Not every restaurant and commercial operation has a large kitchen footprint, though every commercial kitchen is the heart of the operation. This list of compact commercial kitchen equipment is for businesses looking for small equipment that can perform a variety of operations, checking many functions off the kitchen checklist.
(Space saver) Combi ovens
These units are the essence of a three-in-one appliance. Combi ovens can replace grills, steamers, and convection ovens. Some combi ovens can also act as a heated holding cabinet. Because combi ovens can cook with steam or convection (or both), these commercial kitchen appliances can heat almost any food, including roasted potatoes, chicken, pizza, pastries, pork, rice, cakes, fruits, vegetables, and seafood.
This commercial kitchen equipment is versatile enough to produce high-quality food with easy touch controls that allow operators to control the humidity and temperature; some models even offer automatic controls that can be set with one touch.
In addition to reducing costs as one unit (as compared to the many commercial kitchen appliances it replaces), combi ovens that operate with boilerless steam generation also reduce operation costs and maintenance. Though they may not require a boiler to generate steam, these ovens do require a water hook-up for operation.
Ventless & Hoodless Deep Fryer
This compact fryer ensures that a commercial kitchen can produce their customers’ fried favorites: french fries, mozzarella sticks, cheese curds, chicken wings and tenders…the list can go on and on. Ventless and hoodless deep fryers only require an electrical outlet to operate, eliminating the need for a costly ventilation and power install. Another benefit of the hoodless feature is that these countertop deep fryers can be moved around as the kitchen layout changes; this can also be a huge advantage in a rented space.
In addition to being small, ventless and hoodless deep fryers are completely enclosed. Ventless and hoodless deep fryers don’t splatter. This feature makes them safer to operate, both in terms of employee safety and reducing the fire risk.
Grill
Commercial grills are the center of many commercial kitchens, and deservedly so. This commercial kitchen equipment produces many customer favorites, including burgers and grilled cheese.
For small kitchen layouts, twelve-inch electric platen units can produce quality favorites without occupying much floor space. As an added bonus, electric units only require an outlet. Some units come with multi-function mode when three manual actions can be performed within a cook cycle, such as turn, sear, season or cheese melt.