Basequipment's Blog

Your Commercial Ice Machine Not Working Like It Used To?

basequipment — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:02:53 +0000

Man, is it hot outside! My ice machine is not working worth a darn, it cannot keep up and on top of that my customers want me to sell them ice to load up their coolers!
When I bought the unit six years ago it worked fine. So I added thirty seats to my dining area and added two fryers and a six burner range to my cooking line and my ice machine doesn’t make half the ice it used too. What am I to do?

Many restaurant owners have this question. One thing you can do is to move the ice machine, but that can be costly, or you can look at the energy efficiency of the machine. Like many types of commercial cooking equipment Ice machines, dish machines, refrigerators and deep fryers are all energy star rated. An air cooled machine rated at around 700 pounds production in a twenty four hour period can use as much as 150 gallons of water to make that amount of ice! That’s a new unit energy star rated! Imagine what it could be if it is an older unit not as efficient or it is a water cooled unit? This figure doesn’t even take into account the electrical energy use.

After hearing all this maybe it is time to consider an upgrade on your ice machine. You can call a sales rep like me and discuss the options. I have a report that gives the ratings for many manufactures not only for ice machines, but for steamers, fryers, holding cabinets, dish machines and refrigeration units as well . Recently added this year are griddles and convection ovens. This report is issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA . So you want to make more money? Lets look at energy saving equipment that is more efficient as well as some utility companies offer rebate money direct to you for replacing your old equipment . Please check with your local utility to see if and what is qualified.

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

How To Size Grease Traps for Your Restaurant or Business

basequipment — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 18:31:33 +0000

Have you ever gone by a food service establishment and detected the most vile odor? Makes you not want to eat at that location, right? Well chances are that it is a simple matter of cleaning out the grease trap. Even though I never have had the honor of doing this task, it is not that difficult if the grease trap is readily accessible. If you find that you need to clean it too often then maybe you need to look into whether you have the right size grease trap or night. To properly size one you need to use the following formula:

Length of the sink bowl x width of the sink bowl x depth of the sink bowl x the number of bowls. Take this number and divide by 231 x .75. The final figure will give you the size of the grease trap.

Grease trap sizes are based on two factors, pound storage capacity and flow rate per minute. What you need to keep in mind is not so much how much grease you may generate but the size of the bowl on your sink. Imagine you trying to pour water into a funnel and you pour faster than the hole at the bottom of the funnel will let the water out. Same principle as the grease trap. If you have too small of a trap and you open three drains of water and the grease trap can not keep up with the rate of water flow the trap will not do the job. If you need help sizing one up, feel free to give me a call!

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Commercial Summer Bar Blending

basequipment — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 20:32:03 +0000

Summer is on its way. Now is the time for all the outdoor patios to reopen and the summer time
Beverages are in demand. If you are looking for cost savings and still want to make a frozen drink or a smoothie I suggest using the Waring MX1000XT w/ 64 ounce container with hi and low speed plus pulse switch. If you just want to whip up a quick pitcher of margaritas then use the Waring MMB142 Margarita Madness Blender. For those outdoor events that need a little more control consider Vita Mix
Model 5066. This has a 32 ounce container, six blender programs and pulse control. This item is great for smoothies, whole fruit and vegetable drinks, daiquiris, or whatever will quench your thirst. Even better blenders can be used for some food processing operations, do your research first to make sure you get the right machine for the right job. As always socialize responsibly and respect your neighbors. Happy blending!

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Make Sure You Keep Your Food “At Temperature”

basequipment — Wed, 05 May 2010 18:33:39 +0000

Last weekend my wife and I went to the first outdoor function of the year. As we were going through the buffet line we noticed that the cole slaw was not as cold as it should be and the baked chicken was not as hot as it should be. I looked at what they were using to keep product hot or cold and noticed they were just sitting on the table. Since my wife and I are good friends with the organizers I suggested they invest in a Cambro CamCarrier. This unit will hold full size steam table pans or clear food pans hot or cold. They are very well insulated. The next item I said they could use is the insulated delivery bags from Intedge. These are an inexpensive way to hold food hot or cold food as well.
When we went to the buffet line the food was in aluminum foil pans. I suggested using the Chafers Burkett Restaurant Equipment has on sale. Also check out the new innovative shapes of steam table pans from Vollrath. For those that want to go all out just check out the portable bars now available. For any other catering needs or ideas please drop us an email, maybe we can incorporate it into future blogs.

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Concession Merchandising the Right Way at a Game

basequipment — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 17:45:43 +0000

Well, the game has started and I have my hot dog, but now I want a hot pretzel and another sandwich, so off to the concession stand I go. I noticed they were holding the sandwiches in a pizza delivery bag so I suggested they look at some counter top merchandiser like the Star 15 MC Countertop Merchandiser that can be used for sandwiches, breakfast burritos and many other snack foods that need to be kept hot. If you need more capacity then look at the Vollrath line of countertop warming unit such as the model 40733. I like this unit because it has heat and humidity control and has three adjustable shelves. If you need to hold pizza then I suggest the Fusion Countertop Pizza and Snack Merchandiser. This is an economically priced unit and does not have a big price tag. I see they really could use a revolving pretzel merchandiser like the Nemco 6403. Given the right equipment any concession stand can almost offer a full meal at the ball game and still serve items that are nutritious as well as delicious.

