Commercial Range Cleaning Tips

The commercial range is the most versatile piece of equipment in your kitchen. They come in various widths and various top configurations. They come with open burners, griddle tops, hot top, French tops and charbroiler tops. Each aspect of the range requires special care, and if they care if given, your range will last longer.

Commercial Range Cleaning Tips

During the day, spills happen. Do your best to safely wipe up excess liquids from the range area. At the end of each shift, have your kitchen staff perform a more thorough cleaning process, but implementing some of the procedures below. Before thoroughly cleaning, be sure that the range is off and the top is cool.

Let everything cool down first.

Before you begin any cleaning or maintenance procedures, be sure to turn off your commercial range and allow everything to cool down, first.

• Clean as you go
  Whenever a spill occurs, be sure to wipe it up immediately. This will prevent the food from becoming baked on to the range top. If a spill extinguishes the pilot light on a gas range, you will need to clean the burner heads and pilot orifice before relighting it.
• Clean the grates
  Whether your commercial range is gas or electric, the burners can be removed for cleaning. Cast iron grates, common additions to gas ranges, can be cleaned by simply wiping down with a wet cloth. If they are in need of a deeper cleaning, these grates can be soaked in warm soapy water to break down the grease. Calrod heating elements, that are prominent on electric commercial ranges, can be wiped down the same way. If you choose to soak these elements, be sure to let them dry before plugging them back in!
• Clean under the grates or burners
  When your grates and burners are out for cleaning is a great time to clean under them. If your stove has drip trays, remove them and wipe them down. If they are wiped down daily, they will not be as difficult to clean. These can be soaked in warm soapy water if necessary. For gas ranges, wipe down the area underneath the grates.
• Empty scrap trays
  After cooking on a griddle, use a scraper to scrape off excess food products. Be sure to do this throughout the day. Not only will these keep your griddle surface clean, but it will also prevent taste contamination between foods. At the end of the shift, or the end of the day, pour water on your griddle and heat it to 150ºF or 175ºF and wipe down the area with a thick clean cloth.
• Clean the oven interior
  If the range comes with an oven base, that oven needs to be cleaned at least once a month; more frequently if there is a spillover. If it is a porcelain enamel interior, use a standard oven cleaner. For metal interiors, use a mild detergent and soft cloth.

Restaurant Equipment Maintenance Tips

The only way to get the most benefit and trouble-free service out of your restaurant equipment is to perform regular maintenance. Regular maintenance, which includes cleaning, will keep everything functioning in good working order and can catch minor malfunctions or worn out parts before they cause expensive breakdowns. Regardless of the type of equipment, there are 10 maintenance-related tasks that you need to do for every piece of restaurant equipment that you own.

• Reference the owner’s manual.
  The first place you should look for proper maintenance procedures for your specific pieces of restaurant equipment is the owner’s manual, which comes with the equipment. Generalized tips from an article on the internet are all well and good, but the owner’s manual will tell you specifically what needs to be done to keep your equipment in tip-top shape. Most manufacturers’ websites have downloadable versions of manuals, and the manufacturers should have manuals for older or discontinued models, too.  Lost your manual?  Follow this link that contains links to most manufacture websites.
• Fill out and return the warranty card.
  The only way to gain the benefits of manufacturers’ warranties for new restaurant equipment, which usually include x-number of years in free parts and labor, is to fill out the warranty card and return it to the manufacturer. You usually have about a month after delivery to get the warranty card filled out and returned, so don’t put it off.
• Educate employees on the proper use of the equipment.
  Misuse and abuse are among the leading causes of restaurant equipment malfunction, and most warranties will not cover repairs resulting from misuse. Teach employees how to properly use, clean and maintain your food service equipment to keep everything up and running and eliminate the amount of money you have to spend on non-warranty issues.
• Clean all restaurant equipment daily.
  Daily cleaning is perhaps the most important maintenance tip for restaurant equipment. Daily cleaning prevents dirt, grime and food scraps from building up and causing damage to the machine’s components. Having clean restaurant equipment is something health inspectors look for, too.
• Perform thorough cleaning on a regular basis.
  Either weekly, monthly or semi-annually, depending on the piece of equipment, there are deeper cleaning procedures that need to be followed. The purpose of more thorough cleaning is to get those places that are hard to reach or to just tackle the grime that accumulates over time. Most service agencies offer planned maintenance.  Learn about our planned maintenance services here.
• Regularly inspect your restaurant equipment.
  Any time you perform a thorough cleaning on your restaurant equipment, inspect any moving parts, utility connections and other components for wear, tear and leaks. Catching and correcting small maintenance issues early (like a water leak caused by a loose hose fitting) can save you from more expensive repairs in the future. You can even set up a service contract with a local manufacturer-authorized agent and have them inspect your equipment.
• Replace broken or worn out parts.
  Over time, parts just wear out and need to be replaced. If something appears worn out, better to replace the worn out part soon before it causes serious problems.
• Be careful with do-it-yourself fixes.
  One way to save money on restaurant equipment repairs is to simply fix it yourself. If the equipment is new, fixing things yourself may void the warranty, so be sure to read the warranty and know what you can and cannot do yourself. Even if the equipment is not under warranty, overly complex repairs should still be performed by an authorized service agent.
• Follow chemical instructions.
  Whether the chemicals you are using are meant to clean the piece of equipment or the equipment uses chemicals itself, like a commercial dishwasher, be sure to read and follow the instructions on the labels. Improperly mixing to the wrong chemical concentration can be dangerous to your employees and damaging to your equipment.
• Properly care for stainless steel.
  Restaurant equipment is manufactured primarily out of stainless steel. Despite its name, stainless steel can become stained, tarnished or corroded if not properly cared for, so be sure to use mild detergents, soft cloths and wash with the grain when cleaning your food service equipment. 

