Restaurant
Equipment Tips: Are Energy Costs Eating Up Your Restaurant's Profits?
We at Jean's Restaurant Supply want you to succeed with your business venture
and rising energy costs are on the forefront of everyone's minds. Inefficient,
or inefficient use of, food preparation equipment is the second-largest energy
drain on your restaurant's profits. So here at Jean's Restaurant Supply,
we have compiled some energy-saving tips for your commercial ovens, stove/cook
tops, fryers and broilers. In doing so, we hope that with the implementation of
some of these energy-saving tips, your energy bill leaves you with some profits
still on your plate.
Eeny Meeny Miney Mo. Choosing the most efficient commercial oven
requires only some investigation and vigilance on your part. Educate yourself on
the "ins and outs" of oven design, such as insulation and quality. Pay close
attention to timers and thermostats, which can help automate procedures and
maximize your energy-saving efforts. Deciding which type of oven is best suited
for the task at hand can also significantly impact your energy bill.
Conventional ovens use radiant heat. This can mean increased cook times and
longer preheat times.
Convection ovens, which use fan-forced heat to circulate hot air around the
food, help to reduce cooking times and lower your energy bill. Convection ovens
cook at 25ΊF lower temperature and in 10% less time than conventional ovens,
according to one manufacturer. Also, convection ovens are 23% more efficient
than conventional ones, the U.S. Department of Energy estimates.
Microwave Ovens are a quick, efficient alternative to a full-size oven and are
unparalleled in their reheating ability. They require no preheating time and
only heat the food being cooked. Microwave ovens save considerable energy in
comparison to standard ovens, so use them whenever possible.
Be vigilant. Limit preheat times and turn down the oven when not in
use. Turning off an idle broiler just one hour a day can save up to $400
annually. Keep in mind ovens consume substantial amounts of energy, even when no
food is cooking, due to losses through the walls and leakage around the oven
door opening. For that reason, it is important to remember to turn your oven off
or to a lower temperature when it is not in use.
Fill that oven! Schedule food preparation so that your oven is cooking
a full load whenever possible. Convection ovens can be loaded more fully than
conventional ovens because the amplified circulation of heated air advances
productivity. Also, plan roasting and baking to take full-advantage of receding
heat.
Maintain, Maintain, Maintain. We at Jean's Restaurant Supply cannot
emphasize enough how important it is to perform routine maintenance on your
commercial restaurant equipment. Not only does this help to preserve its value
and protect your investment, it also helps your equipment to keep performing at
peak efficiency and this will increase your energy-savings. In oven maintenance,
the seals on your oven are the most important weapons in your energy-saving
arsenal. Make sure they are in good shape and fit snuggly against the oven door
to properly keep the heat in the oven and your money in your pocket.
Cleanliness is next to Energy Savings. A major part of routine
maintenance is cleaning. For your commercial oven, this includes the removal of
burned food deposits at once, before they have a chance to carbonize. Help
protect yourself from broken door hinges and cracks that allow heat to escape by
carefully cleaning all crumbs and encrusted food from around openings.
What pan are you using on your cook top? In commercial applications,
choosing the right size and type of pot or pan for the burner on your stovetop
is crucial in maximizing your restaurant's energy-savings. Pots & pans should be
larger in diameter by one inch than the burner they are resting on. Making sure
your pot is the right size for your commercial stovetop burner will reduce your
energy bill because more of the burner's heat is absorbed by the cookware.
Choosing the best commercial cookware (flat-bottom cookware is generally more
efficient than warped-bottom cookware) will get you on your way to lower energy
bills.
Keep it in Check. When using a gas cook top, prevent flames from
licking up the sides and keep them down underneath the pot, where they belong.
When preparing food with an electric cook top, turn off the burner before you're
finished cooking and let the residual heat finish up the cooking for you.
Cooking is one thing that's good under pressure. Your restaurant keeps
you under pressure, but are you keeping pressure on your cooking? Pressure
cookers use the pressure they create to raise boiling points and reduce cook
time. Utilizing a commercial pressure cooker can reduce your energy usage by
two-thirds.
