Innovative kitchen products you’ve never heard of

Running a commercial kitchen means cooking and serving of course, but it also means lots of other little tasks to keep up with on a regular schedule. As a restaurant operator, you want to make sure your staff is equipped with the right tools to tackle all those tasks with ease. Luckily there are some kitchen gadgets that can help.

We’ll run through a few of our favorite creative kitchen gadgets and tools. Maybe you’ve heard of these cool kitchen gadgets before, and maybe you’re about to discover something totally new to enhance your processes.

DIY gasket replacements with the Gasket Boss

You know the gaskets on your commercial refrigeration units need to be replaced periodically. When you start noticing they’re not giving a tight seal, or they seem worn down in any way, it’s time to replace them. You don’t want to get to the point where you can tell cold is escaping.

If you typically call in a service tech every time you need a new gasket, or if you do it yourself but you find it’s a hassle, you’re going to love the Gasket Boss from Franklin. The Gasket Boss is a tool that makes it easy to securely install a new gasket yourself. It’s available in two sizes to fit stand-alone units and walk-ins.

Once you get one, you’ll find it’s a unique kitchen gadget you won’t ever want to be without again. Our how-to video shows you exactly how it works:

Safely clean and change your hood filters with the Baffle Boss

Another set of items in a commercial kitchen that needs to be replaced regularly: hood filters. There’s a good reason exhaust hoods are required in commercial kitchens. With all the grease and smoke that will inevitably enter a commercial kitchen, you have to have some way to catch and filter it to keep the air clean and prevent a fire risk.

But your exhaust hood is only as good as your filter. As a rule, you should replace your filters about every six months. Hood filters can be cleaned if they haven’t accumulated damage, but over time they will need to be changed completely.

Changing your hood filter or even just removing it to clean it can be tricky to maneuver, and dangerous. The Baffle Boss changes that. With the Baffle Boss, anyone can safely remove and replace a hood filter right from the floor. It might just become your favorite new kitchen gadget. Check out our how-to video to see how easy it is to use:

Additionally, if you’re looking for a source for quality filters, you can find them from Franklin. Franklin Filter Plus® stainless steel hood filters are ETL listed and easy to clean.

The industry standard for timers

Now this item you probably have seen before or maybe even used before, because it’s been around for a long time and its use is widespread in the industry. But you may not have realized this item’s full potential, or why it’s been trusted by so many for so long.

The 4-event digital Franklin timer, previously known as the 4-event digital FMP timer, has been a go-to for chefs for years. You may not think of timers when you think of innovative cooking tools, but this one is unique. This timer has received countless positive reviews over the years, like this one. And here’s why.

• It’s loud. In fact, that’s the main reason this chef loves it. In a busy commercial kitchen, you need to be able to hear your alarm clearly. Built-in timers are often pretty quiet and easy to miss, as are many stand-alone timers. Note that there is a high and low volume setting on this timer if it’s too loud for your preference.
• You can time four dishes at once. Or keep on schedule for multiple cleaning and sanitizing tasks throughout the day. It has four colored flashing LED alarms that are clearly marked and easy to set. Plus the clear LCD display makes the alarms easy to track and read.
• Water-resistant, antimicrobial housing. Commercial kitchens are messy. The water-resistant, antimicrobial housing keeps this timer safe from splashes.
• It’s reliable. Built-in timers can break or malfunction. This timer won’t let you down, and comes with a 1-year warranty to make sure of that.

It can also run on AC power or battery power, and be wall mounted or set on a counter. The 4-event timer from Franklin is a surprisingly helpful and innovative tool in the kitchen.

Use the right tools to make kitchen tasks simpler

When you want to equip your kitchen staff with the right tools, a few small items can go a long way – when they’re the right items. We hope you found our above recommendations helpful. You can find many more great products from the Franklin brand.