Commercial Refrigeration Maintenace

Doing commercial refrigerator maintenance isn’t the best part of owning a commercial kitchen, but it is a necessary one. In order to make this task simpler and easier for anyone who has to tackle it, we’ve compiled some of our best tips for maintaining both Walk-in and Stand-alone commercial refrigerating systems.

For Walk-in Refrigeration Units or Coolers
It isn’t the most glorious job that you will do in a commercial kitchen, but maintaining your walk-in cooler equipment is something that needs to be done every few months. Always remember to turn off power while performing thismaintenance or any maintenance of electrically power equipment. Here are a few tips for doing this maintenance:
-          Do it in Pairs: Cleaning and maintaining your walk-in fridge or freezer isn’t a one man job. For safety and to ensure that it gets done properly always make sure that there are at least two sets of hands available for the task.
-          Remove or Seal Product: Before you get to dusting condensers and cleaning fan buildup, be sure to seal food or remove it from the area. If you don’t, you will likely have to toss a portion of it. Dust travels everywhere. Don’t underestimate it.
-          Vacuum the Condenser: One of the hardest to clean spots on a refrigeration system is the condenser. It seems to encourage dust clinging to it and can be a messy clean. Avoid moving the dust around too much by taking a Shop-Vac or industrial vacuum hose to it. I’ve found this to be the easiest and fastest way to dust your condenser.
-          The Damp Cloth Trick: For most of the fans and covers a cloth is likely going to get the job done, but a second cloth is also going to keep dust from rising out of your garbage bin. Place a damp cloth at the bottom of your bin to avoid dust clouds when dumping. This will lower the dust that is released into the air.

For Standalone Fridges
Standalone cooling units are a bit of a different story. They don’t always need to be cleaned in pairs (depending on size) and they are more accessible. Like all electronic equipment, disconnect the power before you begin maintaining it. Here are a few tips for standalone fridge maintenance:
-          Remove Removables: Unlike a walk-in cooler, your standalone fridge has a lot more parts that can be removed. If you want to do the best job of cleaning and maintaining them you should remove them when cleaning. This includes grills, covers, and even the compressor itself.
-          On Vacuuming: Unlike a walk-in fridge, use the vacuum to clean the rear cabinet and condenser. Once the condenser is removed it will clean easily and allow your vacuum to get at the coils and corners of your fridges engine. Also remember to use the blowing feature (by reversing the airflow on your vacuum) to ensure that your cabinet and coils are dust free.
-          Wipe, Wipe, And Wipe: Maintaining a standalone fridge or freezer is a dusty business. Before you put the condenser and grill, give them and the entire back cabinet a wipe. This will ensure that your fridge or freezer is in tip top shape the longest.

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Maintaining a Commercial Fryer

It doesn’t matter whether you are frying donuts, French fries, or chicken fingers, every commercial fryer needs to be cleaned and maintained regularly. Commercial fryers today can be either gas powered or electric. It is important to know which type you have before you try to clean it. Also, remember that fryers made from stainless steel are always going to be easier to clean and maintain. If you haven’t purchased your commercial fryer yet, I would always recommend going stainless for these machines.
Types of Fryers
Before we talk about cleaning your commercial fryer, let’s talk about the 3 different types of fryers you may have. There are all purpose, pressurized, and specialty fryers. Each is used in a slightly different way. All purpose (the most common) fryers have heating elements underneath and use top loading baskets which get submerged in the oil. Foods placed in all purpose fryers are typically coated in batter to seal in the flavor. A pressurized fryer looks more like a kettle than a traditional fryer. It locks in steam to create pressure cooking. This is a fast cook and requires less heat because of the pressure. The last types of fryers (specialty fryers) are used to cook things like donuts or fish. They have timers for cooking specific items, special racks for holding the food and varied temperature controls to allow for frying a variety of different foods.
Cleaning Your Fryer
The process of cleaning a commercial fryer is pretty straight forward. Follow these directions if you want to clean your fryer properly and quickly:

1. Drain your fryer daily for the best operation.
2. Clean up any stickiness in and around your fryer. The fact is that these units have a tendency to build up with grease. Regular checks for these deposits will reduce build up.
3. Remove crumbs, sediment, or any other crud from the vat of your fryer. As you cook, these things are going to get caught in the vat. This reduces the efficiency of your fryer. Cleaning this area is going to be essential in maintaining a fryer that does the job without sucking a lot of power.
4. Wash the kettle with hot alkaline solution as required.
5. Dry your Fryer with a dry cloth, not heat. Heat will cost you more, increase kitchen temperature, and ruin your burner. Drying your unit with a towel once cleaned is a more practical approach.
6. Clean the element regularly. Like the oil in the vat, the element itself works harder when it is dirty. If it is clean you won’t waste any energy when cooking.

Other Maintenance Tips
When it comes to using your commercial fryer, don’t let it overheat! This is one of the biggest mistakes an owner or operator can make. Read your owner’s manual to find out what your average heating time is and stick to it. If you under heat or over heat your fryer, you will be wasting energy and could cause unnecessary strain on the element. Commercial fryer elements are not cheap to replace so it makes sense to take good care of it from day one.