Purchasing Catering Equipment On-line

By Paul Kneubler

Purchasing catering equipment can be a demanding task. Buying online can make it easier, but only if you choose the right vendor. This article helps you make the right choice when it comes to selecting a vendor for your catering equipment need.

Selecting the right supplier of catering equipment is a risky decision, one not to be taken lightly. You will want to make sure you are dealing with an honest company, getting a good deal and the most suitable equipment for your needs.

Until relatively recently there were only two options available to enable you to select a vendor of catering equipment: call them on the phone or go and see them in person. This isn't always reliable as you cannot inspect the equipment on the phone and visiting a company many hours away isn't very practical. Once again the internet has come to the rescue, with on-line shopping, or e-commerce, it is now possible to view product images and specifications, compare deals and research suppliers all without leaving your chair.

Not all on-line retailers are the same

So now we have established that selecting catering equipment on-line is the way to go and far better than the old methods, we still need to ensure we select the best supplier and the right equipment. There are several things to look out for when visiting a potential supplier's website.

Does the site look professional and business like? Rather like a physical shop or showroom you can tell a lot about the company you are dealing with by how their website looks. You wouldn't purchase an expensive piece of equipment from a dodgy looking shop with misspelled signs and messy shop floor, nor should you from a company with a dodgy looking, messy and badly designed website.

Does the website display prices? Many businesses use their websites as little more than on-line catalogues, displaying products but giving away little information. These companies hope that you will be tempted by the pictures to pick up the phone and place an order. This is an old-fashioned way to run a website. These days people expect the website to work much harder, they expect to see multiple images, full descriptions and lists of features. Any vendor of catering equipment not doing this on their website is either lazy, afraid of revealing prices or simply out of touch with how the modern world does business.

Does the site allow you to actually purchase on-line? Setting up an on-line shop takes a bit of time and money so only companies that are serious about selling on-line will go to the bother. If a supplier has a well thought out on-line store or e-commerce shopping cart, as they are sometimes called, you can take it a sign of professionalism and good business practice. If the on-line store is packed with features like customer reviews, comparison, wish lists and order tracking you will know that this company means business and is likely to be professional. And good on-line store will also make life easier for you the customer and that is always a good thing.

Shop around

Once you have selected a supplier of catering equipment that meets your criteria in terms of having a professional website that allows on-line purchasing it is time to compare. If you have a short list of potential suppliers the deciding factor will probably be price. You might think that location should be a factor too but it needn't be if the price is low enough. For example if you are based in Sydney and looking to buy a cake display for your restaurant you might be tempted to use a Sydney based supplier, but what if a firm in Brisbane meets all the criteria listed above and offers the cake display at a price that is lower even when shipping is taken into account. I know what I would choose.

So, in summary, choose a supplier with a great web presence including a fully featured on-line store and, of course, low prices and you won't go far wrong. - 29861

About the Author:

Ambassador Catering Equipment is Australia's leading on-line retailer of high quality catering equipment, commercial cooking equipment, commercial fridges, food displays, coffee machines and much more. Based in Brisbane, Ambassador Catering Equipment can deliver all over Australia.

Consider the Philips Senseo HD7860 Coffee Machine

By Elsie Barton

This most up-to-date Philips Senseo HD7860/60 is not truly a Bean to Cup Coffee Machine, but is one of a new cohort of exceedingly user friendly machines that provide fresh coffee at the push of a button from coffee pads. Upon opening the box to look at your new HD7860/60, you are likely to be very impressed by its looks. The sales blurb describes it as being designed for people who prefer cubes to spheres. And it certainly has a very contemporary, smooth design.It comes in either white or black, and measures approximately 25 cm high, 22 cm deep and 17 cm wide.

The first thing that you need to do is to prepare it for first use by flushing the whole system. This is very easy, albeit rather noisy for a couple of minutes. It is very quiet in regular operation.

