Tools and Equipment in the Kitchen

Tools and Equipment in the Kitchen

As we have an industrial kitchen in the back of logistics this page is about how to use the equipment contained in that kitchen properly and safely. The dishwashing section may seem obvious, but it's actually the most important part, there are chemicals used that can create poisonous gasses if used improperly.

Dish Washing

• There are two ways to wash dishes in the kitchen, the dishwasher and the three bay sink.

The Dish Washing Machine

• The dish washing machine is for glass or plastic dishes and silverware only.
  • The chemicals used can create a poisonous gas when mixed with aluminum
    • MANY pots and pans in the kitchen are made of aluminum.
• Rinse dishes with the sprayer then load them onto an appropriate rack.
  • The water pressure on the sprayer kind of sucks. I haven't figured out how to fix that yet.
  • Don't overcrowd racks, it Is easier to run more racks than to rewash dishes.
• Turn the machine on by fully closing the doors.
  • If you need to turn it off midwash for some reason, re-open the doors.
• One wash takes about a minute.
• If a tray of dishes contains light items that will be "thrown" by the force of the water, place a second rack on top of the first rack to hold items down.
• It is best to wash items of a similar type all at the same time so that they are easier to make a single stack and put away at once.

The Three Bay Sink

• Use the 3-bay sink to wash everything that doesn't get machine washed.
• The first bay is for soapy water, the second bay is for rinsing and the third bay is for sanitizer
  • Because we have nowhere else to fill pots and pans with water the rinse sink should be left empty (no stopper).
• Make sure that you scrape out any food stuff you can get out before you wash a thing.
• The sooner you wash something the less likely it will need to soak.
• If the soapy water looks disgusting… change it.
• If the sink is full of food particles after you drain the sink, use your hands or a tool to gather it up and throw it in the trash can. Don't try to wash it all down the drain, that could clog it.
• The sanitizer bay is meant to soak dishes for about a minute before drying them and putting them away.
  • If it gets all greasy or soapy it's time to change it.
  • When filling the sanitizer bay use warm water to dissolve the tablets which are in a bottle that looks like a tylenol bottle above the sink. 3 or 4 tablets for half the sink is plenty. The water will get cold in time that’s ok.
• Store dishes upside down both so they can dry better and so dirt from people walking, or things falling off tables don't land in them.

Side Towels

• Ryan's checkered green side towels are fire-retardant cloth designed for holding hot things. They are not for drying dishes. When they become wet they can't do their job.
  • No seriously stop using them to dry things.

Kitchen Software

Knives

• This is a small kitchen, practice safe knife use.
• If you talk with your hands, put the knife down first.
• Always assume that someone could walk up behind you at any moment when you are holding a knife. Don't be swinging it around. Ever.
• Always hand wash knives.
• Always use a plastic or wooden cutting board when using a knife.
  • Stone and metal are bad cutting surfaces that will dull a knife when things are cut on them.

Hotel Pans

• A hotel pan is the standard tray food is being served in. They come in deep, regular and shallow depths. Most of the ones in the kitchen are shallow.
• 2 half hotel pans or half pans take up exactly the same space as a single full hotel pan. Third pans, sixth pans, and ninth pans follow the same logic.
• Many things around the kitchen are designed for this spacing.
• There is a large stack of perforated hotel pans (aka perf pans) in back that are normal depth. Make sure you only grab these when you want a perforated pan.
• The fridge will fit exactly two hotel pans the wide way on any given shelf. Be careful putting them in or taking them out the door has no room for your fingers.

Sheet Trays

• A sheet tray or a baking sheet is another standard sized item in a kitchen.
• Several items in the kitchen are designed to work with the dimensions of a sheet tray.

Other Kitchen Hardware

Refrigeration

• We use the 6 door fridge on the left side of the kitchen to keep things cold.
• The appliance that looks like a home refrigerator is generally full of camp owned things so we do not use it.
• When storing things in the fridge keep raw meats, eggs, anything that requires cooking in the bottom bays, and things that are safe for consumption in the top bays.
  • Try to use as few bays as possible so in the event we need to clean it out there is less area we used that needs to be cleaned.
• We are not using the walk-in fridge in back.
• Though we often have space in the main fridge, it is not for player personal use. If we say yes to one person or group we'd have to say yes to all and we don't want that headache.

The Stove-top

• There are 12 burners total available for use.
• Try to use the same burners repeatedly so that if a mess is made there is less we have to clean up later.
• The burners are fairly close together so you may have to space things out in order to cook multiple dishes at once.
• These are gas burners, the pilot light is permanently out on many of them. Have a lighter in hand and ready to use when you turn the burner on. The longer a burner goes without being lit the bigger the eventual fireball when it does light.
  • I use the word fireball because it is accurate, not because this is especially dangerous (unless the gas has been going for a very long time). You're in more danger of losing some arm hair than anything else. Just be aware of your situation at all times.
• Always treat a stove top as a hot surface even if you don't think it is.

The Gas Stoves

• If the gas stove does not begin warming up within minutes of turning it on, that means the pilot light is out.
  • When the gas is on in a gas stove and the pilot light is out, gas builds up in a contained heavy metal box. Were you to then light that gas the resulting fire has no where to go but straight out at YOU. This is one of the more dangerous situations that can happen in a kitchen.
  • If the pilot light is out, turn the gas to the stove off, and let the gas dissipate on it's own.
  • Do not attempt to light the stove pilot lights yourself.
  • We have electric oven options that should be used instead when this happens.
• Stoves are typically turned on at the beginning of the day and turned off at the end of the day.

The Griddle

• The flat stainless steel surface between the stoves and the convection ovens is called a griddle.
• Always treat the griddle surface as if it were hot, there is a very strong chance it will be.

The Convection Ovens

• To the right side of the griddle there are two convection ovens. Each has to be turned on separately.
• A convection oven is like a normal oven but with a fan that circulates air causing the food to cook faster than it would in a normal oven at the same temperature.
  • If you turn on the convection fan be sure to keep in mind that it will have your food done faster than you are likely accustomed to.
• The doors are heavy, and close tight. You'll need to give a good hard pull to open them.
• If the doors are even slightly ajar the fans will turn off and it will seem like the oven is off, it is not.
• Before you turn the convection oven off, set the oven to "cool" for about 20 minutes first. This is a setting with the on/off switch.
• There are timers attached to the convection ovens that buzz loudly. Use them if you need a timer for anything in the kitchen.

The Stand Mixer

• This is on the table to the left of the refrigeration unit. Use this for mixing large batches.
• You must close the gate before the device will turn on.
  • Do not put ANYTHING into the mixer while it is running. I've seen someone break an arm after putting a spatula in a moving mixer, don't be that person.

Categories: Real World Rules