The work in the kitchen of a feeding system is not an easy task, since it is not only based on the preparation of food, but it is also convenient to keep a good control on the quantity and quality of the inputs available, facilities clean, a good strategic distribution of the areas that facilitate work, in addition to having the furniture and equipment necessary for the preparation and transformation of food.
Both the furniture and the equipment used must have certain necessary hygienic characteristics common to all and others specific to each, according to the work carried out with each one. Based on this, good food preservation will be possible, preventing contamination, facilitating the cleaning of facilities, equipment and furniture, and reducing dirt.
All these work tools must be made with materials suitable for food preparation, that is, free of toxic substances, heavy metals (lead), rust and dirt; all this in favor of providing safe food for customers.
Care and cleaning must be correct in order to provide food safety, since poor care for each one can damage the equipment (scratches, breaks, dents, among others), causing various accidents among personnel and poor cleaning can cause contamination.
Below are the appropriate characteristics that the kitchen must have, and the description and care of the main equipment and furniture used in food preparation.
Provision of equipment and furniture
The main service of a food system is to provide good and adequate food to the client, however, in order to prepare the dishes, it is necessary to have necessary and in good condition food, appropriate equipment and furniture in the preparation of the themselves, and especially good condition of the work area.
The kitchen is the most important point in a food service, since its primary objective is the preservation and preparation of food, with certain cooking techniques, depending on the presentation and preparation of the dishes. That is why in the kitchen the quality of both the product and the service is created; so they must be hygienic, with exquisite flavors for diners, guaranteeing customer satisfaction, since an opposite situation can cause serious losses for the company.
The location of the kitchen should be in a strategic area, where communication with dining rooms, warehouses, cold rooms, etc. is kept, in addition to having easy access to recent merchandise, personal transit, and garbage disposal; providing a fast service in favor that the dishes reach temperatures appropriate to the client.
The kitchen must have certain characteristics to offer and facilitate work, such as:
- Lighting: it is convenient that the artificial light has the adequate power, located above all, in order to avoid shadows and glare, since a good luminosity provides better work. Ventilation extraction: it must have efficient hoods with filters over the areas cooking to extract the steam and smoke produced.Water installations: have enough water tanks in addition to a good distribution of it that includes hot and cold water.Walls and ceilings: the walls should be reinforced with tiles, favoring the cleaning; the ceiling must be waterproofed to avoid condensation of the vapors.Air conditioning: the temperatures inside the closed kitchen reach up to 40 ° C, making it difficult for personnel to work due to the intense heat,In addition to reducing the life of the food, therefore, a heated area is essential to avoid all these inconveniences.
Division of kitchen spaces
Based on the variety of preparations, utensils and facilities. Each working group should have its own space to carry out its functions. Generally it has 5 areas, which can be subdivided according to needs:
- Cocina caliente: en esta, los alimentos crudos son transformados a través del calor, dividiéndose en espacios de acuerdo a las funciones del personal. Prácticamente es el área principal, por lo tanto debe tener una buena comunicación con las demás áreas.Cuarto frío: enfocado en la conservación de alimentos perecederos, además de limpiar y racionar los productos en crudo, y ser repartidos según sea necesario. También aquí se pre cocinan algunos alimentos, se preparan salsas y ciertas guarniciones.Cámaras frigoríficas: áreas a temperaturas de 2° a 4°C y ≤ -18°C; con revestimientos únicos y equipos de refrigeración para conservar en buen estado los alimentos que no son de uso inmediato, al contrario de los que sí, son conservados en refrigeradores de cada área.Área de lavado: zona de limpieza y conservación de los utensilios y la batería de cocina. Cabe destacar que esta área debe estar cerca del comedor, para facilitar el depósito de los platos sucios, al igual que la cocina.Almacén: área donde son depositados los productos no perecederos.
The good location of the furniture and other equipment, in addition to a correct design in the facilities and areas, are the key pieces to provide a fast and effective service, to the satisfaction of the client.
It should be noted that when acquiring equipment, containers and furniture, it must be ensured that the surfaces in direct contact with food are authorized for food use (according to the regulations of each country, in Mexico, NOM-251-SSA1-2009), requiring the manufacturer the certification indicated with a legend or symbol on the labeling or invoices. Other hygienic characteristics must be analyzed, from the common ones to the particular ones of the equipment and furniture.
Equipment and furniture
The equipment refers to all the equipment required and used in a kitchen to prepare the dishes. The main teams are:
- Cooking equipment Refrigeration equipment Power generators
Cooking equipment
They include all equipment used in food preparation using heat, produced either by electricity, gas, steam, or fire. These convert raw foods into cooked ones. (See PDF)
Name Description Image
Stove
Composed of fire burners, being gas or electric, regulated by means of valves.
Deep fryer
It can be rectangular, square or round, with a conical tank to drain the oil used. The temperature is regulated by a thermostat, this can be gas or electric.
