Buying Guide to Commercial Steamers

Steamers have long been a staple for those who require quick cooking or reheating of all type of vegetables. A steamer ensures that these foods will retain a higher nutrient level, more natural colorings, and even flavor. Steaming vegetables is also the fastest way to cook them. This means increased productivity in your commercial or industrial kitchen.
It’s clear that if you are cooking veggies often, a commercial steamer is the way to go. With that in mind, let’s have a look at some of the important decisions you will have to make before buying one:
Choosing between Convection and Convection-less Steamers
Just like an oven, a steamer can use convection (which is a fancy way of saying that it uses a fan) to help evenly distribute the heat for more even cooking throughout. Also like an oven, there is a cost difference between the two types of commercial steamers. I have found that if you have proper pre-heating, there is little difference between the overall cooking qualities of these two types of steamers.
Should I go Broiler-less?
In the past, the steam maker of a commercial steamer was a generator (or broiler). These units tended to be harder to clean (i.e. de-liming), but provide the most productivity. Today you can find broiler-less models which use an element as the heat source. Because you pour the water right into the chamber with the element, these units are easier to clean and tend to have a longer lifespan as a commercial appliance. The main drawback is productivity as broiler-less steamers take longer to steam. Your vegetable cooking needs will dictate which model is right for your commercial or industrial kitchen.
Choosing between Gas and Electric?
Like most appliances that have a heat source, the energy can either come from natural gas or electric. In a steamer it is almost impossible to tell the difference in food quality. Generally speaking however, gas models tend to be more energy efficient.
Assessing the Quality of a Commercial Steamer
In my opinion, and in the opinion of those who create the price tags, polished stainless models are the highest quality. Of those who make full lines of commercial steamers, Groen is one of the industry leaders that I have come to trust. Other companies which also make high quality steamers in a variety of sizes are Vulcan and Cleveland.
Buying the Right Steamer for Your Needs
The last step in choosing the right commercial steamer for your kitchen is to understand how much steaming your kitchen does on its busiest nights (Friday or Saturday typically). Use these numbers, and not a weekly average, to rate your production needs. This will ensure that your steamer is up to the workload every night.

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Choosing the right salamander broiler

It doesn’t matter whether you call it a cheesemelter, conveyor broiler, or salamander – they all do the same thing. They complete dishes. From melting the cheese to creating a glaze, these little finishers make a big impact on how your food looks and tastes when they arrive at a table.
Buying one of these commercial kitchen tools isn’t something that every restaurant owner or chef has done a lot of. They can cost as much as an oven and can be put in almost any area of the kitchen. If you are looking to buy a cheesemelter or salamander broiler soon, listen up:

1. Define Your Needs
The first thing you want to do before you leave your home or shop to look at salamanders is to assess and then define your needs. Make a list of what foods you are going to need to heat, re-heat, glaze, melt, or brown. If you’ve been serving these dishes for a while, you should also have an idea of the number of dishes you will serve in a given service. Once you’ve got a picture of the work load your machine will need to take, you should have a good idea of how powerful and how large of a machine you need.
2. Make Room in Your Kitchen
Now that you know how often and generally what size of commercial salamander you are looking for, you can begin to plan for it in your kitchen. Most models today can be mounted over the stove, but that doesn’t mean your kitchen has that ability for it. My favorite mounting spot is on the wall beside the other cooking devices. They can also be mounted right onto a countertop, but I have found that it is a real waste of space. Also remember to account for the power type (either gas or electric) of your new commercial appliance.
3. The Best Salamander Broilers are Gas
Now that you know what you want and where it will go, the rest is choosing the specific model to meet your needs. While some commercial salamanders are electric, most sold today are gas powered. The reason gas is so prevalent in melting and browning devices is because it heats up more quickly and can become hotter than an electric element. This makes gas powered models much more appealing to business owners.
4. Brands to Look For
Most companies who make other commercial cooking devices will make a line of cheesemelters or salamanders. If you are happy with your current stove top and oven, I recommend checking out the same maker for salamanders. They usually come with compatible mounts which will make installation easier. If you are simply looking for a great quality machine, the two companies I always check out are Garland and Vulcan. Both make full lines of high quality salamanders to meet any owner’s or chef’s needs.

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