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Batter Up! Gear Up Concession Stands!

basequipment — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:03:50 +0000

Batter up! Baseball season is coming soon. What’s better than a cool refreshing beverage of your choice and a hot dog at the ball game! Now is the time for those concession stands to start gearing up for the season. Hot dog equipment is available in many different styles, sizes and capacities. There are units that hold 18 hot dogs and 12 buns with the hot dogs in a cradle such as model 174 cba from star. I like this style because the hot dog stays juicy as it heats up. There is another style that has a spike to hold the dogs. Capacity on these are 24 dogs and 12 buns. Star Mfg. carries both of these . There are also steamer type hot dog units that hold 150 hot dogs and 30 buns.
If you want to have the ability to offer foot longs, polish style, and other styles you may want to go with a hot dog roller grill. There are different capacities of these as well . The rollers come in chrome and non stick for easy clean up. There are bun warmers that can sit underneath them as well as sneeze guards for self service. If you want to look at some of the different sizes, capacities and options please check out Star, Vollrath and Nemco on our web site. Don’t forget the tongs and other accessories to go with them. Three strikes you are out in baseball but your never out with a good hot dog your way. Home run!!

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

A Meat Slicer Is A Meat Slicer…Right?

basequipment — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:38:52 +0000

I was talking to a customer the other day that needed a slicer and when I asked what he was going to slice he thought I was crazy. He said “A slicer is a slicer! Right?”.

There are many questions that need answers to properly size a slicer. The two items in any kitchen you do not want to under size is an ice machine and a slicer. If you are going to slice lunch meat, onions, tomatoes etc.. you can get by with a belt driven unit. Slicers are rated for how many total hours per day they will be used. It goes from one hour such as the globe model C12 which is for light duty use up to two hours per day such as the globe model G12 ,G12A.
You also should look at the horsepower of the motor and the diameter of the blade. If you want to be safe and not worry about what you will be slicing then consider the model 3600P to 4600P or 3850P which is a two speed or the 3975P to the 4975P. These units are suitable for deli operation since they are rated for all day slicing of meats, vegetables and most importantly cheese. The last mentioned models are gear driven and have one half horsepower motors. Of course once you are done slicing you need to make sure you weigh the product out correctly. If you are selling to the public by the ounce or by the pound you have to use a scale that is legal for trade, such as the Globe model GSP30A which is a label printing scale or Globe model GS30 which is just a legal for trade scale. This scale will have to be certified by the state weights and measure board. You can not use a regular scale if you are selling to the public by the measured amount. If you just need to weigh 4 ounces of meat or three ounces of cheese, then you can use a basic portion scale. So remember, keep in mind how much and how often you are slicing!

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Vollrath – High Grade S/S Commercial Smallwares

basequipment — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:41:42 +0000

In an ongoing endeavor to continue to be the major equipment and smallwares supplier in our market, we are excited to announce that we have just added to our stocking inventory products from the Vollrath company. These items are from the Jacobs Pride collection. This line is endorsed by Johnson and Wales Culinary program. As our customers keep looking at us to be their supplier we have taken up the task to bring in better quality items. Yes they may cost a little more but then isn’t quality worth a little more? Some of the items we have in are Steam Table Pans of all sizes and French Whips in various sizes. These can be used for stirring a thicker product such as making a roux. Other items are a unique shape spoodle that has an oval bowl which will enable you to dish product out of the corners of pans. We also now carry hollow handle buffet utensils for the caterers. Check out our web site for all the new and exciting items as we continue to listen to our customers. If there is an item you think we should have in inventory, please let me know so we can look into it.

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

New Heated Banquet Carts, Great For Catering

basequipment — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 18:25:16 +0000

Wow, here we are almost spring time and wedding time. Take a look at Carter Hoffman Heated Banquet Carts featured on our web site! I have used these units in the past. One of the things I liked is the casters are large and roll easily over many different surfaces. This is important when the cart is full of product the weight can be quite a bit. One of the advantages of these units is that they can be used for bulk food storage for banquet and buffet functions. Depending on what model you go with they can really increase your productivity. I have put as much as six 12 x 20 x 2 ½ deep pans per door using a full size sheet pan as a way to stack them. They also work extremely well as plate warmers for banquet functions. You can put a large amount and they will heat up and you have hot plates for the function. Since they operate on 120 volt they can be moved to another area and plugged in maintain proper serving temperatures. Carter Hoffman is one of those companies where quality is important. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to call. We are here to help!

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.

Smile, it’s a New Year

basequipment — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:03:07 +0000

Happy New Year! We might as well get the new year started on a positive note. One new years resolution I have made is to try and be positive and considerate to our customers and my fellow workers. Having just gone through the hectic holidays we all may have experienced a restaurant server or a retail employee that has been, shall we say, less than nice and almost rude. We all have bad days, after all we are human but when you are in a service related industry it is always best to put a smile on your face and a positive note to your voice. If I go into a restaurant and my server is pleasant and efficient but the food is less than perfect, my server will still get a decent tip, after all it is not their fault the food was not up to standards. Lets face it some people seem to be in a bad mood by choice all the time. We all say we need more business but if we don’t treat our customers like they are the only one that matters at that time, than we only have ourselves to blame when they don’t call or come back, so remember to smile this year.

-Jerry Kraushaar is a leading chef and sales consultant for Burkett Restaurant Equipment.