Gain Efficiency, Simplicity and Flexibility With Electric Commercial Kitchen and Water Heating Equipment

Types of Commercial Electric Kitchen Equipment

Any professional kitchen can benefit from electric commercial kitchen equipment. For example, single phase electric commercial cookers are adaptable kitchen appliances that may be used to prepare a wide range of dishes, including stews, soups, and curries. The commercial electric combination oven is a common piece of electric equipment in commercial kitchens. These ovens provide a variety of cooking options by providing both convection and steam cooking modes. Grills, fryers and countertop induction burners are some other commercial electric cooking machines. Electric commercial cooking equipment is a crucial investment in the food service sector, regardless of how big or small it is.

Financial Benefits of Electric Equipment for Food Services

There is a wide variety of electric equipment for food service, and each has its own financial benefits. Almost all equipment offers a lower total cost of ownership. These can include:

• Lower initial purchase price on comparable models
• Lower maintenance costs
• Ability to increase cooking capacity without requiring additional floor space
• Speed of service
• Increased employee satisfaction, reducing turnover
• Extended fryer oil life

Greater Flexibility in Kitchen Design and Future Layout Changes

A significant benefit of electric food service equipment is flexibility. Electric kitchen and water heating equipment doesn’t require gas line hookups and many ventless models don’t require venting, giving commercial kitchen operators more flexibility than gas models in kitchen layout and equipment placement. Another perk of many electric pieces of equipment is that they can be stacked, unlike their gas counterparts. This allows kitchens to add equipment to meet increased demand without sacrificing floor space. Whether for new builds, remodeling or equipment replacement, electric units allow greater flexibility to accommodate growth, seasonal schedules or the need to change kitchen layouts for better workflow efficiency.

Cooler, More Comfortable, More Efficient Work Environments

With electric cooking equipment, kitchens stay cooler because electric cooking appliances are up to 32% more efficient, using up to 57% less energy than gas.¹ One of the best examples is large, multi-burner ranges. Even under hoods, gas ranges add considerable heat to the surrounding air through convection. By comparison, electric induction ranges heat only the cookware and the food, so there is much less stray heat added to the kitchen space. Especially when multiple pieces of electric equipment are used, there is much less need for supplementary air conditioning to keep employees more comfortable and efficient.

More Precise Control and Ease of Use

With digital control and automatic internal adjustment, electric commercial kitchen equipment can deliver more precise temperatures and predictable, consistent results without the need for constant attention, guesswork and adjustment. Equipment for many cooking and water heating tasks features programmable startup and shutdown to match kitchen schedules throughout the day. Electric appliances also offer ease of integration into robotic cooking cells in high volume environments.

Lowering On-Site Carbon Footprint and Creating Healthier Work Environments

The potential for reducing on-site carbon emissions with electric equipment compared to gas models is often surprising and can help commercial kitchens of any size greatly improve their sustainability. As the table here illustrates, the on-site gas pizza oven emission of 24 tons of CO₂ per year can be completely eliminated with an electric oven. This is roughly equivalent to the annual CO₂ emissions of five automobiles.²

On Site CO₂ Reduction Per Year (12 Hour Daily Average Use)

And because electric equipment doesn’t produce emissions from open flames, substitution of an electric model for a gas one can contribute to a healthier work environment, even if a kitchen is not fully electric.

A Closer Look at Three Ventless Electric Cooking Innovations

These three ventless models provide examples of how electric kitchen equipment can take on multiple tasks in commercial kitchens without the need for installing gas lines or venting. And since they can be used to cook many different types of foods, they can be very attractive as centerpiece investments in a more electrified commercial kitchen space for smaller food service businesses.

Ventless Conveyor Oven

Uses: Frozen quick service foods: Pizza, appetizers, steaks, sandwiches, cookies

Benefits: Stackable, replaces multiple pieces of equipment, ventless so easily used anywhere power is available (no range hoods, no gas lines)

Typical facilities: Fast service restaurants, pizzerias, wineries, convenience stores, event spaces, stadiums, universities

Ventless Deck Oven

Uses: Frozen quick service foods: Pizza, appetizers, steaks, cookies

Benefits: Stackable, replaces multiple pieces of equipment, ventless so easily used anywhere power is available (no range hoods, no gas lines), more compact than a conveyor oven

Typical facilities: Fast service restaurants, pizzerias, wineries, convenience stores, event spaces, stadiums, universities

Ventless Griddle

Uses: Burgers, chicken sandwiches, fish, steaks, breakfast, teppanyaki cooking

Benefits: Creates less heat than gas equipment, can be safely used in public areas to increase revenues, ventless so easily used anywhere, modular design

Typical facilities: Public venues, most restaurants, stadiums, universities

There’s Electric Kitchen and Water Heating Equipment For Many Tasks

Food service operations can find electric equipment that is ideal for most cooking and water heating requirements. Within product categories, there are typically multiple model sizes to meet a range of needs.

Explore Your Electric Options

Electric cooking and water heating equipment can help commercial food service operations achieve greater operational flexibility and sustainability while creating more comfortable, healthier work environments. Moving progressively toward greater reliance on electric models can help even small food service operations future-proof their operations.

¹ https://www.treehugger.com/which-more-energy-efficient-cooking-gas-or-induction-4858206

² Passenger Vehicle Emission data source:  Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger Vehicle, March 2018, United States Environmental Protection Agency.