A number of costs are associated with starting a catering business. You must first obtain the proper permits, attract customers, and jump through the legal loopholes. But once you’re ready to serve your first party or 100-person wedding, it pays to be prepared with all the proper serving equipment.
In truth, proper catering equipment is needed for two reasons. First, it will ensure you serve customers food that’s hot. Plus, the right equipment is critical for ensuring food stays at the correct temperature to ensure health safety standards are met.
As you consider acquiring equipment for your catering business, there are a number of items you will need. Every business’s equipment needs are unique and depend on the type of food and service that they provide. Yet there are several pieces that many food service businesses – from restaurants offering brunch, to caterers serving buffets – commonly use. Here’s a look at some of the most important pieces you will need:
1. Chaffering Dishes
If you’ll be serving hot food, chaffering dishes – also known as chafers – are a critical item. These dishes have large pans that are heated using gel fuel pods or an electric heat source from underneath, and they are used to keep food warm during service. In general, water is added to the chafer, and then it is heated using the fuel source. Once the water is heated, the food pan is placed inside the chafer.
There are many types of chafers, including rectangular and oval shapes, as well as a number of different sizes. Plus, chaffering dishes are available in a variety of finishes. Stainless steel is the most common type, but there are also dishes with satin or matte finishes. Finally, chafers are also differentiated by the type of cover they use; you can choose from simple lift-off covers, retractable lids, or glass-top lids.
2. Steam Pans
Steam pans hold your hot food items, and they are placed inside the chafer dish. These are available in a number of standardized sizes commonly used in the food service industry. For example, a full-sized chafer dish can hold two half-sized steam pans, or one half-sized and two quarter-sized pans. Often, steam pans are sold in sets of many different sizes. It’s important to have a range of steam pans so that you can serve in a variety of different configurations.
3. Beverage Urns and Dispensers
Whether you’ll be serving coffee, iced tea or a specialty beverage, you should consider the type of hardware that you will need. Coffee dispensers come in a range of styles and types, including smaller air pots, as well as large-scale urns. For cold beverages, a large glass or clear plastic urn filled with ice can serve hundreds of guests. Finally, if you’ll be serving guests tableside, your servers will need pitchers and handheld coffee pots.
4. Serving Trays
Whether you will serve appetizers off trays or carry plates to the tables, serving trays are a useful item to have. There are two main types. For example, small grab-and-go food items can be served directly off of stainless steel serving trays, while larger, durable trays are used to carry plates to the table.
5. Squeeze Bottles
You might have specialty sauces you need to serve or just good old-fashioned catsup to offer; either way, squeeze bottles can help you avoid serving sauces from a chaffering dish, which can become messy. Plus, they are affordable and easy to buy in bulk, so you can always stock up on them.
Deelat.com is your source for high-quality food service items. From stainless steel chafers, to steam pan sets, we offer a range of options covering all your catering business’s needs.
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