The most crucial considerations in reviewing the HD7860 are the ease of use and quality of the coffee it brews.

It has two spouts, so you can make either one or two cups at any one time. And has a height adjustable foot for the cups, so different cup / mug sizes can easily be used. The height varies from 97 to 117 mm.In less than a minute, it will have 2 cups ready. In just thirty seconds it will make 1 cup.

The HD7860/60 has a particularly large capacity, holding up to 1.2 litres. This can easily make 8 cups. Each cup is 120ml.

The HD7860 has an automatic shut-off element after 30 minutes, which is very worthwhile.

The coffee pads are a good deal better value than the coffee pods that have been conventionally used in such machines. Although the Senseo ones are about 15p each, you can obtain other ones much cheaper, and being pads there should not normally be a compatibility issue. You'll want to obtain round ones.We have used original and substitute coffee pads and the coffee produced by each has been first-rate.

The attractive appearance of the HD7860 is the most outstanding feature of this coffee maker - combined, perhaps with the marvelous quality of the coffee it makes!. The HD7860 will look especially good in a contemporary kitchen with darker worktops - much better, we consider than the usual, more curvy machines - 29861

About the Author:

Best UK Bean to Cup Coffee Makers at Bean to Cup Coffee Machines and Philips Senseo HD7860 Review

Kitchenware - How to Stock a Kitchen

By Jeremy Starkle

Owning a well-stocked kitchen is worth taking the time and effort to complete, not only in terms of pantry requirements, but also in terms of the kitchenware that makes it possible to prepare food as well. This can refer to a group of items, including cookware, utensils, baking dishes and kitchen appliances. Before stocking your kitchen, it's a good idea to think about what type of cooking that you do the most. If someone is a big baker, for example, it makes sense to purchase a great set of baking dishes for all the various types of cakes and bread that you may make.

Kitchenware goes a long way back; in the ancient pre-kitchen era, people used clay or stone bowls in order to heat up food over a fire. As mankind progressed, people learnt how to manipulate metal and the potential began to grow. Recipes grew more complex as well. This gave birth of what we know today as modern cuisine.

For those who are interested in doing a lot of frying, the set of frying pans that is collected is important. Specific kitchenware has been created to make frying simpler; the birth of non-stick technology is extremely useful for pan-frying. This prevents food getting stuck to the bottom of the pan and getting burnt. Deep fryers are also available; they submerge food into a tub of hot oil to give it a crunchy exterior.

Utensils are a necessary component of kitchenware. In the West, this comprises the basic fork, spoon, and knife set. These can come in different materials, including the traditional silver. Stainless steel is probably one of the most popular and common types of utensil material. In Eastern cultures chopsticks are used, made out of wood or other materials.

Appliances in the kitchen range in their level of complexity, but all are designed to give the chef less manual work to do. Kitchenware in the appliance category can include the basic blenders, beaters, and food processors. More complicated items include microwave ovens, pasta makers, ice cream makers, and juicers. Basically, whatever possible type of food that could be prepared probably has its own appliance that makes its preparation easier and more hands-off for the cook. Standards of convenience grow every day, with new inventions making cooking more fuss-free than ever before. - 29861

About the Author:

Choose from a large range of Kitchenware to suit all your kitchen requirements. For this and more, be sure to check out the Choice Catering Equipment website today!

Commercial Ovens: Quality and Control

By Lenny Amoore

An essential item in every kitchen, ovens are closed compartments that are used for baking or other heating purposes. Commercial ovens are efficient machines located in restaurant kitchens that require a high turnover of food material and accuracy in baking methods. The oven has been around for an extremely long time, with remnants of ovens found by archaeologists dating back to 3200 BC. However it was the ancient Greeks that really started to refine the baking process, inventing the front-loading oven that was used to bake all types of dough into bread and even complicated cakes, similar to what we use today.

