Reasons to Use Stainless Steel in Your Commercial Kitchen

No matter what kind of commercial kitchen you are running, it is going to get a lot more use than your kitchen at home. And because of the heavy traffic and use, everything in it will get dirtier and greasier more quickly.

Having equipment that is made of stainless steel is a good way to minimize the work required to keep the kitchen in your restaurant in good, working condition. Here are just a few reasons you should consider using stainless steel in the kitchen.

Stainless steel is easier to clean than most other materials. It is nonporous, so grease will not soak into it. This quality makes it great to use for things like backsplashes and the walls behind your cooking equipment. Use a cleaner made for stainless steel and a rag to clean it. Once clean, you can easily remove the cleansing agent from stainless steel surfaces with warm water.

In addition, since stainless steel is nonporous, the equipment and areas that are made of it will not harbor bacteria. You won't have to worry about diseases breeding on the surfaces of your kitchen as long as you regularly wipe everything clean during the day and after the restaurant closes.

While it is possible to scratch a stainless-steel surface, this material will not crack or break apart. A scratch on wood, Formica, or fiberglass reinforce polyurethane (FRP), on the other hand, may continue to grow. In addition, a hot pan or pot may cause anything that is laminated to bubble and break the laminate. Once the laminate area is compromised, grease, blood, and bacteria may enter the piece.

In addition, the heat in a kitchen may cause the glue that holds the laminate in place to soften. You will find pieces popping up or falling off regularly. Then you will have to pull the whole piece off, clean and sanitize the area, and reapply a new piece of laminate.

Stainless steel will never fall apart like this. Stainless steel is also stronger than aluminum. It will take a lot more force to dent something made of stainless steel. However, you should contact a company that fabricates metal pieces to ensure each piece of equipment is made of the proper grade of steel for the way it will be used. A simple wall cladding behind a row of deep fryers does not need to be as thick as the metal of the fryers.

Any item in your kitchen that may come in contact with heat should be made of stainless steel. That’s because a hot pan placed on a wooden counter may melt any sealant and scorch the wood underneath. Likewise, placing a fryer basket on a plastic cart may melt the plastic.

Heat is not the only temperature condition you need to consider in a kitchen, however. You may have carts or bins that go from the freezer to the prep area. The intense cold in the freezer may cause some materials to become brittle and break. In addition, going from one extreme to the other may cause problems.

Health departments demand a commercial kitchen be clean and sanitary. While you may be able to have a laminate countertop and tables, regulations may demand that all sides of them are covered with the laminate. This requirement means you will have to cover the underside of these pieces too. It would be much easier to have a metal fabricator make these items to your specifications from stainless steel.

Contact Colonial Kitchen Fabrication and Sheet Metal to get started.