Safety Tips You Should Follow When Using a Glasswasher

Glasswashers are a piece of important equipment to have in a place that requires frequent cleaning of glassware. Having a glasswasher makes washing a lot of dishes easier and helps save time, energy and money. It is environmentally friendly and cleans plenty of dishes together. Maidaid glasswashers are a good choice, but it is important for you to know how you should operate them properly and prevent any kind of damage or accident. Here are a few essential safety tips you should follow when operating a glasswasher.

1. When you load glassware inside the equipment, ensure that you have placed it gently in order to avoid chipping or breaking. Position them firmly inside the rack where they do not bump with each other when you start the machine.
2. Do not overload. Stuffing glassware beyond the equipment’s capacity will lead to a number of issues. You will end up with chipped glasses and poorly cleaned glasses.
3. After prolonged usage, give time to your glasswasher to cool off. Extended use can cause its parts to overheat and blow out intense steam, which could be dangerous for your skin. Ensure that the machine is cool before you take out your glassware.
4. Always close the doors of your Maidaid glasswashers before and after use to prevent accidents.
5. Remember to read the instructions when using rinse aid. Never use more than the recommended amount as mentioned in the label.
6. Do not ever combine your glasswasher detergent with different cleaning chemicals. Doing this will stop the formulation of irritating fumes that are harmful if inhaled.
7. Do not try to wash other utensils inside your glasswasher. It has been created to clean only glassware. Avoid putting other cookware inside the rack.
8. Make sure you have checked if your glasses are glasswasher safe. It uses increased temperatures to sanitise and clean the glasses. Materials like plastic will turn brittle or warp if washed in a glasswasher.

These are some key tips you should always keep in mind when using Maidaid glasswashers. They are useful and you need to follow the necessary measures to keep them running efficiently.

Advantages of an Automatic Coffee Machine

A lot of people tend to believe that there is less to no requirement of buying coffee machines when they can prepare coffee themselves. In doing so, they forget that a coffee machine is not meant to act as a complete replacement. Rather, it is supposed to play an important role in places where there is a need for frequent coffee service. If you are running a coffee shop, it is necessary for you to get a barista coffee machine. Read on to understand the benefits of an automatic coffee machine.

Prepares Fresh Coffee
Earlier, people would make coffee and leave it on the hotplate to filter for hours. This process ruins the taste of the coffee and leaves a pot of sour caffeine. In order to avoid this, you can purchase a coffee machine and enjoy fresh and delicious coffee.

Makes Speciality Coffee

It is not at all easy to prepare a speciality drink. If you do not own a coffee machine, all you will have is brewed coffee. But, an automatic coffee machine offers you a variety of speciality drinks with the touch of a button.

It is Efficient
A barista coffee machine is really fast. With the machines getting faster with upgrades, you can even make a cup of cappuccino within a minute.

Uses Fresh Beans
Upon grinding, coffee beans release the flavour and oils responsible for the taste. But, roasted beans stay fresh much longer. Automatic coffee machines are fitted with grinders which crushes the beans whenever you use it, giving you coffee that tastes fresh.

Ensures Safety
Safety whilst making coffee is a big issue in coffee shops if you are using a manual machine. The manual process involves a lot of hot water, and steam is often shot out of a blazing hot metal rod. No matter how trained you are, accidents might happen when you prepare a large amount of coffee, frequently.

A barista coffee machine brings all the above-mentioned advantages to you. If you are running a coffee business, it is recommended that you get yourself automatic coffee machines.

Benefits of a Double Door Bottle Cooler

Glass door bottle coolers are necessary for the beverage business. A functional glass door cooler does not only provide you with storage capacity but also a good visual of the displayed beverages. Customers prefer buying what is exhibited in front of their eyes but is also secure behind the glass.

There are both single and double door coolers in the market, but a double door bottle cooler is a great choice as it provides a large capacity and also requires a small space. There are several benefits to using a double door cooler and here are some of them:

Convenience
You can store bottles in these bottle coolers the way you like. You can arrange the bottles so that the customers can see the brand name. Customers prefer different brands, and this feature allows them to easily understand what you are providing without the need to open the doors.

Efficiency
Since most glass door coolers are double glazed, it makes the cooler energy efficient. As you do not require to open the doors frequently, it makes sure that the cold air stays inside and maintains the temperature of the double door bottle cooler. The decreased opening of the doors also ensures reduced electricity consumption.

