Food Service Equipment

Flashcards covering key vocabulary related to food service equipment, including types, purchasing considerations, construction, specialized items, safety, and energy management, derived from lecture notes.

Forecasting

The process of purchasing a piece of equipment.

Durability

A key consideration for the design and construction of equipment, referring to its ability to withstand wear and tear.

Mobility

A design consideration for equipment, often involving wheels, to allow for easy movement and cleaning.

Cleanability

A key consideration in equipment design and construction, ensuring it can be easily cleaned.

Fixed Equipment

Equipment considered permanent, such as walk-in refrigerators, freezers, and exhaust hoods.

Mobile Equipment

Equipment that is movable, such as carts.

Cantilevered Equipment

Equipment supported by the wall rather than by legs, like cabinets and shelves.

Modular Equipment

Components put together to give a customized appearance, often used for serving equipment.

Capital Equipment (Major/Minor)

Refers to the cost of equipment; major purchases are typically over $2,000-$3,000, while minor purchases are less than $80.

Depreciation

An accounting procedure that prorates the cost of equipment over its expected life.

Bid

A price quoted by a vendor in response to specific equipment requirements.

Stainless Steel

A durable and easily cleaned metal commonly used for most institutional foodservice equipment, specified by gauge.

Gauge

Used to specify the thickness of metal; a higher gauge number indicates thinner metal.

Burnished Metals

Metals that have been treated to hide scratches and improve aesthetic quality.

Dry Heat Equipment

Cooking equipment that uses hot air or direct contact with a heated surface, without immersing food in liquid (e.g., ovens, broilers, fryers).

Tilting Braising Pan

A versatile piece of equipment also called a 'coffin,' capable of functioning as a griddle, steamer, or braising pan, often with a lid to retain moisture.

Deep Fat Fryer

Equipment that cooks food by immersion in hot oil, often featuring recycling systems to extend oil life and maintain quality.

Ventless Deep Fat Fryer

A deep fat fryer designed with a built-in halo system, allowing it to operate without needing to be placed under an exhaust hood.

Deck Oven

An oven that can be stacked, featuring multiple shelves and often rotating mechanisms to ensure consistent temperature throughout.

Roll-in Rack Oven

A very large oven where raw product is loaded onto wheeled racks and cooked, often used in manufacturing.

Convection Oven

An oven that uses a fan at the back to circulate hot air, cooking food faster and requiring adjustments to traditional recipes (typically shorter cooking times).

Conveyor Oven (Impingement Oven)

An oven that moves food on a belt through a heated chamber, often using controlled top and bottom air to increase heat transfer rates and reduce cook times by 40-50%.

Holding Oven

An oven that cooks meat overnight, stopping at a safe temperature and maintaining heat, similar to a slow cooker, which can increase yield and save money.

Salamander Grill

A broiler with a heat source on the bottom, often placed over a stove unit.

Broiler

Cooking equipment with the heat source on top, often used for browning or finishing dishes.

Clam Shell or Panini Grill

A grill with a spring-loaded lid that cooks food simultaneously on both sides without crushing it, eliminating the need for flipping.

Moist Heat Equipment

Cooking equipment that uses water and steam to cook food (e.g., pressure steamers, steam jacket kettles).

Pressure Steamer

A steamer that uses steam under pressure to cook multiple products quickly, requiring the release of steam before opening the door.

Pressureless Conventional Steamer

A steamer that allows food to be moved in and out without turning the unit on or off, distinct from pressure steamers as it does not require steam release before door opening.

Waterless Steamer

A steamer designed to use the natural water content within food to steam it internally, requiring no water line, drain, or filtration system, saving significant amounts of water.

Combi-Oven

A multifunctional oven that combines convection and steam cooking methods, allowing for convection, steam, convection plus continuous steam, and convection plus cycled steam processes.

Steam Jacket Kettle

A kettle designed for cooking liquids like gravy or sauces, where steam circulates between an outer and inner jacket, preventing scorching as the heating element does not directly touch the inner pot.

Hood System

An essential and expensive piece of kitchen equipment, costing by the foot, used for ventilation and fire suppression over cooking areas.

Fire Suppression System (Halon System)

A safety system typically built into exhaust hoods, designed to automatically release a fire extinguisher agent and alert the fire department if a melting red plastic cap indicates excessive heat.

Raceway

A quick-disconnect system for equipment and utilities, good for sanitation and maintenance as it allows for easy cleaning of walls and floors behind equipment.

Reach-In Cooler

A refrigerator with doors that allow direct access to stored items.

Roll-In Rack Cooler

A refrigerator designed to accommodate full-sized racks of food, which can be rolled directly in and out.

Walk-In Cooler

A large refrigerated room that employees can walk into for storage, advantageous for cold air retention but may reduce shelving flexibility.

Dunnage Rack

A low rack used for storing multiple cases of food off the floor, often with top shelves for smaller items and a specific arrangement for TCS foods.

Refrigerated Drawers

Convenient, often near cook areas, for slackening vegetables or holding refrigerated food; can also be used in distribution areas for milk and juices.

