I install, service and maintain professional cooking equipment...

No, Sally is a salamander. Gas salamanders heat too well for bare bread, and offer no timed cook.

Electric salamanders offer timed cook and heat slower. Vulcan makes a great electric sally, but honestly you need a toaster. What type of bread? Sub style?

Sliced breads. burger buns, grilled cheese that we finish on a flat top, snack breads, all kinds of bread lol.

Same could be said in most restaurants, cooks need to learn equipment to cook properly. A griddle set at 350 after 10 years is not 350 anymore, and the knob broke 3 years ago. Only the chef knows how to even set the fucker.

Also, interesting fact, BBI likes to use wood logs under their charbroilers to give a woody taste. I personally can't tell the difference, but they are religious about that charbroiler working properly. Of course, the wood is not the fuel, but you get it.

I have seen many, many pizza ovens that are wood fired. Very cool stuff, and like you said, the temp control is the cook.

I should mention that ours is an old gas one. Basically an upside-down gas fireplace. I'll mention going electric to save money. The owners like saving money.

McDs uses silverkings stuff to toast buns, bagels and etc in about 10-15 seconds. Those are pricey, but quick for small breads. Otherwise a timed Star toaster.

Its not actually silverking, it's their other company, but I can remember their name. Same shit though. Actually, any big name company uses some form of silver king equipment. Toaster, cooler, etc.

What brand griddle do you have? Nat or propane? Auto ignite or do you have a long lighter? Any problems with anything you have?

The bob evans I worked at wasn't like this. It has 16 linear feet of flat top and 4 basket fryers, two on each side. Though I will agree with you that all of the product they use is shit except for the fruit, they actually get real fruit and break it down by hand...so the fruit bowl is legit. The only exception to that is blueberries which come in frozen and are served on pancakes and shit after thawing.

I did prep and worked the line for them for about a year. Also the soup comes in bags.

I mean you already have 208/220 on site if you're a business, gas may be cheaper but electric is better for delicate cooking like toasting, plate warming and cheesemelting.

Jade is cheap and reliable, Vulcan is efficient and expensive and higher quality.

The last two I was at had 1 36 inch griddle and these terrible countertop fryers, 1 per store. They also use a single rack dishwasher like a fucking idiot. 90% of stores use a warewasher built in the early 90s. Imagine the types of things I find in them.

Sorry, just looked at the location records, they are 60in griddles.

I don't remember what brand of griddle. Everything in the kitchen is natural gas though except the steam tables and passthrough which are electric. They're going to replace the steam table this winter. Thing is ancient and dangerous in multiple ways lol

What do you use to seal m/f gas connections? Personally I use Loctite 55 smeared with TOT, although in a pinch I'll use PTFE.

People waste so much money having me repair old steam tables it's rediculous. Most of the time it's just a burnt wire, but then I find the tank leaking which is basically the whole unit...
Also, FYI, if you k ow how to fix your home electrical, stuff like passthroughs and well warmers are easy as shit. Buy a meter, find out where power stops when it should be heating and bill 'em 200$.

the fuck is a roy's?

t. non-flyover

Rector seal high temp ONLY. leak lock is fine for smaller applications, 1/2 connections basically. 3/4 up is rector.

Anyone who uses tape on gas, even that yellow shit made for it, is a fucking idiot.

Star or Vulcan?

Roy's Hawaiian cuisine. They may be an FL chain, or not a chain at all.

I agree, but this steam table isn't broken. It's just suffering from old age. The bottom is rusting out of it.

For?

Vulcan makes shitty quality ovens. Star makes shitty quality griddles. Vulcan makes great kettles. Star makes great small stuff like hotdog rollers, toasters, etc

[email protected] if anyone has repair questions. I'll check this thread tomorrow, but I like Veeky Forums alot more than I thought I would

1. Has your experience with commercial equipment impacted how you view and/or buy hardware for your own kitchen in any way? If so how?

2. Other than your strong feelings for GC & Roy's, has your experience impacted how you view other chains?

3. What's your favorite kind or piece of equipment to service? What's the worst?

4. Relating to the above, what was the most interesting and/or worst site installation/repair job you've managed?

5. What are some of the most persistent misunderstandings/myths most people have concerning restaurant-class equipment or kitchens that you'd like to have corrected?

6. If you could make just one piece of ordered equipment "mysteriously disappear" and wind up at your home, what would it be?

7. How do you feel about Induction?

8. Are NSF-cert machines worth anything for real?

Thanks.

>1.
I look for easily repairable equipment, but I keep fixing my old shit so its hard to say. My trade has mostly helped with AC, electrical and plumbing repairs, and as a result I save thousands on repairs.
>2.
I do not eat at certain chains anymore. Some for sanitary reasons, some because I despise the way they prepare and serve. There are chains who just simply don't care about you or what you eat, then there are chains that care more about your food than you. I love seeing a chef get upset at the underlings, they show emotional connections that you just don't expect at chain restaurants.
>3.
Dishwashers are easiest, gas equipment is usually just dirty. I LOVE scales and food wrappers. They're interestingly complex. I HATE rational combi ovens. Fuck anyone who uses these.
>4.
Installing then servicing a flight type warewasher in an active prison. Hovering inmates and armed guards constantly telling them to step back takes a toll on you. Funny story, during removal we found a stash of juice pouches turning to wine. The guy hovering closest was the culprit according to the guard, but they didn't care.

>5.
It's not some magically difficult thing to fix them. I get paid way too much for what I do. Also, for some reason the hierarchy of brands is all screwed up in this industry. I wish I could correct this, but my company would be at a disadvantage. Some of the best range companies are never seen in pro kitchens.
>6.
I did, a traulsen 2dr countertop cooler. Traulsen are by far the best refrigerators, and they make amazing workshop tables after 20years of use. Also, I'm still looking for a Hobart N50 mixer. Look it up if you do any baking. It is the god of countertop mixers.
>7. How do you feel about Induction?
LOL. They tried to make this a thing for commercial use. There's a reason no major companies make anything induction anymore. Literally any other form of heat transfer works better.
>8. Are NSF-cert machines worth anything for real?
No, don't fall for this shit
Condescending for post size limit

>They literally thaw meat packs and put them on the shelf.
Why would this matter if I buy in bulk and freeze it myself?

Because the meat you buy at Safeway is cut, mixed and ground by 1-2 actual local meatcutters in a clean room that you can see, and is made from the same cuts that become steak cuts. In other words, no additional preservatives, no questionable cleanliness, and you can meet the guy who prepped it for you. You can also request spices be mixed in at some stores.

At Target you get meat loaded with any ingredient they deem safe for consumption, a random and unconfirmable fat content, and mass production style sanitation (see: none.)

Thanks for the response(s).