All you wanted to know about Shelves, Sinks and Benches in a commercial kitchen

When it comes to a piece of commercial kitchen equipment, they play a lead role in the smooth functioning of the back end of your food business. If you ever have had the opportunity to just take a stroll in such a place, you will notice a large number of stainless steel types of equipage stationed there. Some of these belong to a category that helps in organising your kitchen. It can be agonising for the chef if the kitchen he works in does not have the right type of appliance that supports inventory management and cleaning and washing tasks.

We are going to talk about Commercial Stainless Steel Sinks, Shelves and Benches. Read through.

Commercial Stainless Steel Sinks

These sinks are designed and manufactured keeping in mind the washing and cleaning of utensils and other food washing jobs that are performed in a busy kitchen. Usually, this type of a sink is placed beside the dishwasher. This heavy-duty tub comes in several variants to suit your business needs and requirements. Sinks are usually manufactured in stainless steel because:

  • Stainless Steel is lauded food graded material
  • Extremely easy to clean and wash off from the food spills scattered during heavy food traffic jobs
  • The most durable material in a heavy traffic food kitchen

Grades of Stainless Steel used while manufacturing commercial tubs

They come in a variety of quality and grade to accommodate all kinds of budgets and requirements. Following are the grades of Stainless Steel used in creating these commercial sinks:

  • 304 stainless steel- is a commercial grade of the metal. It is the most common stainless steel used in manufacturing tables and sinks.
  • 430 stainless steel- is another grade that is used in manufacturing sinks for busy kitchens. As it rests with 0% nickel, it is less resistant to corrosion. It is on the higher side that the 304 grade and is considered to be of high quality.

A quick light on the features will make things more clear

Below is a gist of what is all a heavy-duty Stainless Steel sink is all about:

  • Commercial sinks are in high demand in the zones of restaurants, caterers or hotels.
  • Many commercial tubs have an integrated stainless steel splashback, bench and prep area. This facilitates multi-tasking which is an integral part of a food work area.
  • You will find maximum integrated utilities in stainless steel as it aids easy cleaning of the spills that come from various food prep jobs like chopping, cooking, frying, steaming, cooking in pressure cookers, and similar such tasks.  
  • Stainless Steel splashbacks are a lot easier to clean than tiles and grout, which is why we see so much stainless steel in a food trade kitchen.
  • They are available in various setups to facilitate easy installation. You can purchase a commercial sink with a stainless steel bench. Your commercial equipment supplier can come and weld it within your kitchen so that installation becomes easier. Else it won't even cross your kitchen door.
  • Sinks are sturdily constructed and made from high-quality and food-grade stainless steel which is easy to maintain and easy to clean, scratch-resistant and highly durable.

Let's give you an insight about the design you can choose  

Now, this depends on the budget, your kitchen dimension, material of other kitchen types of equipment, types of food tasks and convenience of your kitchen staff. The below information will help you to finalise the design of the commercial tub you should but:

Fully assembled commercial Stainless Steel sink

Yay

  • Frequently welded for adding strength
  • Highly durable
  • Stree-resistant at various joints or meeting points

Nay

  • Higher on the cost side
  • Deliveries are difficult as limited space to go through
  • Delivery cost will be high as the size of the product is big

Flat packed Commercial Stainless Steel sink

Yay

  • Easy to set up in small space
  • Low on cost as it is built by you
  • Delivery is easy because of the small size
  • Delivery cost is cheaper because of the small dimension

What capacity will suit your business kitchen?

Busy kitchens work at a jet speed in rush hours or during bulk bookings and festivals along with holidays. A single tub sink will not do for such a heavily functioning food work area. You need to identify the frequency of the use of such an appliance. And accordingly, you will have to install commercial faucets for water purposes.

To make your task easier, let’s share a piece of information here:

A single sink bench variant with a stainless steel board attached to it is usually used when a load of washing is less. The sideboard can be used to place the utensils to dry up to be stacked later.

A double sink bench variant is a heavy-duty sink that can accommodate rush-hour jobs easily. You will find this type of sink without a steel board usually. But you can customise according to the space and your requirement.

Remember, the more you care about the ease with which your kitchen brigade can work, the better your kitchen will run.

Types of commercial sinks:

A high-traffic food work area performs a variety of food tasks to keep their customers happy. If they don’t have specified equipment for specified tasks, things can go crazy. The following types of sink enables the kitchen staff to perform the task in a sorted manner:

  • Food prep tubs – specially designed for food prep jobs. It is separate from personal use and thus is a hygienic way to deal with food washing jobs. The safety quotient of the food is intact.
  • Handwash tubs– designed for handwashing jobs for the kitchen staff.
  • Pot wash tubs – are designed with a good sink depth to facilitate cleaning and washing cookware and utensils after cooking and preparing the menu items.

