What’s the big deal with santoku knives? A santoku knife is a more versatile version of a cook’s knife, with a thinner blade that allows for finer slicing and mincing. Some chefs swear by the santoku, claiming it has better balance. In general, a cook’s knife is going to be …
Read More »Yearly Archives: 2012
Chef Lon Symensma Nominated For Food & Wine’s People’s Choice Award
Vote For Chef Lon here! Chef Lon Symensma has a serious culinary pedigree. That’s why Denver foodies were extremely excited when he decided to partner with Culinary Institute of America classmate Alicia Deters to create ChoLon, his first restaurant, ChoLon, in the LoDo area of downtown Denver. After stints at …
Read More »Commercial Fryers: A Buying & Maintenance Guide
A commercial fryer cooks certain foods extremely efficiently and quickly, and are often used in restaurants and commercial kitchens for appetizers and specific entrees. Fryers use a heating element to superheat an oil medium to around 400 degrees Fahrenheit. When food product is dipped into the oil, the moisture inside …
Read More »Dirty Restaurant Restrooms Say Dirty Kitchen To Many Customers
A recent poll conducted by Harris Interactive reveals that 88% of people who encounter a dirty restroom at a restaurant think this reflects poorly on the sanitation of the rest of the establishment, including the kitchen and food preparation areas. Of those, a full 29% said they would never come …
Read More »Which Energy Efficiency Upgrades Are The Best Investment?
Let’s face it—restaurants are energy hogs. According to the National Restaurant Association, restaurants use five times more energy per square foot than other types of commercial buildings. And of the energy that restaurants use, the kitchen uses five times more than the rest of the building. Energy costs, on average, …
Read More »The Green Restaurant Association: Sustainable Knowledge Is Power
When Michael Oshman started the Green Restaurant Association (GRA) in 1990, hardly anybody in the food service industry thought much about sustainability. “The green business movement wasn’t something that really existed,” he says. “We were one of the first organizations that wanted to help businesses. We asked: ‘What if we …
Read More »When, Where, And What To Expect From A Health Inspection
I sometimes hear employees say that health inspections occur only between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm on weekdays. Well…that is when they usually DO occur, but they CAN occur just about anytime. When Inspections Occur The Colorado Retail Food Establishment Rules and Regulations state, “Agents of the Department, after proper …
Read More »It’s Commercial Ice Machine Season! Are You Ready?
Commercial ice machines form a critical link in the chain of operation in a restaurant or commercial kitchen. Ice machines can also be one of the largest expenditures in your budget, so choosing a unit that works for your particular needs and situation is vitally important. And now that the …
Read More »Buy An Energy Efficient Steamer
Commercial steamers use either circulated or pressurized hot steam to quickly cook food items. Steamers are ideal for cooking rice, vegetables, fish, and shellfish. Because food is cooked by circulating hot steam over it, most nutrients are retained, making steam cooked food appear more appetizing and taste better. Food is …
Read More »The 4 R’s of Driving Server Sales
The tired old maxim “your servers are your salespeople” is as true today as it ever was, but just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean you have armed the front of your house with every weapon they need to drive your restaurant’s profits. Really, there’s no understandable reason why servers shouldn’t …
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