Food Preparation Equipment

Food preparation equipment is the vital stage between receiving fresh ingredients and making them ready for cooking or direct service. It ranges from potato peelers, gravity slicers, juicers, and multi-function food processors to traditional hand-held tools like kitchen knives and speciality utensils.

Some equipment is essential depending on the style of food offered, while other items are "nice to have". Preparing ingredients in-house often ensures better flavour, consistency, and cost control than relying on ready-prepared foods.

Why Fresh Preparation Matters

• Potatoes: buying fresh allows choice of variety, better flavour, and cost efficiency for high-volume use.
• Carrots & vegetables: ready-prepared vegetables can be inconsistent; in-house preparation ensures quality.
• Meats & juices: freshly sliced meats and freshly squeezed juices are superior to pre-packaged alternatives.

Key Food Preparation Equipment

Food Processors

Professional food processors are robust, versatile, and faster than domestic models. They offer a wide choice of cutting shapes and multiple chopping features, with faster processing from stronger motors and sharper blades.

Stick Blenders

Medium to heavy-duty blenders designed for commercial use, able to pulse large quantities quickly. Ideal for sauces, purees and soups, and common in hospitals, Asian restaurants, and high-volume kitchens.

Potato Peelers

• Work using a gritted revolving base plate, sometimes double-sided for old or new potatoes.
• Choose size based on daily throughput, using around 75% of stated capacity.
• Some models also peel carrots, onions, or spin salad.

Best practice: start the machine before loading, to avoid motor strain.

Gravity Slicers

• Slice cooked or raw meats, fish such as tuna or smoked salmon, and cheese.
• Use for cost-efficient, high-quality slices from whole joints.
• Food safety: clean thoroughly between raw, cooked, or strongly flavoured foods.
• Staff must be trained on safe operation and cleaning.

Bowl Mixers

Also called orbital mixers, used for bakery and patisserie tasks and heavy mixing jobs such as mashed potatoes. Dedicated dough mixers may be used for bread production.

Maintaining Your Food Preparation Equipment

Potato Peelers

• Low maintenance; ensure drains are clear.
• Avoid overloading, to prevent motor strain.
• Re-grit as needed, often measured in years.

Gravity Slicers

• Clean daily for hygiene and mechanical upkeep.
• Blade sharpening is rarely needed unless cutting bones or gristle.

Stick Blenders

• Avoid using underpowered blenders for heavy sauces.
• Regular cleaning; no other maintenance needed.

Food Processors

• Match food to the recommended blade.
• Replace blades when blunt; retain a fine chopping blade for herbs.

Bowl Mixers

• Reliable and low-maintenance; grease gearing during service visits.
• Avoid overloading or high-speed operation for dense mixtures.
• Ensure safety guards are always functional.

Best Practices: Do's and Don'ts

Do

• Clean gravity slicers daily.
• Periodically check grit in peelers.
• Cut frozen food on gravity slicers.
• Monitor blender power cables for singeing.
• Remove food debris from slicers.

Don't

• Overload potato peelers.
• Slice meat bones on gravity slicers.
• Use low-powered blenders for heavy tasks.
• Operate bowl mixers with faulty hand guards.
• Let peeler drains become blocked.

Browse our range of food preparation equipment.

Reproduced with kind permission of CESA (Catering Equipment Suppliers Association).