Whilst having the capacity to produce breads, cakes, and other baked goods, commercial ovens can also be used for roasting savoury foods like meat or casseroles. Industrial ovens can even be used to fire up non-food items like clay or other building materials. The real duty of the oven is to provide an intense and controllable amount of heat, which can be channelled into whatever a needs heating up.

The heat source in commercial ovens can come from either the top or the bottom, which has a different effect on the way the food cooks. For casseroles or food like lasagne in which a browned top is desired, placing it close to a top-heating source is a good idea. However, for baked goods when an even cooking is required, a bottom heat source is better. When in doubt, placing the food in the middle of the oven is a good happy medium.

Commercial ovens are powered by either gas or electricity. In the past, they were fired by coal or wood, and wood is still used in certain circumstances in commercial kitchens, such as the cooking of pizza. Cooking with wood adds some of the smoky flavour into the food. Convection ovens use a fan to move the air around the interior of the chamber, meanwhile steam ovens use a bit of water to add steam into the chamber. All of these ovens can be adjusted depending on what is being cooked.

To most peoples surprise, commercial ovens have the ability to clean themselves. For anyone who has spent endless hours scrubbing off burnt flakes from the bottom of an oven, this is a breath of fresh air. There are two ways in which this works. Self-cleaning ovens use a concentrated wave of extreme heat to burn off the dirt, thus dissolving it. Continuous cleaning ovens on the other hand, are coated on the inside with a catalytic substance that works in opposition with the dirt, slowly destroying it over time. - 29861

About the Author:

Produce the most perfect and delicious cakes with our wide range of popular Commercial Ovens available now at the Choice Catering Equipment site.

The Gaggia Platinum Vision 74845 Model Our Review

By Dwight Monroe

Gaggia are one of the most renowned manufacturers of domestic coffee machines and are an authentic Italian manufacturer to boot. Although you may not think this matters too much, it does generally mean that you are purchasing a truly top quality product if you go for the Gaggia Platinum Vision 74845, and this is reflected in the price.

The Gaggia 74845 Platinum Vision has the added advantage of being a bean to cup coffee machine, taking care of the whole process within the machine. This means you can easily avoid all the hassle and mess which may put many off brewing their own coffee at home.

Although there are several parts of the machine which need to be kept clean, most of these detach quite easily with the stainless steel construction making them easy to take care of without worrying about rusting.

The quality of the different elements of the machine makes all the difference in creating a quality brew. This starts at the grinder, with its ceramic blades, making the grind selected consistent every time and also allowing for small changes to be made to create subtle differences in the grind.

Another important feature in allowing great quality to be achieved time after time is the inclusion of an aqua prima water filter. This makes the Gaggia 74845 Platinum Vision a particularly good investment for anyone living in a hard water area.

One of the main drawbacks of the Gaggia 74845 Platinum Vision Bean to Cup Coffee Machine is that it can be quite complicated to operate when you first start out. The fact that there are so many functions on the machine means you might need to read through the instructions two or three times before you can master the basic operations.

Even though it is a little complicated, this is largely because of the sheer amount of different things that you can do with the Gaggia 74845. In addition to espresso, there is of course a crema to froth milk, and the Gaggia makes it quite easy to produce any variation on the cappuccino which you would find in the local coffee shop.

While most will buy the Gaggia 74845 Platinum Vision for the high level of functionality, it is also a stylish addition to any kitchen. The machine is crafted from stainless steel as opposed to cheaper imitation products, so the quality of the product shines through in the look of the machine too.

To summarise, the Gaggia 74845 Platinum Vision Bean to Cup Coffee Machine is the best option to go for if you have a little extra to spend since the quality of the brew it produces is exceptional. - 29861

About the Author:

Reviews and Cheapest Price in the UK for the Gaggia 74845 at 74845 and Gaggia 74845 Cheap Prices

Cookware: Make Life Easier

By Jackson Blom

The term 'cookware' can mean any sort of vessel used in the preparation of food in the kitchen. The shape of the vessel will largely depend on its intended food in an effort to maximize cooking options. This can come in the shape of saucepans, skillets, frying pans, soup kettles, or saucepots, amongst others.

