Food

There’s something special about holiday food. Maybe it’s the power of nostalgia. Maybe it’s pride in your family’s traditions. Maybe it’s the time invested in making complex recipes. Or maybe it’s the fact that holiday food is just plain delicious.

Let’s dive into some global holiday food traditions. And if you run a restaurant, consider adding your own holiday dishes to the menu! Some customers love the chance to taste a special occasion meal they’ve never tried before—and others will just be glad they didn’t have to do the cooking (or the dishes).

Topics: Recipes, Foodservice, Hamilton Beach Commercial, 2024 food trends

Did you know that Hamilton Beach Commercial kitchen equipment is sold in more than 95 countries? We’re always amazed to discover how talented chefs use our culinary blenders, immersion blenders, rice cookers and more to put their distinctive stamp on local cuisine. Here are just a few of our favorite global dishes, with recipes and demonstrations.

Topics: Food, Best Practices, Culinary blenders, Foodservice, Global Cuisine, Hamilton Beach Commercial, EXPEDITOR, Commercial rice warmer

Having a high-performance culinary blender is absolutely crucial in any commercial kitchen. A consumer-grade blender just isn’t going to cut it; you need power, precision, and durability.

But which type is best: A portable immersion blender or a countertop culinary blender? That depends on the day’s menu.

Topics: Culinary blenders, commercial culinary blender, commercial stick blender, food blenders, commercial food blender, commercial blender hamilton beach, commercial blender, stick blender, commercial immersion blenders, hamilton beach commercial immersion blender

Your kitchen is cramped. Your counter space is limited. Your budget is tight.

For all of these reasons, many foodservice operators opt for a single back-of-house blender. They throw in everything from soups to smoothies and hit Blend. What’s wrong with that?

Well… There really is no such thing as a one-size-fits-all commercial blender for a restaurant kitchen. Blending frozen drinks is a lot different from emulsifying a vinaigrette. Here’s what you should know about the differences between culinary blenders and beverage blenders.

Topics: Culinary blenders, high performance commercial blenders, commercial blenders, commercial blender with sound enclosure, Beverage Blenders, food blenders, commercial food blender, commercial blender hamilton beach, high-performance blender, commercial drink blender, beverage blender, commercial blender

Why does every restaurant kitchen need a commercial stand mixer? Here’s the simple answer: Power.

Compared to a hand-held mixer, a stand mixer brings unparalleled power to food preparation. The heavy-duty motor can handle demanding jobs like kneading sticky dough or beating airy batters. Choose your speed and attachment and just let the stand mixer do the work, hands free.

But not all stand mixers are created equal. We designed the CPM800 8-quart/8L stand mixer to meet the specific needs of professional chefs. Here’s what they wished for: the 10 features that define the best stand mixers for restaurant kitchens.

Topics: Food, commercial stand mixer, restaurant stand mixer, heavy duty stand mixer, foodservice equipment, foodservice blog, planetary stand mixer

The “summer slowdown” is a well-known restaurant phenomenon. While dining establishments in tourist areas see a boom in traffic, many others experience a slump in July through September. We have an idea for keeping your kitchen staff busy during the slow season and reducing food costs: Get to work preserving the best summer produce!

The PrimaVac™ line of commercial vacuum sealing machines makes it simple to extend the usable life of fragile produce, such as berries and herbs. You can also seal and freeze produce that’s at its peak.

Here’s why a commercial vacuum sealer is essential equipment for every restaurant kitchen — in the summer and all year round.

Topics: Foodservice, PrimaVac, vacuum sealers, commercial vacuum sealer, commercial grade vacuum sealer, chamber vacuum sealer, vacuum chamber sealer, hydroshocking, foodservice equipment, commercial vacuum sealer machine, vacuum sealing applications, foodservice blog

“Why is eating out so expensive now?”

That’s a question millions of consumers are asking. And they’re not wrong — in the United States, the price of quick-service meals and snacks rose nearly 28% from 2019 to 2023. (Full-service restaurants saw a 24% price jump). In early 2024, the average quick-service check was $18, 4.5% more than last year.

Customers are also complaining about food delivery costs, which have been increasing because of new minimum wage laws in Seattle and New York City plus new fees tacked on by the delivery companies. All of this adds up to a tough environment for chain restaurants… yet many chains are not only surviving but thriving. What takeaways can we learn from their success?

Topics: Foodservice, Chain Restaurants, foodservice operators, foodservice equipment, Chain restaurant trends, restaurant trends, Top restaurant chains

Some pieces of restaurant kitchen equipment have remained unchanged for decades… but they just don’t work as well as they should.

A prime example is the old-school commercial can opener. It’s heavy and clunky. The blade gets rusty and dirty. Food can be contaminated when the can lid is punctured. And it leaves sharp edges that can slice a finger.

Hamilton Beach Commercial knew there had to be a better way. That’s why we introduced the HCO500 commercial side-cut can opener.

Topics: Commercial can opener, Heavy duty can opener, heavy duty can opener for large cans, commercial can opener for large cans, Commercial can opener blade

When you first opened your Malaysian café, business was slow. Then the five-star reviews started stacking up, and customers flooded in. Every night, you’re routinely dishing out hundreds of servings of fried rice, coconut rice, and plain jasmine rice.

Time to buy another rice cooker—right?

No. You need a commercial rice warmer instead.

Topics: commercial rice cooker, commercial kitchen equipment, rice warmer, Commercial rice warmer

Who’s having a hard time hiring and retaining qualified restaurant staff?

Everyone, it seems.

In the United States, 76% of casual dining operators, 78% of family dining operators and 80% of fine dining spots say they don’t have enough employees to adequately staff their restaurant. The same is true for 63% of fast casual and quick-service spots.

What is the most effective way to deal with the hospitality hiring crisis? Hang on tight to the employees you have. “If you don’t focus on retention, you’re always going to be focusing on attraction and hiring,” Dan Sines, CEO of applicant-screening company Traitify, tells Restaurant Dive. Retention efforts result in a significant ROI, he points out: if a large QSR chain has turnover rates of 100% to 200%, that could mean $20 million to $40 million in excess hiring costs. These three strategies can help restaurant operators retain the best members of their team.

Topics: restaurant labor shortage, restaurant staffing, restaurant employee retention