It may be that you decided to come to this site because you want to spiff up your home kitchen with some professional equipment. Perhaps you are a professional chef that wants certain gear at home, or you’re a wise homeowner that wants gear that’s built for the commercial environment. Here’s what you need to know about outfitting your home with commercial gear.
The biggest thing that separates home kitchen equipment from commercial equipment is durability. The material of choice is stainless steel, which doesn’t rust and is difficult to bend by physical damage or by heat. Restaurants must make a consistent product every time, and stainless steel helps them do it. Some things like baking sheets are made of aluminum, but the material is much thicker in commercial gear. Two more advantages to stainless steel and thick aluminum is that they are very non-porous and easy to clean. Non-stick coatings will flake off and cast iron is difficult to maintain due to its porosity and tendency to rust.
Another thing that sets apart professional gear from home gear is size. Commercial kitchens are used to cooking in quantities far larger than the average home. You may need to do some searching to find a pot or a baking sheet that can fit on your burners, or even in your cupboards.
If you’re thinking of making a big purchase like a stove or an oven, do your research. Find out what size gas connector or how much voltage your current stove runs on. The last thing you want to do is buy some swank gear and find out it runs on 220V. You don’t want to have to cook in your laundry room. Also check sizes against your current equipment so you it will fit, or make plans to remodel your kitchen.
It may also prove educational to walk into a physical restaurant supply store so you can get an idea of what is available. Restaurants that order things off of sites like ours already have a good idea of what is out there, but a home cook may want to get some hands-on education first. That said, if you do know what you want we’re more than happy to sell you any of our items.