Attractiveness
Double door bottle coolers are preferred for commercial use as it enhances the look of the shop. It does not take too much space and also looks beautiful. These bottle coolers are fitted with LED interior lights which illuminate the inside of the storage and makes the products visible to buyers. Another perk of the LED lights is that it helps you keep the unit clean and organised. They also make the beverages look fresh, whilst giving a nice look to the shop.

Easy Maintenance
Glass door bottle coolers are easy to maintain. The glass doors impel keeping the appliance clean, and you can easily clean it by using a damp piece of cloth.
All these perks make a double door bottle cooler a fantastic choice for your beverage business. It does not only improve the look of the shop but is also easy to use and maintain.

Choosing a Deep Fat Fryer

Here is something that you may not know if you are considering buying a Blue Seal fryer. All foods float in the top two inches of oil in a deep fat fryer while cooking, so this could mean that you have invested in a fryer which is too deep and which is using more oil, and also fuel, than necessary.

The industry-wide performance of a deep fat fryer – including the Blue Seal fryer – is usually measured in the number of pounds of chips per hour it can fry, which sounds sensible on the face of it. However, this could cause you to make the wrong decision, because almost no food outlets have a steady rate of requirements for chips per hour. In many fish and chip shops, and others as well, there is a huge burst of sales at lunch time, so chips per hour doesn’t allow for the fact that in the lunch hour you have to produce a far greater number of chips than at three in the afternoon.

Another point to consider is the type of chips you are frying, and the type of chips quoted in a manufacturer’s figures. For instance, the size of the chips can vary considerably, and also the frying times will vary according to whether you are frying frozen chips, fresh chips, chilled chips, blanched chips, and so on.

Then there is the question of whether to have a gas fryer or an electric one. You can get either a gas Blue Seal fryer or an electric one. Overall, electric fryers are a little cheaper to buy and suitable for anything up to mid volume requirements. If you are frying large quantities, especially chips, then a gas fryer will be more expensive to buy but will be cheaper to run. Operating costs should always be taken into consideration.

There are other factors to consider as well, such as the cool zone required by many gas fryers, and some electric ones as well. The best option – especially in a busy outlet, is to have two fryers – one for chips, and the other for everything else.

The Birth of the Espresso Coffee Machine

A Bezzera coffee machine is named after the Italian Luigi Bezzera who patented his espresso machine in 1902. In the 19th century, drinking coffee was extremely popular in Europe, but the actual process of brewing a cup was time-consuming and laborious, taking five minutes for a cup of coffee to brew, which could make life difficult for workers on their “coffee break”.

In order to speed up the process, in 1884 Angelo Moriondo patented a “new steam machinery for the economic and instantaneous confection of coffee beverage” which was the prototype of the espresso machine. Espresso is Italian for “fast”. However, Moriondo’s machine  could only produce coffee in bulk, and it was left to inventor and businessman Bezzera to produce the first machine that would force steam and hot water through ground up coffee into an individual cup thus reducing the brewing time from several minutes to 30 seconds or so.

The Bezzera coffee machine had several improvements over Moriondo’s machine which was created for the Turin Grand Exposition as a bulk brewer. In fact, not much is known about Moriondo after that and there are no machines still in existence. It was Bezzera who introduced the multiple brew heads, portafilter, and many other innovations that are still in use today.

However, Bezzera only built a few prototypes because he had neither the money to expand the business, nor any idea about how to market the machine, and in 1903 he sold his patents to Desiderio Pavoni who set about making further improvements, notably the pressure release valve which prevented the barista from being splashed with hot coffee. Bezzera and Pavoni worked together and introduced the Bezzera coffee machine to the world at the 1906 Milan Fair where they made cafee espresso.

Among the growing number of competitors to Pavoni was Pier Teresio Arduino who had a much larger workshop than Pavoni, and it was he who exported the machines to the rest of Europe. However, the machines that we have today were invented by Milanese café owner Achille Gaggia who managed to increase the pressure from only 1.5 bars to 8 – 10 bars and in so doing produced the crema that now floats on the surface.