The history of cookware dates as far back as when fire was first discovered and people soon came up with clay pots which were used to heat and cook food. Some consider this to be the first kind of baking-ware. Following the discovery of bronze and iron being used as a building material, the containers increased in their level of refinement. The arsenal of skillets, frying pans, and sauce pans that we use today pay homage to the 17th century, and only keep getting better and better.

Cookware comes in a variety of materials. Metal is prevalent, with pots and pans commonly constructed out of such metals as aluminium, copper, cast iron, and stainless steel. Many times the pans are coated with a material so that food doesn't stick to them in the cooking process, known as non-stick pans. Other common materials used are glass, silicone, or ceramic. Each type helps the food cook differently, though this is left up to the personal preference of the chef.

There are a few specialty pieces of cookware that should be mentioned, such as Dutch ovens and casserole pans. These are used for stews, casseroles, braised meats, or anything else that should be cooked slowly, over a period of many hours. For quick cooking, a skillet is always a good bet, as you can quickly cook basic ingredients in a short amount of time. Griddles can be used not only for pancakes, but for any sort of grilled item that needs to be dropped onto a hot surface and needs to spread out, including omelettes or other food items that begin as a liquid and end as a solid.

There's also a different set of cookware that is designed for baking only, including springform cake pans, angel food cake pans, and pie pans. Flat sheets are for cookies or other shortbreads, and loaf pans are used for bread. Basically, for any sort of baked good that you can think of, there is a piece of equipment specifically designed for that sole purpose. - 29861

About the Author:

Make your kitchen life that much simpler with our range of Cookware available online at the Choice Catering Equipment site.

Kitchen Equipment - Necessary Pieces for a New Kitchen

By Jeremy Starkle

When outfitting a new kitchen of the commercial variety, there is a range of components to consider. Depending on what type of kitchen one wants to use, there are different items of kitchen equipment that range in order of necessity. Larger items including ranges, ovens, and grills are standard for any type of cooking. Dishwashers and commercial sinks help with the post-service cleanup. There are various appliances as well that can make aspects of the restaurant business easier.

The range, oven and grill set-up is one of the most important pieces of kitchen equipment, and can take up the most space in the kitchen. Range tops can be either gas or electric, each with its own set of considerations. Griddles and broilers offer cooking capabilities on a smaller scale. If one is going to be preparing a lot of fried food, such as in a diner, there are large skillets, frying pans, or even deep fryers for some serious frying capabilities.

If there is going to be a lot of baking or pastry service, then a separate set of kitchen equipment will be needed for this purpose. Cookware that suits the different sorts of pie plates or cake sizes is standard. Cupcake tins, ramekins, and other small baking trays are available as well. For bread products, one can use loaf pans, muffin or biscuit pans, or flat sheet pans. Cooling racks help a large scale operation of bread products to cool quickly.

Mixers and food processors can be tools that make life easier. These items of kitchen equipment can be used in all types of recipes. A stand-up mixer is beneficial when making large batches of dough or batter, or simply for preparing sauces. Food processors make dicing and blending ingredients a breeze, and can be adjusted to what is required in a recipe. Stick blenders are great for mixing sauces and soups, and require a minimal amount of effort to use on the part of the chef.

Preventing fires in the kitchen is extremely important, and fortunately there is kitchen equipment specifically made for this. Hood systems are included as part of the range top and oven set up. These include fans that suck up excess heat and re-circulate it around the kitchen, not only providing for a more pleasant working environment, but also a reduced risk of fire. Safety should always come first in a kitchen. - 29861

About the Author:

Choose from a wide variety of Kitchen Equipment to suit all your kitchen needs. For this and more, be sure to visit the Choice Catering Equipment website now!

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