Duck, Duck, Goose! A Guide to Choosing the Best Cooking Equipment For Poultry Dishes

Do you love chicken or duck? Do you plan on putting up a restaurant specializing in poultry dishes? Do you feel you can still improve your recipes?

There is no doubt, Americans love to each chicken. The United States has the world’s largest broiler chicken industry. It’s also home to hundreds of restaurants that offer chicken in their menus.

When it comes to food preparation, using the perfect ingredients is not enough. You also need to use the appropriate cooking equipment.

Choosing the Right Cooking Equipment: Key Factors to Consider

Having the best people working for you is great. But regardless of how skilled they are, they need to have the best equipment for the job. Let’s take a look at some key factors to consider:

1. The Type of Oven

You need a good over if you are serving rotisserie or baked chicken dishes. There are different types of commercial ovens to choose from. The more popular ones include the electric, gas, and propane types.

If you are looking for precision in temperature control, the electric-powered commercial chicken rotisserie is your best bet. It provides very even cooking from different ranges of temperature.

It has its limitations, though. Unlike the propane and gas ovens, it cannot reach higher temperature ranges.

As for the gas ovens, they cook much faster compared to electric ovens. This is because they can reach higher temperatures. The downside comes in controlling the temperature.

When it comes to maintenance, gas ovens are much easier to maintain compared to their electric-powered counterparts.

If you are running a mobile food business, then propane ovens are your best option. Propane ovens allow you to cook poultry dishes in remote locations.

2. The Capacity

The next factor involves the capacity of the cooking equipment. This directly affects your production. If your restaurant caters to a large number of diners, you need more ovens and stoves.

Invest in a huge oven that can cook more chicken at the same time. There are commercial ovens that have enough room to cook over 50 chickens at the same time. If you’re running a small restaurant, then a 9-chicken oven will do.

When choosing ovens, stoves, and gas ranges, make sure they fit seamlessly in your kitchen. You need to consider your staff’s mobility in the kitchen.

Before buying any large kitchen equipment, make sure to plan ahead in terms of spacing. As for the smaller cookware, prepare ample space where you can store them. It is best to place them in an area that is accessible to your kitchen staff.

3. The Handles

When buying pots, do not take their handles for granted. Today, there are a good number of pots that use low conductive metal. Stainless steel pots remain relatively cool.

Go for metal handles that have welds. These are easier to clean compared to handles with rivets that tend to catch food residue.

Though wood and plastic handles are heatproof, you cannot use them in ovens. For versatility, go for pots with metal handles that come with rubber heat guards.

4. Thick Bottoms

When cooking chicken in pots and pans, go for the heavy ones with thick bottoms. You need to invest in pans that evenly conduct heat. You do not want to burn your chicken.

For a sauté pan, go for anodized aluminum. It responds well to heat. It also keeps chemical reactions from happening to your food.

Cast iron is also a good conductor. The downside is it can react with your acidic sauces.

There are also the non-stick pans. This is perfect for cooking low-fat chicken dishes.

But if you want the best of everything, invest in pans made of stainless steel. Go for ones that feature an inner layer of copper.

These are durable and easy to clean. They also conduct heat very well. They are also non-reactive.

5. Secure Lids

Apart from the handles and bottoms, you also need to choose the best lids. The goal is to find something tight-fitting. You also want to invest in something that features heatproof knobs.

A good option is a pot that comes with a glass lid. A glass lid allows you to see if your chicken is cooking well.

You may also consider tempered-glass lids. They will allow you to check on your simmering dishes. They also help lessen cases of boil-overs.

6. The Supplier

You need to be careful when choosing your possible suppliers. Try to go for one that offers a wide range of options. You should also look into the promos and financing options they offer.

Conduct your due diligence. Take time to read customer reviews before deciding. Visit their showrooms to make better comparisons.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to source everything from a single supplier.

7. The Price Tag

Lastly, you need to consider the price of poultry cooking equipment. Do not always go for the cheapest in the market. But do consider the size of your operations and current cash flow.

If you are planning to put up a restaurant, a budget for cooking equipment must be part of your capital.

What Your Chicken Tells You

To come up with the yummiest poultry dishes, you also need to consider what your chicken is telling you. Here are three key factors that affect the quality of poultry meat:

1. The Appearance

Like it or not, the way your chickens look plays a crucial role in customer satisfaction. Visual appearance affects the decision-making of your customers.

If your chickens show discoloration, they may not look as appetizing as they should. Ensuring that your dishes look appetizing is like making a strong first impression.

2. The Texture

Next is the texture of your chicken. Diners want their chicken or duck to be tender. They want to have an easier time chewing the meat.

3. The Flavor

Part of diners’ way of telling if your poultry dishes are flavorful is the aroma they emit. The younger the chicken or duck is, the more flavorful they are.

Always remember that the taste of your poultry dishes is the biggest consideration of your patrons. If they like the flavor of your dishes, they will likely dine again in your restaurant.

Go Beyond Cookware

Finding the best cooking equipment is just one part of your success. There are other kitchen items that you need to invest in if you want your brand to fly.

If you do not how to equip your kitchen, get in touch with us today. We can guide you in making the right choices that are sensible for your business goals.

Share This!