Some Factors to Consider When Choosing a Bottle Cooler

Bottle coolers are an essential item for every pub and restaurant, and there is a choice of several different makes and sizes. One of the things that will help to decide what size of bottle cooler you have is simply the amount of space that you have in the backbar. If you do not have very much room the choice will probably be limited to a single door bottle cooler.

Of course, you can get a single door bottle cooler in a choice of heights, so if you have the space, a tall one with four, five, or even six shelves will hold the most bottles and allow you to display more types of drink than an under counter one. 

One of the most important things about a bottle cooler is that it has to be able to maintain a constant temperature and cope with the door constantly being opened and closed as bottles are taken out and stock replenished. It has to be tough enough to cope with the wear and tear that comes from the way that it is used, yet it also has to have a maximum amount of glass in order to display the products to best advantage.

Effective lighting is also an important factor for displaying the products and the overall aesthetics. A single door bottle cooler needs to look good behind the bar, and there is actually a noticeable trend today for operators requiring bespoke finishes to match the décor of the bar or restaurant, and in some cases the company branding. Another important factor is to have adjustable shelves so that different brands of drinks can be displayed. Bottle coolers should also have variable thermostats so that the operator can set the temperature to between 4°C and 10°C to suit the environment and customer preferences, and also take account of any specific requirements of the drinks themselves.

Of course, another factor is energy efficiency. You want a bottle cooler that has high insulating glass, and LED lights for maximum efficiency. You can also get bottle coolers with “wire on tube” condensers today which are not only highly efficient, but also virtually maintenance free, since it is almost impossible for them to be blocked with dust like conventional condensers.

Is It A Cooker? Is It A Stove? Is It A Range? Is It An Oven?

Some people call it a stove, some people call it an oven, some people call it a range, and some people call it a cooker. Whatever you call it, it's the appliance you use to do your cooking on, unless you exclusively use a microwave which some people do because they have no interest in cooking per se, but just want to throw something in the microwave to produce food to eat, regardless of whether it is good for them or not.

Leaving the microwave aside for the moment, a 6 burner oven is not just an oven. An oven is just the enclosed lower part of the cooker or stove that heats your food all round, while the burner part is the top on which you cook food in saucepans, frying pans, and so on. What people refer to as a 6 burner oven is in fact a cooker with an oven and six burners on the top as opposed to the more common four burners. Even the word "burner" is something of a grey area, because that tends to indicate a gas burner, which is fine, but an electric cooker has hotplates or rings or ceramic hobs or induction hobs, depending partly on how old it is, and the design and build of the appliance.

 

And you thought buying a new cooker was going to be easy?

In the majority of cases, a 4 burner oven is what you will find in most homes with four hobs and an oven. Some may actually have two ovens which can operate at different temperatures. Many family homes simply don't have the room to accommodate a 6 burner oven in the kitchen, although it has to be said that they have their uses, particularly if you frequently have guests round for dinner parties. Those two extra hobs give you the chance to do some extra vegetables or cook a sauce which could be very difficult with four hobs.

Of course, cookers can be powered with natural gas, propane, or electricity. Some cookers are what are known as dual fuel cookers which have an electric oven which provides a consistent even heat, while the gas burners on top allow extremely high temperature control. Gas doesn't retain heat in the same way that an electric powered hob does, and so can be turned up or down and provide an instant reaction.

As you can see, buying a cooker is not as straightforward as you might think, so you need to do proper research.

What's the Difference between A 2 Group Coffee Machine and A Compact?

A standard 2 group coffee machine usually has a 10 litre boiler, whereas a compact espresso coffee machine has a 5 litre boiler. The boiler is usually placed vertically in the machine which means that the machine takes up much less space. For example, a La Spaziale 2 group coffee machine is 77cm wide, while a compact machine is only 58cm wide. This is quite a big difference if you only have a small counter space.

A compact espresso machine will also use quite a lot less power than a standard 2 group coffee machine. Most compact machines can run off a standard 13 amp plug because the maximum power they use is 3,000w. 3,000w/240 volts is 12.5 amps, so a 13 amp power outlet is fine. 

You might wonder how well a compact machine could deal with busy spells. In most cases it will deal with them with no problem. The main difference between a standard size and a compact machine is the boiler size. Now because the boiler is smaller you have less storage for steam. If you draw lots of hot water and you steam very large cups, then it might have a bit of a problem. If your cups are normal size and you don't draw off lots of hot water, then it will be perfectly happy. There will be no difference from a standard size machine.

