12 Different Types of Kitchen Utensils for Restaurants

To efficiently run a restaurant, you need quality essential kitchen utensils. The right kitchen tools ensure tasks are performed with great ease. Speed and precision are critical in a busy restaurant. Having the right cooking tools and utensils goes a long way to ensure efficiency in a kitchen.

There are quite a few kitchen utensils that every restaurant kitchen should have. Each piece of food prep and cooking equipment helps with enhancing a kitchen’s efficiency. For the kitchen staff to churn out great meals on-demand, the last thing they want are utensils that are ill-equipped to do their job. The following are twelve must-have types of kitchen utensils for restaurants:

Type #1: Professional Knives

Professional knives are essential utensils in restaurant kitchens, whether they are mezzalunas, paring knives, boning knives, bread knives or the popular chefs’ knives. Various kitchen knife options ensure that the chef can find a suitable knife for the task at hand.

Type #2: Spatula

This type of kitchen utensil has a flexible blade that is flat and wide. Use it for turning, spreading and mixing. A desirable high-quality spatula ought to be heat-resistant and shouldn’t melt if left against a hot pan or pot. Ideally, the spatula should withstand temperatures of up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit.

There are different types of spatulas such as plastic, fish, metal, wood, silicone and offset spatulas. Spatulas come in handy, whether you need to flip pancakes or turn fish, applying frosting on desserts or as an all-purpose utensil for scraping bowls, non-stick cookware or even on grills and griddles.

Type #3: Kitchen Forks

A kitchen fork is a fairly narrow, two-pronged fork used in lifting hunks of poultry or meat. This fork is also used for carving. Big utility forks are useful for stirring, mashing, mixing, making guacamole, scrambled eggs and making pastry. These types of kitchen utensils are not necessarily for spearing meats.

Type #4: Stirring Spoons

A stirring spoon is a must-have item. When considering a stirring spoon, pick one that is heat-resistant, durable, dishwasher safe, ideally one that won’t scratch your pans or cookware. A silicon stirring spoon with a stainless-steel handle is a good pick.

Type #5: Slotted Spoon

A large silicone slotted spoon featuring holes and slots for liquid draining makes cooking safer and easier. It is ideal, especially when you need to offload something from the pan while intentionally leaving the juices behind. A silicone slotted spoon that is safe to use with non-stick cookware is preferred.

Type #6: Tongs

Tongs should make it easy to flip vegetables and meats. A-must-have pair of tongs should be sturdy, ergonomically designed, can handle different-sized foods and can be handled with one hand. Having stainless-steel tongs equipped with silicone tips have the advantage of preventing scratches and withstanding high heat without melting after repeated use.

Type #7: Whisks

This cooking utensil is used for whipping or whisking, which is a process of blending ingredients smoothly while incorporating air into the mixture. Most whisks consist of a series of wire loops joined to a long, narrow handle on one end. There are diverse whisks depending on the task at hand. Examples of whisks include coil, twirl, ball, flat, French, balloon and many others.

Type #8: Ladles

A ladle is a huge, long-handled spoon used in serving liquid dishes such as sauces, soups or stews. An ideal ladle shouldn’t melt if left in a hot pan, pot or dishwasher. There are different types of ladles; namely, slotted, soup or sauce ladle.

Type #9: Oven Mitts

Oven mitts play a great role in protecting your hands from heat and potential heat injuries. These types of kitchen utensils are essential when handling hot food in and out of the oven, even if you have to move from one place to another. When picking oven mitts, look for easy-to-clean ones, preferably dishwasher-safe or machine washable, comfortable to wear and high-heat resistant. A pair of silicone oven mitts with a cotton interior can be effective in handling high-heat oven cooking.

Type #10: Resistant Trivets

Trivets play a great role in protecting tables. This is because they are designed to withstand heat when hot dishes are placed on them. Bamboo trivets can be both functional and stylish, saving you from stain drawbacks experienced on cloth trivets. They are durable and ready to clean.

Type #11: Splatter Guard

Cooking can be messy, especially if you have to clean the oven top and adjacent cupboards of splattering oils and grease after cooking. A splatter guard is placed on top of sauté pans or skillets to stop hot oil or food splatters from coating the stovetop during high-heat cooking. A fine mesh splatter screen should fit most pans, be easy to clean, sturdy and preferably be able to stand on its own feet. It should be capable of being set down without leaving a mess on the countertop after use.

Type #12: Meat Thermometer

If you frequently cook meats and have to keep guessing when it’s ready, a quality meat thermometer is a must-have. An ultra-fast meat thermometer gives you accurate readings within four seconds.