You can always grab a good deal from commercial stainless steel sinks sale but make sure you have gained enough knowledge about the equipment as you are shelling a chunk of your budget in installing commercial kitchen equipment.

Commercial Stainless Steel Benches

Your commercial kitchen is incomplete without a quality commercial kitchen bench. These benches are of a height that your kitchen staff can stand and easily perform heavy-duty kitchen jobs. They are manufactured in stainless steel material.

Stainless Steel appliances are a perfect way to craft your kitchen for high-speed food prep jobs. You can decide form the following different types of steel used in manufacturing stainless steel benches.

  • 18 Gauge Stainless Steel

Is also christened as a budget option. It is so as it is pocket-friendly and very conveniently priced in comparison to its other competitors. Highly durable quality and every business owners go-to choice, this quality of stainless steel bench is high in demand.

Such quality of bench is highly recommended for food jobs like salad preps, sandwiches preps, sorting inventory, or you can utilise the space for general kitchen tasks.

While they offer loads of convenience they are prone to dents and scratches. So while doing tasks on such quality, avoid heavy-duty chopping jobs and don't place rough heavy material.

  • 16 Gauge Stainless Steel

If you are the one wanting to balance between quality and price, this is a good option. It comes with a friendly price tag but the durability feature is higher than the one above. It is also a multipurpose kitchen buddy as the material is quite friendly with most of the food work area jobs.

  • 14 Gauge Stainless Steel

Thi quality is usually preferred by chefs who wish to undertake butcher tasks. This material can retain heavy loads of works and is a choice made by food business owners who wish to spend on quality with durability.

  • Type 304

This is one of the most famous types of steel used for commercial benches with splashbacks. It comes with a high degree of resistance towards rust and corrosion. The ratio of nickel and chromium are prominent whereas the level of carbon is low. Type 304 is high in demand for heavy-duty jobs that involve pressure, force to perform chopping, cutting, slicing and similar such types of food prep tasks. It can snuggle into any commercial atmosphere as sanitising this quality of a stainless steel bench is effortless, making it an ideal choice.

Designs to accommodate food business needs

Commercial benches are designed in such a way that they contribute as a huge support system to your food business. Stakes are high so invest carefully. The following will ease your plight to decide what design suits your requirement the most:

  • Drawers

Any amount of storage space in your busyl kitchen is a bonus. Your tools can rest there while your mopping cloth, gloves, and so much more can be sorted when you have benches with drawers. The work of your staff becomes handy and quick with such designs. Your kitchen efficiency will increase with such a choice.

  • Casters

The most important convenience that any of us yearn for is to move types of equipment with ease. This not only facilitates clean floor space but also an easy shift of the equipment is done in a blink of the eye. But don’t forget, adding casters will raise the bench height. 

  • Under-shelves

Such designs are manufactured keeping in mind the difficulty of space in small size kitchen. These shelves are designed as such that they don’t occupy extra space and provide you with a good amount of area at your disposal. This design comes as a saviour to the staff working in a limited space and who struggle enough to organise the kitchen jobs. Extra equipment or equipment accessories, small cookware and many other such types of materials can be placed on under shelves giving your kitchen a more sorted look. Under-shelves with leg bracing provides a good height and support for extrea shelve space for hassle-free functionality of your business kitchen.

To conclude, these are some of the most important things to carry in mind when shopping for stainless steel benches. It’s always best to assess different alternatives and characteristics before making such an investment – this way, you’ll make sure that it addresses your specifications and needs.

A quick walkthrough

These heavy duty buddies can’t be missed because:

  • Highly dependable by chefs
  • Is heavily relied for food pre-prep jobs like cutting, slicing, chopping, etc
  • Is manufactured in many variants of stainless steel to accommodate all need and requirement of the food business owner and their staff.
  • Sanitising is super easy and effective due to its food-grade material
  • Fits in kitchens of all sizes and dimensions as it can be customised
  • Available in a variety of designs to enhance your kitchen space without physically expanding it
  • Escalates the commercial kitchen efficiency by making the food work area more sorted and organised

You should research well on your commercial stainless steel benches supplier before picking your choice. Sometimes good deals are awaiting when stainless steel benches for sale but make sure they fit into your kitchen dimensions properly.

Commercial Stainless Steel shelves

Shelving is paramount in a commercial kitchen. The efficiency quotient highly depends on how organised your inventory is. This will decide how comfortable your kitchen brigade is while working in the kitchen. Quality steel shelving withstands harsh handling of business food work areas as they are robust and durable.