Blast Chiller

A freezer on speed, using extremely cold circulating air to rapidly cool large quantities of food, eliminating the need for cold water or ice baths.

Steam Table

Equipment used to keep hot food at serving temperature, often with pans submerged in hot water, typically found in healthcare or buffet settings.

Heated Shelf Warmer

Equipment used in restaurants, buffets, or universities to keep food warm, often without individual covers.

Ventless Dishwasher

A dishwasher with a built-in heat reclamation system that recaptures and reuses wasted heat, eliminating the need for an exhaust hood and saving energy costs.

Security Package (for Warewashing)

A system for dishwashing equipment that replaces standard parts with theft-proof components and uses stainless steel perforated boxes to protect thermometers and gauges, designed for high-risk facilities.

Single Tank Dish Machine

A compact dishwashing machine that can be placed in a corner or against a wall, suitable for facilities with around 100 beds serving three meals a day.

Rack Conveyor Dish Machine

A faster dishwashing machine that uses curtains to prevent water spray and moves dishes along a conveyor belt for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing.

Flight Type Machine

A large dishwashing machine with three units for wash, rinse, and sink, often requiring two people to operate and potentially wasting water, electric, and soap if dishes are not continuously loaded.

Dish Racks

Specialized racks (e.g., Peg Plate, Flatware, Cup) used to securely hold and organize dishes, silverware, and glasses for washing and drying, preventing items from resting on the floor.

Dish Rack Dolly

A stainless steel cart designed to hold stacks of dishwasher racks, typically found in cafeterias to keep items off the floor.

Poker Chip Dish Dolly

A type of dolly used for storing or accessing dinner plates, with an adjustable interior to accommodate different plate sizes, often with an optional cover for dust protection.

Pot Washer

A specialized dishwasher designed specifically for washing large pots and pans, typically used in larger facilities to save time.

Prep Sink

A sink used for food preparation, requiring an air gap between its drain and the floor drain to prevent cross-contamination from backflow.

Handsink

A sink specifically for handwashing, typically made of durable stainless steel and required to be conveniently located near cook lines and dish rooms to prevent cross-contamination.

3 Compartment Sink

A sink unit with three separate basins for washing, rinsing, and sanitizing pots and pans, often including an agitator and possibly a booster heater for water temperature.

Work Tables

Smallware items often with drawers; if pots and pans are stored on bottom shelves, they should be placed upside down for sanitation.

Can Storage Rack

A storage unit, often on wheels and against a wall, that automatically rotates stock for easy FIFO (First-In, First-Out) management.

Baker’s Rack/Universal Rack

A versatile, often wheeled rack that can be covered with metal, rolled into a cooler, or fitted with disposable plastic bags for easy transport and storage.

Mixer Attachments

Tools like flat beaters (for meatloaf, mashed potatoes), dough hooks (for breads), and whisks (for whipped creams, egg whites) that connect to a mixer.

Food Processor

Equipment like the Vita Mixer or Robo Q, used for pureed foods or as a slicer and shredder, often featuring stainless steel bowls and magnetic lid safety features.

Steam Table Pans (Hotel Pans)

Pans used in steam tables, preferably with smooth edges to prevent food buildup and ensure cleanliness.

Scoopers or Dishers

Ergonomically correct utensils used for portion control, often color-coded to indicate specific serving sizes (e.g., half a cup).

Spoodles or Loons

Serving utensils, which can be solid or perforated, used for portioning food while controlling liquids, essential for maintaining consistency.

Specifications Plate/Tag

A label on equipment with a motor that provides critical information such as horsepower, cycles, tank capacity, serial number, model number, and electrical requirements (e.g., 220V, three-phase).

Underwriters Laboratories (UL)

A certification agency founded in 1894 that evaluates products for safe use, ensuring equipment meets national safety standards for fire, electric shock, and related hazards.

National Sanitation Foundation (NSF)

A certification agency, now called the National Safety Foundation, founded in 1948 to ensure foodservice equipment complies with sanitation standards through testing, inspections, and product verification.

Ampere (Amp)

A unit of electric current produced by 1 volt applied across the resistance of 1 ohm.

British Thermal Unit (Btu)

The amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 pound of water 1 degree Fahrenheit.

Kilowatt Hour (kWh)

A unit of energy equal to 1 kilowatt of power for 1 hour, used by electric meters to measure energy use.

Ohm

A unit of electrical resistance.

Horsepower

A unit of power equal to 745.7 watts in the United States.

Joule

A unit of electrical, magnetic, and mechanical energy, equal to the work done by a current of 1 ampere across a resistance of 1 ohm for 1 second.

Kilowatt

A unit of power equal to 1000 watts.

Therm

A unit of heat equal to 100,000 Btu, used in natural gas meters to measure energy use.

Volt

A unit of electric potential and electromotive force that will produce a current of 1 ampere in a circuit that has a resistance of 1 ohm.

Watt

A unit of power equal to 1 joule per second, used to measure electrical and mechanical power.

Bio-Digester

An aerobic bio-digester that safely and cost-effectively disposes of waste food, serving as an alternative to traditional garbage disposals.