When it is a case of making more coffees at the same time, what matters is the groups. A 3 group will handle more than a 2 group, but it is not necessarily the case that a standard 2 group can deal with more than a compact 2 group.

When you draw a lot of hot water from the boiler, the steam pressure drops because you have the same amount of steam in a bigger space. The boiler also draws in water so the water in the boiler cools. If you draw off lots of hot water the steam pressure can drop too far, but as long as you give the machine enough time to recover, it won't cause a problem.

The Problems with Single Door Bottle Coolers

Bottle coolers are an essential item for every bar or restaurant that sells bottled drinks. There are a number of things to take into consideration when purchasing a bottle cooler, not the least of which is the amount of space that you have available. If you only have a narrow space you will obviously have to opt for a single door bottle cooler, but you can obtain these in a height of around 6'6" which will accommodate five shelves full of bottles.

One disadvantage of a single door bottle cooler is that it will have to have a hinged door as opposed to a sliding door. A hinged door means that a bottle cooler is not so energy efficient as one with sliding doors because a hinged door lets out the cold air every time the cooler is opened. The other disadvantage of a single door bottle cooler with a hinged door is that it takes up more space in the backbar because every time the door is opened it can interfere with other staff moving up and down the bar to serve. This can be a problem when the bar is busy because the door can actually be opened several 100 times during the course of a day. 

Furthermore, if you only have space for a single door cooler it will need refilling more often than a double or triple door bottle cooler which again means letting more cold air out of the cooler as it is loaded, and of course gets in the way of other staff. If you have the space, a sliding door bottle cooler is much better for all those reasons.

You can also get under counter single door coolers, but these will obviously hold less stock than a larger one, which means even more refilling. Another consideration here is longevity. It is simply a fact that a hinged door will not last as long as a sliding door, so a hinged door bottle cooler will have to be replaced more often. There is also the matter of display, because with a single door bottle cooler you simply cannot display as much stock as with a double or triple door cooler.

A Brief History of Espresso Coffee

Back in the 19th century, coffee was big business in Europe with cafes everywhere you went. However, brewing coffee is a slow process and customers often had to wait for their coffee to brew, as is still the case today. But the 19th century was the age of steam, and inventors began to try to create a machine that would use steam and speed up the brewing process, with Angelo Moriondi of Turin being granted a patent in 1884. His was the first coffee machine to use both steam and water and would lead to the espresso machines we have to day. His machine was created for the Turin General Exposition as a bulk brewer, but never led to any commercial machines being sold, and Moriondo disappeared leaving only his patent.

In the early 20th century, Luigi Bezzerra of Milan looked for a way to brew coffee directly into the cup and made several improvements on Moriondo's machine, including the portafilter and multiple brewheads, and produced the single shot espresso. However, the Bezzerra coffee machine operated over a naked flame which made it difficult to control the pressure and temperature, so consistency of the finished cup was not possible. He built a few prototypes of the Bezzerra coffee machine but didn't have the money or any marketing ideas to expand the business.

But Desiderio Pavoni did, and bought the patents of the Bezzerra coffee machine in 1903, and improved many aspects, notably the first pressure release valve which prevented the coffee being splashed all over the barista. He also invented the steam wand to gain access to the steam that built up in the machine's boiler. He and Bezzerra worked together to perfect the machine which Pavoni called the Ideale and it was presented to the world as cafee espresso at the 1906 Milan Fair. Bezzerra himself then faded slowly out of the picture, and may have been bought out by Pavoni who went on to dominate the espresso market for more than ten years.

The spread of espresso across the rest of Europe was down to master marketer Pier Arduino, who had a bigger workshop in Milan than Pavoni, and became responsible for exporting the machines out of Milan and across the continent.

What to Look For When Choosing a Bottle Cooler

Bottle coolers are an essential item for every bar, but the trick is to match the right application with the right aesthetics. Optimising the space that you have available is also key, so you need to look for one that is just the right size, and in many cases that may only be a single door bottle cooler, rather than a double door or triple door.