A below-par kitchen space planning and design are one of the key reasons your staff has to work in compromised environments where inventory is messy to keep and floor space has inited movement for staff trips. Adequate and proper shelving surely clears this mess as they are designed to curb such shortcomings.

Your mobile inventory such as drinks, small appliances, low space-occupying equipment, glass and dry goods can be easily stacked on stainless steel shelves. You not only save your inventory from being wasted or damaged, but you will also save time and money both while stacking them on shelves. This will also avoid injuries which your staff might get while tumbling upon in a hurry in rush hours.

This type of equipment adds to your profits as you can curb your losses by installing them into your food work area.  You should prioritize to make your business kitchen as efficient a possible.

Below is a complete and clear outline of each type and variety of commercial kitchen shelves. This will support you in buying your equipage. Let's take a look:

  • Solid Shelves

These are quite a manageable shelve as the items stacked on them will not slip through them. But when it comes to the ventilation quotient, it is less desired. Still, they are quite easy to maintain and clean.

  • Grid or Vented Shelves

They are showstoppers in cold storage areas. Highly ventilated designs trigger air circulation through the stock placed on them. You can quickly view all items placed on them as they are in a grid or vented form, thus enabling an easy view. A single piece of vented shelve requires time and skill to clean. But several options are open in the market that enables time-saving cleaning.

Materials used for Commercial Kitchen Shelves

  • Stainless Steel

A highly recommended food-grade material, stainless steel is the most preferred one. It facilitates easy cleaning, corrosion-resistant and fits in almost all environments like cold storage, warehouse-style units and usual storage units.

  • Epoxy Coated

Suited best for humid environments like the walk-in freezers and fridges. Even where the dishwashing jobs are undertaken, Epoxy is also preferred for its corrosion resistant feature.

  • Antimicrobial

This is an additional layer that is added to any material type of equipment. It is infused during the manufacturing of the appliance. Antimicrobial is most preferred as it prevents the growth of bacteria, mould that will further create a foul odour.

  • Polymer or Polypropylene

Completely resistant to corrosion, this material is dishwasher safe also. Shelves of this material are quite easy to maintain.

  • Chrome Wire

For high-temperature environments, Chrome wire is highly recommended. Visibility is excellent and ventilation is perfect in this type os commercial shelves.

Types of Mounting and Assembly Pieces for Commercial Kitchen Shelves

The following are the basic option you have when it comes to mounting your shelves. Here they are:

  • Mobile Mounting

Mobile mounting is suggested when space is limited. You can pull them out when you need it and can be relocated as and when you need to. But they are on the higher side. Cleaning behind the units becomes easy.

  • Stationary Mounting

If you have huge space in your commercial kitchen, then Stationary mounting will work the best. As it is fixed in one place and offers ample food work area easing the jobs of your staff. Wall mounting shelves are the most preferred ones as they don’t need extra floor space and are easily reachable by the staff.

Commercial shelves come with the following accessories:

  • Casters: easy for movement as they make your shelves easily available in your comfort space.
  • Hooks: keeps shelves together and organised.
  • Ledges: keeps items sorted on the shelves with ledge-guards.

The Crux

Commercial shelving can be a game-changer when it comes to your food business. The four major zones where they have an impact are listed below. This will help you to understand the various utilities it offers:

Inventory is Off the Ground: the FDA Food Code directs that food items need to be at least six inches above the ground. Food items such as bags of flour, sugar are supposed to be stacked on shelves to avoid damage and spoilage.

Wall Space: is overlooked by many when it comes to storage of inventory. Hangers, hooks, and racks are all excellent options for storing lightweight items like linens and small utensils. You can use different colour-coded strips to ensure the relevant are placed accordingly.

The Walk-Ins: Such units are built for cold storage. So you can get the max out of your investment with Epoxy coating helves. They are designed for cold areas.  Even polymer shelving can be opted for as well. They are corrosion resistant and both come with their set of benefits.Js be careful, not to pace shelves close to or in front of vents. These are warmer spots.  

The Australian major cities like Victoria, Melbourne and Sydney NSW, have been majorly influenced by cooking shows such as MasterChef, MKR My Kitchen Rules, Jamie's Kitchen, Iron Chef etc. We get fascinated by seeing all the participants and world-class chefs working off their stainless steel commercial sink, bench and shelves with their exclusive cookware and kitchenware, gas griddles, gas burners with ovens, planetary mixers and commercial equipment. All of this sends us into a fantasy kitchen where we aspire to work with such high-quality equipage. We don’t have this advantage in home kitchens but is well converted in a business kitchen. Sydney and Melbourne are hot spots for sale on commercial stainless steel sinks, beches and shelves and the best suppliers for the same.