely. Next place a cart with rollers next to the cooled steam table.

Celiac disease is not a fad. More commonly known as a gluten allergy, Celiac disease is activated when an ingested protein called gluten, found in all wheats, ryes, and barleys, attaches to the digestive tract and triggers a platoon of white blood cells to assault the intestinal lining. Celiac disease is a very real, objectively unsexy autoimmune disorder in which a person’s intestines inflame, causing symptoms such as fatigue, constipation, and frequent, unscheduled diarrhea. I cannot stress this enough—Celiac disease is not a fad. The only way to treat this unfortunate disorder is to avoid gluten in your diet altogether. No pasta or pizza or fried chicken. No cookies. No monosaccharides or polysaccharides. None of those delicious wheat carbohydrates that fuel and energize your body. None.

Cooking can be a real pain when you have rheumatoid arthritis, no pun intended. And it makes eating healthy even harder than it already is. You know you should bypass that take-out you’re thinking of picking up but the very thought of going home and chopping all those fruits and vegetables for a nutritious meal makes you cringe. It’s time to stop fighting and start considering some adaptive kitchen aids. Maintain your independence with these helpful tips and specialty cutlery items.

Stainless steel compartment sinks are a requirement in every commercial kitchen for food preparation and dish washing. Even if you have a commercial dishwasher you still need a stainless steel compartment sink to satisfy the health departments requirements.

Some say “yuck” and others say “yum,” but whether the prospect of eating sushi delights or disgusts you this Japanese delicacy has spread to restaurants all over the world and is here to stay. And with it’s exotic appeal, rich nutrients and low calorie count it’s no wonder its so popular. Sushi is a versatile and generally healthy food that can be served as an appetizer or the main course. Although sushi is traditionally Japanese its also commonly offered in Chinese buffets, Thai restaurants and other Asian food establishments. And because sushi is such a widely sought after delicacy that consumers are willing to pay top dollar for adding it to your restaurant’s menu could be a great investment.

We’re sharing the good news of one of our manufacturers.   On April 29, 2014, the EPA will honor Manitowoc  in Washington, DC.  They’ve been given a special Energy Star Award for 2014.  They were named Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence.   They’ve been Energy Star partners since 2001, and they’re being honored for their long-term dedication to the cause of energy-efficiency.    Currently, they have seven product lines participating in the Energy Star categories, and they are fryers, ice machines , refrigerators, freezers, steam cookers, griddles, and ovens. Manitowoc Foodservice has increased its Energy Star portfolio to 1,254 products in 2013, which is a 35% increase over 2012.

Earth Day is fast approaching. This coming Monday, April 22nd, volunteer groups and organizations around the world will come together to help do their part in keeping our environment clean and spreading the word about environmental awareness. But you don’t have to be a charity organization to take part in the day’s observances. There are plenty of ways for restaurants and other small businesses to get involved in reducing their carbon footprint. Here are a few suggestions.

Using a fryer filter prevents food particles from burning and ruining your oil. When oil is filtered daily, it lasts over twice as long, and you’ll save your restaurant a lot of money. Filtering makes food taste better too. Depending on your restaurant, you will want to filter your oil using one of a few methods. Find out which one below.

Most chefs who cook a lot of meat (especially fish) will likely already be familiar with fillet and boning knives, but those who do not spend their days carefully preparing fine cuts of meat may not have much exposure to this type of blade. These smaller kitchen knives are used to debone and break down fish, poultry, and other cuts of meat, and they feature a variety of distinctive qualities that make them perfect for the job. Although boning and filet knives are often used interchangeably, there are some important differences between the two.

In the commercial ice industry you have many choices, but as far as how your machine works you basically only have two; air-cooled or water-cooled. So which one is better? There is no straight answer to this question. The type of ice machine you want to buy all depends on your specific needs, your resources, your budget and the kind of environment in which you plan to use your machine. And just like with any question knowledge is power and the more you know about these types of commercial ice machines the better.

Voltage concerns are frequently voiced from our customers. It can be confusing, because there are several numbers mentioned, some more frequently than others, and while we may not know why, we’ve got the basic instinct that says we need to get this right.

Along with the chef’s knife, paring knives are one of the most commonly used pieces of cutlery in most home and professional kitchens. Although small, the paring knife is one of the most versatile food preparation tools in the chef’s arsenal, allowing one to chop, peel, slice, and carve foods with higher degrees of accuracy than larger knives. As such, paring knives are most commonly used for tasks that require careful detail, such as removing seeds from peppers, de-veining shrimp, cutting garnishes, and more. The smaller size of a paring knife allows it to be more carefully manipulated to achieve precise or intricate cuts that would normally be difficult with a larger blade.

Increasingly busy lifestyles have changed the landscape of dinner time. Family celebrations which were once a clustered in a large dining room are now commemorated at our favorite restaurants. We spend time with our friends, conduct business, date, and sometimes even meet our spouses there. (I have friends who were married in the restaurant where they met.) The foodservice industry is more than an industry. It’s part of our daily existence

Any professional or home chef can attest to the importance of a sturdy, dependable chef’s knife. Also known as a French knife or a cook’s knife, the chef’s knife is one of the most common cutting tools used in food preparation, particularly in Western kitchens. A good chef’s knife can be used to cut meat, slice vegetables, and chop herbs, among a variety of other uses. But with this versatility comes the inevitable confusion of choosing which knife to buy when shopping through all of the options and variations that the industry has to offer, especially if this is your first big knife investment. But don’t let that scare you away to a land of low-quality “budget” knives. Arming yourself with a bit of knowledge about exactly what a chef’s knife is and how it is used is a quick and easy way to narrow the search.

Cleavers are rugged, rectangular-bladed knives that are most commonly used for quickly chopping through bone in large cuts of meat. Although the term “meat cleaver” has come to be used almost universally in reference to the knife, they are also used for quickly chopping up large fruits and vegetables (such as squash or various melons) that would otherwise be unwieldy with regular kitchen knives. The broad side of the knife also makes it ideal for crushing ingredients like garlic or ginger during food preparation, and the blunt, flat edge on the back of the blade can sometimes be used to tenderize meats in the absence of a traditional meat tenderizer. But despite some of its more versatile uses, the cleaver is designed to do one thing better than any other hand tool: break large, difficult pieces of food into smaller, more manageable pieces of food.

It was 72 degrees in South Carolina yesterday. The tulips are coming up in my wife’s flowerbed, Bradford pear trees are ready to bloom, and I am calling my customers asking them if they want to spend the best $ 350 they’ll spend all year. In these hard times, $ 350 is a lot when it comes to the bottom line but as the old adage goes “Pay me now or pay me later”.

Health inspections for commercial dining venues are a fact of owning such a business, and thank goodness for them, because we’d never want to eat out if there weren’t any guidelines.  The experience can, however, be unnerving to the point of downright terror if you allow it to be.  There are some common sense ideas in preparing for a health inspection that can make it less painful and more successful.

One of the biggest concerns when using deep fryers in your restaurant or commercial kitchen is the quality of the oil. If you want your fried foods to taste fresh and appetizing, you need to make sure that your oil is always as clean and as close to new as possible. But constantly replacing the oil in your fryers is costly, and it can often be a huge, messy hassle for you and your kitchen staff.