Another consideration is whether to have hinged doors or sliding doors. If you don't have much space in the backbar, hinged doors can get in the way of other staff passing up and down the bar during busy periods, so sliding doors are easier. You also need to consider how many times the doors are opened during a shift, because in a busy venue they can be opened hundreds of times in a shift, and sliding doors have much greater endurance than hinged doors. Sliding doors also don't let the cold air out every time they are opened and a bottle is taken out. 

Nice LED lighting will display the product at the backbar, which is necessary to make the bottles look attractive to the customer. It is also cooler which is ideal in a bottle cooler as it helps to save energy and keep electricity bills down.

Another consideration is the life of the doors. If you are buying a single door bottle cooler, or even a larger one, you want welded construction rather than extruded doors. If you look at bar staff opening a hinged door, where does most of their weight go? On the door! So it's important that the door can take the weight. Even so, sliding doors will outlast hinged doors every time, although you can't have a sliding door on a single door bottle cooler.

You also need to look at the condenser. Wire-on-tube condensers are virtually maintenance free since it's harder for them to become blocked by dust like conventional condensers, which is important because most bottle coolers are built in, so it can be difficult to gain access to clean them.

Choosing A Range Cooker For Your Catering Business

If you are looking for a new range cooker for your catering establishment you may be pleased to know that there are hundreds of models from which to choose. Obviously, you will want to pick one which looks good in your kitchen, but the most important thing is the functions, not the style. Choose the wrong one and you could finish up with a cooker that has inaccurate ovens, hobs that are a nightmare to clean, or a grill that is really too small.

Range cookers can be all gas, all electric, or better still dual fuel with gas hobs and electric ovens. However, if you want to use all gas or dual fuel it is by far the best if you already have gas installed on your premises, because while gas is cheaper to cook with, it will take a long time to recoup having a gas connection installed. You can also get induction range cookers which heat faster than ceramic hobs, but you will need to use the right type of steel-based pans.

The majority of range cookers come in widths of 90cm, 100cm, and 110cm, and they will usually have between five and eight burners or hob rings, two ovens, a grill, and a warming drawer. A 6 burner oven is sufficient for many establishments, but depending on your foot traffic you might consider a 6 burner oven insufficient and opt for an 8 burner one instead.

Here is a point worth considering about ovens: manufacturers often quote the total volume of the oven, which can include the space below the lowest shelf, so what you need to check is the amount of actual cooking space that is available. Some cookers also have space that is not configured as well as it might be, meaning that you may have to use two ovens - and thus more fuel – instead of one.

Most electric cookers have an oven with a fan, and you can also get a 6 burner oven with pyrolytic self-cleaning which incinerates food spills that are burnt on. All you need to do is to sweep up the ash. However, you still have to clean the glass doors and trays by hand.

A Look At Some Commercial Glasswashers

If you are looking for a commercial glasswasher there is a wide choice available on the market. Depending on the sizes and functions, you can pay anywhere from around £700 to over £3,000 for a commercial glasswasher today.

Take the Evolution under counter glass washers for instance. There are several different models in this range, but they are all double skinned so that heat loss is reduced to a minimum and so is noise output. The last thing you want in a pub or bar is a noisy washer unit. The Evolution washers have a breaktank as standard and have low water usage. There are three standard cycle options and an extensive range of special cycle options.

The glass cycle automatically changes parameters to suit glass washing while for an intensive wash or for glass renovation there is the long cycle. There is also a green cycle for economy which lowers the water temperatures and reduces water usage. Then for very dirty glasses there is a very intensive cycle which runs two full cycles one after another. There is also a sanitising cycle that balances water temperature and running time to achieve a standard rating of AO 30. In addition, there is a comprehensive self-cleaning cycle.

These machines have scrap trays as standard and a drain pump as standard. The detergent and rinse aid delivery is by precise peristaltic pumps, while the priming and dosing of chemicals is enabled from the fascia. Each of these commercial glasswashers has a full LCD display and user interface which shows simple machine status updates. The Evolution 501 and 505 WS are supplied with two open cup/glass racks, while the 511 and 515 WS models have one open, one pegged plate rack and cutlery basket. The Evolution range of glass washers are priced from £2,304 to £2,874.

When you are buying a commercial glass washer there are three main things you need to consider. The first is your level of demand: you need a machine that can cope with your demand in peak periods. You also need to consider how much space you have available, and how your machine will drain, either through gravity or a drain pump.