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Type of Equipment
Size, Capacity & Configuration
Commercial equipment is designed to be robust and durable for constant use in a busy foodservice
establishment and many types of equipment can be used for multiple applications. However, your
specific menu will be best served with equipment designed for your application. For example, will
you be a steakhouse cooking steaks exclusively over a broiler, or will steak be a feature and steaks
will be cooked sous-vide and finished on a grill?
When considering types of equipment, have an open mind and be willing to ask your local RED
Dealer what is new on the market or what can be added (or removed!) from your list of equipment
needs. Our RED Dealers across the country dedicate time and energy to learning and keeping up to
date on all new advances in commercial equipment to make your life in the kitchen easier.
Are you a small bistro with 25 seats or a large banquet centre with hundreds of people to feed at
one time? While this may seem like a simple question to answer, the kitchen design must be taken
into consideration. An often-used rule of thumb is one restaurant 6-burner range for every 50 seats.
If your kitchen produces a lot of sauces, and is not equipped with specialized equipment like a tilt
skillet, selecting a range like the Imperial IR-4-S18 that offers 4-burners set up on a 36” range might
be ideal. Conversely, if all your dishes are made à la carte, a 72” range with 12 open burners may be
more suitable. Further, you can choose to have a portion of your range be a griddle or charbroiler
instead of regular burners to increase your flexibility within the same amount of hood space.
Electric-Six French Plates
24” x 24” Griddle
Gas-Two Even-Heat Plates
and Six Open Burners
Gas-One Even-Heat Plate,
Two Open Burners, and One
36” Griddle Plate
Gas-One Even-Heat Plate and
Four Open Burners
Electric-24” x 24” Griddle Plate
and Two French Plates
Gas-Two Even-Heat Plates and
Two Open Burners
Gas-Two Even-Heat Plates
and One 36” Griddle Plate
Gas-Two Open Burners and
One Griddle Plate
Electric-High-Speed
Units
and French Plates
Different rangetop configurations
How sensitive your menu items may be is another
factor to take into account when configuring your
menu and equipment. For instance, utilizing a bake
oven with revolving racks and moisture is beneficial for
pastries. These can be customized with parameters for
consistent quality and convenience of use. The same
cannot be said for a low-cost, basic convection oven,
which needs to be constantly checked and pans turned
to guarantee equal cooking. Even though convection
ovens work well for other purposes, it might save you
a lot of trouble down the road to consider your most
delicate menu items in advance.