Salamander or gratin
Rectangular in shape, with a vertically generated superior heat source, it can also be gas or electric.
Iron made of iron, square or rectangular. It receives heat directly, distributing it evenly.
Spit
Composed of a rotating inserter, generating heat laterally. Its installation is gas, electric or coal.
Water bath
Rectangular shape, directly receives heat at the bottom, it can be electric, gas or steam.
Ovens
Chambers of different sizes and types. Receiving direct heat, distributing it evenly; They can be gas, electric or firewood.
Grill
Formed by grids. The heat source can be gas, or coal.
Pot
They are fixed cylinders, they allow cooking by means of gas, electricity or steam.
Tilting pan
It receives direct heat from the bottom either through gas or electricity. Its manipulation is with a hydraulic system.
Microwave
It generates microwaves that penetrate food giving a quick cook, used mostly for frozen meals or prepared products. Of electrical installation.
Vaporizer
As its name says, it receives heat by means of steam, hermetically closed; with different shapes and sizes.
Work table
Tables where the chef works the cold preparations. Recommending that they be made of stainless steel.
Refrigerated tables
Tables located inside the kitchen, for the short-term preservation of products for immediate use.
Hot table
Furniture used to heat or supply dishes to the dining room. Also called Hotline.
Refrigeration equipment
They are the teams in charge of food preservation through low temperatures, avoiding spoilage, loss of raw and cooked food, and the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms. Examples of these are: cellars, fridges, freezers, etc.
Cold generators:
By means of gas, they provide low temperatures for the transformation and preservation of food. Establishments that do not have enough spaces, install refrigerator cabinets and freezer cabinets.
Force generators
Small appliances that replace manual labor in preparation.
Universal helper
With several characteristics it is made up of a mixer, grater, mincer, grinder, crusher; working in various areas of the kitchen.
Blender
Transform solids to liquids.
Mixer
Knead, assemble, whisk as required and accessories.
Mostly used to mount egg or cream in the pastry
Potato peeler
It removes the skin from this and other tubers. With a stone base.
Grinders
Machine that transforms food through grinding, mainly meat.
Slicer
Machine that cuts into slices, whether thick or thin according to what is required.
Crusher
Cuts, crushes and kneads with the help of rotary knives.
Laminator
Used in pastry to crush dough and pasta.
saw
Cut hard foods like bones and frozen products.
Hygienic requirements for equipment and furniture
The quantity of equipment and its capacity must be related to the number of rations prepared in the kitchen, in order to avoid wasting time due to stops and waiting situations during the preparation of dishes and washing utensils and crockery.
Some equipment and machinery, such as ovens, heating and cooling cabinets, and water baths, must be adjusted to contain containers of the same size and shape to facilitate the passage of food between the areas.
Mobile equipment wheels, chassis, legs, and stands must be plastic or stainless steel. The design of these must prevent dirt deposits, as well as facilitate cleaning.
Cooking machines, heating machines and refrigeration facilities must have a device with which they can program the cooking time-temperature or the food storage-maintenance temperature. It is recommended that these teams have light alarms to detect bad temperatures.
Refrigeration facilities must have an automatic device to remove the ice formed and a drain of the resulting water; This allows a correct operation of the facilities, avoiding cross contamination.
For the handling of these equipments it is convenient to take different safety measures, as each one of them has certain characteristics, which if not handled with caution can cause serious accidents. All the equipment before and after being used, must be thoroughly cleaned, in order to avoid contamination of food, dirt in the areas and their good condition.
conclusion
During the preparation of food, the necessary hygienic measures must be taken into account, both in the provision of raw materials and in work tools, as mishandling of these can cause contamination of food, causing poisoning by certain pathogenic microorganisms or some harmful substances that can be released at certain temperatures.
It should be borne in mind that when acquiring the necessary equipment for the kitchen, they must have the certification of the standards of each country, indicating that they are appropriate for food use, free of substances that can harm health in the short or long term. All these tools must be manufactured with inert materials (that do not spread the contamination and their deterioration does not damage the food), such as plastic and / or stainless steel. It should be noted that their manufacture must be strategic to facilitate cleaning them, in addition to providing good treatment and care for the equipment and furniture, in order to avoid early deterioration and possible accidents that may arise when handling them.
References
- Aguilella MI. Pre-preparation and culinary preservation: Methods and equipment in semi-finished and processed products. 1st ed. Editorial Ideas Propias SL 2014Vinagre M. Use of the basic provision of the restaurant and assistance in the pre-service: Preparation and conditioning in different restaurant services. 1st edition. Editorial Ideas Propias SL 2014Montes E, et al. Kitchen design and management. Food hygiene practices manual applied to the catering sector. 1st ed. Díaz de Santos Editions: 2005 Anonymous. Equipment for industrial and commercial kitchens. Unit II. Available at:
