Countertop cooking equipment is as important as the full-size units. Countertop ovens to hot plates, countertop cooking equipment is a lifesaver for commercial kitchens of different sizes because every commercial kitchen needs these small appliances for daily use. We prepared a countertop cooking equipment list for your business’s needed equipment from starting this point.
1. Commercial Countertop Ovens
An oven is indispensable in a commercial kitchen. Countertop ovens’ contact sizes let you fit them wherever you want, eliminating the worries about the size of your commercial kitchen and letting you use your space more efficiently. They are not just perfect for small kitchens, but they are also efficient for warming foods or roasting little portions or sides. They eliminate the need for full-size heating units, saving time and energy. Most commercial oven types are available in countertop models, so you can choose whichever type you want depending on what you will use it.
a. Commercial Countertop Convection Oven
Using fans for cooking with circulating hot air, countertop convection ovens are essential pieces of countertop cooking equipment. The fans prevent food from drying, cook evenly, and lower cooking times. Countertop convection ovens take up a little space, saving you free area in your commercial kitchen, contrary to standalone convection ovens.
b. Commercial Countertop Conveyor Oven
A conveyor oven cooks food by moving it through the oven on a conveyor belt. This system makes the food cook evenly, and you can keep placing other food to cook as the belt continually moves and cooks. A countertop conveyor oven will be ideal for heating food or cooking small portions without the need to heat a full-size oven, and it will also be energy efficient.
c. Commercial Countertop Deck Oven
A deck oven bakes via a heated stone and uses radiant heat. It allows controlling both upper and lower slobs separately, providing complete control of the heat. Deck ovens are also known for their energy efficiency, which means low operational costs. Also, a commercial deck oven can be heated by gas, electric, or thermal oil and some types include a steamer to choose the most convenient one for your business. In our “How to Choose the Best Commercial Oven“ blog post, you can have detailed information about commercial deck ovens.
d. Commercial Countertop Steam Oven
Steam cooking is a healthy way to cook that you can use for veggies, seafood, or many more, which will keep the food more nutrient, moisture, and flavorful than other cooking types. Plus, the steam will make the food cook faster.
e. Commercial Microwave Ovens
Commercial microwave ovens are the easiest way of rapid cooking or heating food in a bit of time. Since they don’t require ventilation, they come in handy, and there are power options such as light, medium, and heavy-duty versions, giving you the chance to choose, considering your business volume. Ones with higher power will cook faster.
f. Commercial Countertop Rapid Cook Oven
Rapid cook or high-speed ovens are other practical pieces of commercial countertop cooking equipment that combine different cooking methods to achieve the perfect outcomes. Microwave is one of these methods combined with convection cooking to cook or bake ideally. The convection heat completes the baking process, eliminating the cold spots microwaving may cause or add the crunchy finish or browning to pizzas or other baked goods.
The impingement method is when jets of hot air are sent directly to the food, reducing the cooking times significantly. It is generally used for melting or browning foods for finishing.
g. Commercial Countertop Pizza Oven
A commercial countertop pizza oven is helpful for various tasks aside from just cooking pizza. You can use this compact unit for warming food or baking several goods. Because it’ll save you extra counter space, It’s ideal for small footprint restaurants with a need for several cooking options.
A countertop pizza oven can be deck or conveyor style. By stacking a number of conveyor ovens on top of each other, you can expand the production. Most countertop pizza ovens are electric-powered, so you can place them on any countertop where you have an electrical connection.
You can have more information about commercial ovens in our blog post, “A Complete Guide for Commercial Kitchen Ovens.”
2. Commercial Deep Fryers
A commercial deep fryer can use gas or electricity as a heat source, so deciding which one is proper for your establishment is the first thing to be done before choosing a commercial countertop deep fryer. A countertop electric deep fryer heats up quickly and is generally less expensive than gas models. You need to ensure you have the same voltage your electric fryer requires. Countertop gas fryers maintain heat more than electric types, but they can take more time to heat at the beginning.
Commercial donut fryers are the countertop cooking equipment with specifically designed pans that are large enough for donuts and funnel cakes. Ventless models remove the need for extra ventilation for the fryer, letting you use it wherever you want and saving you money. Lastly, greaseless fryers fries without using oil but hot air instead. They are healthier and easier to clean than standard fryers.
3. Commercial Griddles
You can cook almost everything on a commercial griddle, from bacon to pancakes. The commercial griddles can be electric or gas heated and made of aluminum, cast iron, or steel. A teppanyaki griddle fits into the countertop to turn the cooking process into an attractive display. The middle part is for cooking, and the sides are for warming.
4. Commercial Charbroilers
Commercial charbroilers are a type of grill that is designed for indoor use. This countertop cooking equipment gives food a smokey flavor and grill marks. They are generally larger than griddles, allowing them to cook more diverse food at once. A charbroiler can be heated by gas, electric, lava rock, wood, or radiant, allowing you to choose the best one for your commercial kitchen. Unlike griddles, they can be made of more diverse materials and are generally used for grilling meat, fish, or veggies.
