Essential kitchen equipment for school cafeterias includes cook and hold ovens, steam tables, merchandising refrigeration, and heated merchandiser units.
A school cafeteria serves a critical function beyond that of any typical restaurant.
While the latter’s chief goal is to provide guests with a pleasant dining experience, cafeterias have the responsibility of providing the primary source of nutrition for students.
Additionally, school cafeterias must fulfill this within strict time constraints. With lunch periods rarely lasting longer than an hour, the kitchen must feed hundreds of students in a very limited time.
This is why buffet-style service has become the standard for school cafeterias. Quick service and ensuring every student is fed entails more than just the right design, though.
Modern school kitchens must also be equipped with the tools best suited for their unique preparation and service requirements.
To maximize efficiency, most school cafeteria foods are not cooked from scratch on the campus, but rather, prepared to some degree in an off-site location and delivered to the school for further preparation.
Therefore, along with the basic storage, cookware and preparation equipment of any commercial kitchen, school cafeterias must include supplies specifically designed for convenient heating and cooling.
Some of the most important pieces of cafeteria kitchen equipment include:
Cook & Hold Ovens
Cook & hold ovens are just what they sound like: units specifically designed to cook food and store it for longer periods than conventional ovens while maintaining the heat more effectively.
This makes them suitable for cooking large amounts earlier in the day, before students begin lunch periods. When hungry students arrive, the food is still warm and ready to be served.
Steam Tables
Similar to cook & hold ovens, steam tables keep prepared foods for extended periods of time without cooling. Trays are placed atop metal wells where heated water produces steam that circulates beneath and sustains warmth.
Merchandising Refrigeration
Merchandising refrigeration is an easy way for students to pick chilled items themselves without requiring kitchen staff. They are a must for canned and bottled drinks, but also great for displaying baked goods, salads, or other pre-made menu items best served cool.
Heated Merchandisers
Just as merchandising refrigeration makes it easy for students to pick their favorite chilled foods and drinks, heated merchandisers display cooked foods in a similarly convenient way. These serve as significant upgrades from traditional heating lamps, which can be less efficient and attractive.
The above items represent some basic pieces of equipment any school cafeteria should have, but they’re just the beginning.
Every commercial kitchen requires a full array of tools to keep everything running smoothly, and that’s why it’s important to work with an equipment and supplies retailer you can trust.
This information is courtesy of Sam Tell Companies, one of the largest restaurant and foodservice equipment and supplies dealerships in the nation, www.samtell.com. With a detail-oriented design department, a highly skilled install team, and a knowledgeable smallwares salesforce, Sam Tell is your one-stop solution for all things foodservice.
