Eyes following the waiter who’s carrying a plate, it leaves a trail of a delicious aroma wafting in its wake; you’re desperately hoping that he’s heading to your table. Biting into the freshly prepared, piping hot sandwich, even knowing that there’s a high chance you might burn your tongue, but you know it’s going to be worth it, so you just can’t resist, can you?
That should be the attitude of any customer visiting your restaurant. For this, you must be equipped with the best quality, fresh ingredients and premium range equipment that will do your ingredients and recipe justice. These should be ideal for helping you deliver scrumptious sandwiches to your hungry customers.
If you even have a smidgen of doubt over your commercial sandwich press’s reliability to deliver on this promise, it’s time to replace it. The time has come to set out on the quest to buy the best one out there. This can be a methodical and meticulous process that considers a lot of technicalities and comparisons before finalising the one that’s just right for you. Or, if you are just starting out, the confusion might be even more significant. The following guide will serve to help everyone, from beginners to experts, on the task of buying a commercial sandwich press that is the best fit for their unit of operation.
What Is A Commercial Sandwich Press?
This is a standard sandwich-making appliance with a versatile design curated to ensure efficiency, reliability, and mouth-watering taste. A typical sandwich press has a large cooking surface and comes with an adjustable lid, such that any bread squishing can be avoided. All sandwich makers use these, whether it’s a chef from a fast-paced cafe, a mainstream restaurant, or a food truck. It is an optimal inclusion to your commercial kitchens to ensure hot, efficient, and freshly prepared sandwiches at a steady pace. Here, listed below are certain considerations to be factored in when you are making the purchase.
Factors To Consider At The Time Of Purchase:Â
- Surface Area: A typical average-sized commercial sandwich press is capable of cooking one or two sandwiches in one go; however, one must ensure that the sandwich press you choose is ideal for your kitchen’s cooking requirements. To ensure a hassle-free and seamless cooking spree, it is crucial that the appliance you choose is a perfect fit for your kitchen’s sandwich in terms of user ease and size. This alludes to the surface area and height of the bread to which the device will be becoming home. If your restaurant does not specifically specialise in sandwiches and does not require you to produce a lot of them, a small press should be sufficient. Conversely, if you are primarily a sandwich-based restaurant that uses varied types and sizes of bread, it would be optimal to invest in a larger model with a greater surface area propensity.
- Heat Output: This is one of the major points of differentiation that marks commercial presses superior to typical ones optimized for home use. These commercial varieties offer an increased heating output and are equipped to cook food at an accelerated pace. Again, if your restaurant serves sandwiches in abundance, this is imperative to enable prompt and quality service.
- Size: This is another basic parameter to consider concerning the actual space available in your kitchen. It is advisable to measure your commercial kitchen space and precisely where you will be placing the appliance. This shall guide you towards choosing a commercial press that is in alignment with the same. By putting up filters like size and surface, you’ll be able to scale down your options and choose one from the best available suitable for your specific needs.
- Cooling Plates: This refers to the surface of the sandwich press – grooved or smooth. A crooked plate creates a grilled sandwich with a rigid and crunchy texture, whereas a smooth plate enables the creation of classic and flat sandwiches. Depending on the sandwich varieties that your restaurant offers, you can choose one or both. Notably, a grooved plate helps elevate the flavour of the food; on the other hand, a smooth plate can be capable of cooking more than just sandwiches. Choose carefully.
- Material and Maintenance: If you choose to buy a commercial sandwich press, it is a given that it will be put to rigorous use; in such cases, it is important that these devices are also suitably cleaned consistently. It is wise to get a cleaning bush alongside the press to ensure efficient cleaning. They will aid in speedy cleaning even in-between use, thus maintaining quality and, in turn, durability as well. Additionally, check the material of the plate that is part of your sandwich press prior to purchase. Look for cast iron plates because of their propensity to be robust, non-stick, and have easy cleaning capacity. Implementing proper cleaning and maintenance measures also ensures that you always adhere to the cleaning codes and regulations dictated by the respective authorities.
A commercial sandwich press is a significant investment towards your kitchen at your end; thus, it is essential to keep all the considerations as mentioned above at the forefront when you set out to purchase the most compatible appliance for your professional use. Keep these in mind, optimize the thought of procuring value for money, and make the right choice.