5. Commercial Broilers
A commercial broiler is typically used to finish dishes, roast meat, or melt cheese by using radiant heat. A rotisserie broiler is a countertop cooking equipment designed with a skewer that rotates the food and provides even cooking. While radiant heat browns the food, convection roasts, and it is generally used to cook the chicken slowly and simultaneously serves as a displayer. But you can cook various dishes, types of meat or seafood.
Another type of broiler is the salamander broiler, cooking with infrared heat and maintaining heat for longer than other types. They’re designed to cook only the top part of the dishes and apply a very high intense temperature directly to the food through the top heaters to put a final touch on the dish by browning, caramelizing, or melting for the last touch.
Gyro machines, also known as vertical broilers, are another type of countertop cooking equipment specially designed for commercial kitchens to cook some well-known Greek, Turkish, and Mediterranean foods.
6. Commercial Steamers
Cooking with steam makes food retain its color, flavor, and moisture, which is what a steamer does. Commercial steamers provide a healthier way of cooking and prevent food from drying. There are two types of it; pressure and convection steamers. Pressure steamers are famous for their fast cooking, and convection steamers cook using lower temperatures, resulting in high-quality results, and converting steamers are preferable because of their lower price. One of the crucial points to consider before buying a commercial countertop steamer is the way of water supply they require. While some need to be filled manually, some take the water from the water line directly.
7. Tilt Skillets
A tilt skillet is a countertop cooking equipment that can fry, grill, simmer or saute large amounts of food. As the name suggests, the most distinctive feature of a tilt skillet is its capability to tilt the pan to provide easy transferring foods, and it is done with lever handles in countertop models. They come in either gas or electric models. Whereas gas types heat up more quickly, electric ones use less energy.
8. Commercial Hot Plates
Commercial hot plates can take the place of a range by serving as extra cooking equipment when there is no place for another full-size range in a commercial kitchen. A commercial hot plate can have 1, 2, or 4 burners and can be either gas or electric. Electric hot plates are available in solid plate burners and coil burners and are safer than gas models, while gas hot plates use cast iron or stainless steel grates, are cheaper, and cook more rapidly.
9. Commercial Rice Cookers
A commercial rice cooker is a needed countertop cooking equipment for every restaurant with rice on its menu. Aside from cooking rice, a rice cooker can keep rice warm as well, and even some rice cooker models automatically switch to warming mode after cooking the rice.
10. Commercial Waffle Makers
Waffles are one of the most preferred desserts these days, with many new variations. Therefore, having a commercial waffle maker would be wise to boost the business. Commercial waffle makers come in three types: Belgian waffle, bubble waffle, and cone makers. Their features are almost the same, they all are made of heat-retaining materials, but the difference is shapes and sizes.
11. Commercial Crepe Maker
Crepe is a versatile food that can be served with a high diversity of ingredients, from meat to sweets. Therefore, a commercial crepe maker is one of the essential countertop cooking equipment for an establishment with a crepe on its menu. A crepe maker is a kind of griddle made of cast iron, stainless steel, or ceramic, designed as double or single rounds.
12. Panini Press
A panini press is a kind of hot plate with two plates used to make grill marks or toast foods by pressing. It can be made of cast iron, stainless steel, or aluminum. Panini presses and grills can be used in various ways, from making sandwiches to browning food. Depending on your usage frequency, you can choose from medium or heavy-duty panini presses.
13. Countertop Smokers
Countertop smokers, also called indoor smokers, are compact commercial cooking equipment that provides barbecue meat taste without filling all indoors with smoke. Thanks to their portable design, they’re made for limited cooking operations inside, but you can take them to outdoor events or catering.
14. Sous Vide Immersion Circulators
Sous vide immersion circulators are commercial countertop cooking equipment designed to cook the food in a vacuum-sealed bag in the water at a consistent temperature. Sous vide cooking technique is preferred for its healthy, and you can have high-quality sous vide immersion circulators to cook the food for the healthy-eating addicts.
15. Commercial Egg Stations
Commercial egg stations are great countertop helpers for breakfast preparation and other made-to-order egg recipes. They use heat and steam for cooking the eggs while preserving the texture of the eggs.
16. Commercial Cheese Melters
Commercial cheese melters enable you to melt the cheese, heat the sandwiches, and warm your pre-cooked food. Moreover, you can also warm the plates and prepare for the service. Commercial cheesemelters are perfect compact countertop cooking equipment that makes the last touch to your dishes by browning or caramelizing the toppings.
17. Countertop Hot Dog Rollers
Countertop hot dog rollers hold about 10-75 hot dogs and cook them evenly at least 145°F. They also help you keep the hot dogs warm till the service.
To Sum Up
A commercial kitchen is where the chefs create their masterpieces with the assistance of commercial equipment. Countertop cooking equipment has an essential place in a commercial kitchen and is not just ideal for small-sized establishments, but they are the henchmen of any cook with the speed and facilities they provide.