Keep a lid on it! Lids keep heat in commercial cooking equipment,
reduce energy and achieve faster cooking times. So for no added cost, putting
lids on your pots can put more profits in your pockets.
Maintenance is key. Here at Jean's Restaurant Supply, we recommend the
following maintenance guidelines for your commercial stove/cook top: Keep an eye
out for accumulated food spills, which can cause corrosion, uneven cooking, and
unnecessary fuel consumption which ends up costing you. Have all of your
burners, jets and controls serviced regularly. You can also have your local
utility company come and check all your burner adjustments and electrical/gas
connections.
An eye to the future. Keeping in mind that you will have to pay energy
bills for the life of the stovetop, research what type of stovetop would be best
suited for your needs. Therefore, your energy-saving efforts can continue to
result in lower energy bills and higher profit margins.
Quick is the name of the game. Commercial fryers utilize a system of
cooking where the heating element is in near or immediate contact with the fat
or oil, and as a result, they require limited preheat times and recover very
quickly. We at Jean's Restaurant Supply recommend following the manufacturer's
general rule of thumb, which is 7 to 15 minutes. Preheating any longer will only
reduce your energy-savings. Also, don't assume that a higher preheat temperature
will decrease your preheat time. On the contrary, it will not heat the fryer any
faster, but in fact, could overheat the fryer and cause wasted energy and
possible food spoilage due to excessive cooking temperatures. It's okay to turn
down your fryer to an idling temperature during slow periods when it is not in
constant use, and this also helps to extend oil life. Furthermore, resist the
temptation to overload your baskets past the manufacturer's usual recommendation
of one-half to two-thirds full. Overloading will not decrease energy costs; it
will simply increase cook times and endanger food quality.
Drain and Strain. One of the most effective steps you can take to
increase your commercial fryer's energy efficiency is to keep the oil as clean
as possible. This means regularly, maybe even daily, draining the oil from your
fryer and processing it through a commercial fryer filter. All fryers have a
cold zone where the oil is not heated and the loose debris is allowed to settle.
This is where you should remove the sediment from the oil before it creeps up
into the hot zone and hinders food quality. When your commercial fryer's cold
zone is filled with debris, food particles drift up into the hot zone and are
re-fried and essentially burnt. This causes your oil to become contaminated and
it is also the reason that product taste transfer occurs. Ever wonder why your
onion rings taste like your seafood? Maintaining your oil properly requires
diligence, but your efforts will be well rewarded with reduced costs in
replacing oil (oil cleaned twice a day will last approximately three weeks,
while oil that is not filtered will be lucky to survive three days); also,
there's no need to buy that expensive second fryer to prevent product taste
transfer when clean oil will do the trick; and finally, as the old clichι goes
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Uncontaminated oil that is free
from burnt debris is easier to clean up after, making your equipment maintenance
job less problematic. Watch out for smoking oil which means, either the
temperature is too high, or the fat is broken down and needs to be replaced.
It's Elementary, my dear. Maintenance on your commercial fryer revolves
around keeping your heating elements in peak working condition. For that reason,
clean your heating element frequently. Built up debris makes the heating element
work harder to heat up the oil, consequently minimizing your energy-saving
possibilities. Use a thermometer to double-check that your fryer is operating at
the correct temperature; approximately 325ΊF to 350ΊF. If the temperature of the
oil is considerably different than the thermostat, having it serviced could
increase your energy-savings. Keep an eye out for gum in the kettle, which means
the fryer is due for a thorough cleaning.
Consider your options. There is much debate concerning the benefits of
gas commercial fryers versus electric commercial fryers. Not so long ago, the
energy cost of using a gas appliance was considerably lower than using an
electric one. However, with natural gas prices climbing higher and higher every
day, the savvy consumer must take into account all the variables when it comes
to making this decision. One important variable to consider for both gas and
electric fryers is its insulation in comparison to its energy rating (either BTU
for gas or KW for electric). Choosing a commercial fryer with the best
insulation combined with the lowest energy rating allows you to maximize your
energy-savings. Both gas and electric fryers each have their own pros and cons.
