Food

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.

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.

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.

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.

“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?

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.

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.

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.

Ask any catering professional what they love about their job, and many will say the flexibility. In the morning you’re serving an elegant brunch for 30, and in the evening you’re dishing out barbecue to 200 guests at a country-style wedding. You have the freedom to create new dishes, collaborate on custom menus, and think up new ways to surprise and delight your customers.

There’s a downside to flexibility, however. Caterers constantly have to adapt to rising food costs, changing headcounts, and shifting menu trends. Here are some of the top challenges caterers face, plus a few ways having the right kitchen equipment can help.

Many small shops in the catering business got their start in the home, or in a shared commissary kitchen. First jobs were small parties for friends… and then the small jobs turned into bigger and bigger ones.

At a certain point in every catering company’s growth, it’s time to reassess your catering equipment. We’re not talking about chafing dishes and induction cooktops, but rather the commercial kitchen appliances that do the heavy lifting behind the scenes.

If you’re looking for ways to make your operations more efficient by increasing batch sizes, speeding prep time, and cutting food waste, Hamilton Beach Commercial equipment can make it happen.