Cooking Suites Offer Sweet Customization

By Staff -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 7/1/2006

Cooking suites offer a few things that traditional cooking lines don’t: freed up wall space, the ability for operators to highly customize their kitchen to fit cooking styles and offerings; and a sleek, one-unit look.

• Cooking suites generally take an oval shape that sits in the middle of the kitchen like an island. Many chefs prefer this shape because they can have eye-to-eye contact with other chefs and staff on the other side of the line. The oval shape also provides more area for workspace — staff can work on both sides as well as on the ends.
• The suites can be customized to match the type of foods a chef wants to prepare, and the amount of space in the kitchen. Suites can include ranges; fryers; pasta cookers; griddles; charbroilers, salamanders or cheese broilers; burners with open, French or induction tops; refrigerated drawers for fresh items and condiments; and other equipment. Many suites now have steaming ability: Operators can elect to have combi ovens and steamers installed in the unit and tilting kettles built into the counter using plumbing hookups. Suites may also include sinks, workspace and shelving for plates and other supplies. Bain maries, which keep sauces warm, are another trendy cooking suite installation.
• Another growing trend in cooking suites is installing induction tops and planchas instead of open burners or grills. Both offer more chefs more control over the heat source, and they are less hot in general, allowing for a more comfortable kitchen environment. Operators often use planchas, which are flat surfaces with hot and cooler spots, for cooking fish because the hotter areas sear the fish more quickly, and the cooler areas will ensure the product doesn’t get overcooked.
• More and more chefs use the sous vide method, so some cooking suites will hold a sous vide thermal recirculation device. In this method, either protein or vegetables are vacuum-packed and placed in the device, which is basically a container with hot water pumped throughout. The vacuum-pack seal helps lock in more moisture.
• Cooking suites appear as one large piece whereby the pieces of equipment are bolted together and have a continuous top. Most suites come in stainless steel to ensure sanitation and also prevent chemicals in cleaning equipment from breaking down the equipment, but some manufacturers will offer brass or copper accents or finishes. Others have mirror-polish stainless-steel finishes.
• Gas, water, electricity for refrigeration and drains can all hook up in a cooking suite. Hood ducts are tied together for ventilation.
• Because suites are highly customized and require extensive engineering, they tend to cost a bit more. But many operators get a better value with them because they free up wall space in the kitchen.
• Upscale restaurants, white-tablecloth establishments, and display kitchens tend to use cooking suites more than quick-service restaurants because they have more diverse kitchen processes and opt for a sleeker look. However, many colleges and universities are now opting for the suites as more students become more food savvy, and more money goes into university foodservice.
• Cleaning cooking suites tends to be easier than cleaning an entire line because all the equipment is fashioned together and there are less grooves and gaps. In addition, certain types of shelving units can be removed and placed into the dishwasher, and many ranges come with smaller, removable tops so they can be handled more easily.

Cooking Suite Manufacturers:
Jade Range
Garland Group/U.S. Range
Montague Co., The
Vulcan-Hart Co.