With an electric commercial fryer, the heating element is inside the oil tank,
meaning that there is no wasted heat or energy. This allows the kitchen to
remain cooler and your energy use for both the fryer and your air conditioning
system are reduced. However, electric fryers do not get as hot or heat up as
fast as a gas fryer, whose gas burners are outside the tank. Though gas fryers
do have a shorter preheat time, more heat is allowed to escape up and around the
sides of the tank. This makes for a possibly hotter kitchen, entailing the need
for more air conditioning or a proper ventilation system. The last thing to
consider is the design of the fryer in relation to the product to be cooked in
it. For example, here at Jean's Restaurant Supply, we have determined that the
best fryers for cooking French fries are from the manufacturer Frymaster, while
the manufacturer Dean and its fryer's larger cold zone design makes it best for
seafood, which deposits substantial amounts of debris.
Don't get overheated. Follow the manufacturer's preheating
instructions, including; minimizing preheat times, which can waste energy, and
avoiding preheating at unnecessarily high temperatures, which could alter the
taste and quality of your food. Don't raise the temperature on your broiler
during peak hours to increase production, because it's your energy use that will
increase, while your food quality may suffer. Whenever possible, use infrared
broilers that require no preheat time and can be turned off and then quickly
reheated when called into action.
Plan it out. One of the most proactive things you can do to increase
your energy savings on your commercial broiler is organize your broiler
activities. In addition to turning off all unused sections during slack times,
you may be surprised to know that it isn't obligatory to have the entire broiler
on even at peak periods. You can improve cooking consistency and increase your
energy-savings by turning one section to full heat for rare meats and another
section to a lower setting for well-done meats. And always, always remember:
maximum capacity equals maximum efficiency, so fill 'er up!
Don't forget to Maintain. Maintenance on your commercial broiler
involves: regular cleaning of the burners, emptying the grease pan, washing drip
shields and grid, if needed, scraping the grid with a three-cornered metal
scraper and lastly, making sure openings and air shutters are clear. Handle
ceramic refractor units with care, but they should be rearranged from time to
time. Watch out for faulty burner operations a clear flame with a distinctive
inner cone is best. Also, flames should just wipe the surface of the refractor
elements; they should never float or strike directly on them. Here at Jean's
Restaurant Supply, we suggest having an experienced agent of your local gas
company adjust your burners, if the need arises.
Using these tips will help you save on your restaurant's energy bill, but always
remember to take a step back and look at the big picture. Investigate your
commercial cooking equipment options before making a final decision. Saving
money up front on an inferior quality piece of equipment will probably end up
costing your more in energy overhead, while investing in a piece of higher
quality equipment will permit you to use your energy efficiently throughout the
life of the equipment. Using energy efficiently can also produce other benefits
to your restaurant, such as: improved, more consistent food quality; less waste
resulting from reduced food spoilage; and, finally, you can enjoy more
comfortable working conditions in the kitchen because wasted heat is reduced.
Cleanliness and consistent attention to operational details can make or break
your energy-saving efforts, but that is not all. It does no good to become
knowledgeable about all these great cost-cutting ideas, if you don't pass the
information along. Educate your staff on the proper operation and maintenance of
your equipment to help ensure the extended life of your valuable investment. We
at Jean's Restaurant Supply are here to answer any of your energy-saving
questions and hope that these tips will help you see some improvement on your
energy-savings menu. Please feel free to contact Ben Rios @ 800-840-3610, Mon
Fri 8a-6p CST or Sat 9a-3p CST.
By Patty Gardiner
Patty Gardiner is a member of the website development team at
Jean's Restaurant Supply, a
restaurant and food service supply company offering restaurant equipment such as
refrigeration, bar and beverage supplies, dinnerware, concessions and more.