The kitchen is the heart of a restaurant, and it can be very dangerous for both customers and staff if something goes wrong. Make sure to follow these ten tips for maintaining your restaurant’s kitchen appliances so that you don’t have any unfortunate accidents!
1. Clean Appliances
Regularly cleaning all the appliances in your restaurant’s kitchen is one of the easiest yet most important things you can do to ensure their safety. Food particles and other bacteria left behind on surfaces can become flammable or explosive, posing a serious health risk for both customers and employees.
2. Keep Up With Appliance Maintenance
As with any type of machinery, appliances need regular maintenance to ensure they are working properly. If you neglect the maintenance, it might lead to more costly and dangerous problems down the line. Have your appliances serviced once a year by a professional who specializes in restaurant equipment and kitchen appliance repair and installation.
3. Check for Repairs
If your appliances are always breaking down, it might be time for new ones. Or you can replace the parts you are having trouble with to make sure your current appliances are running smoothly. For instance, Vikings BBQ parts can help you repair your Viking barbecue machine to make it run like new. You just need to find the right dealer.
4. Keep Wiring Safe
Kitchen appliances often use electricity. Be sure to check all the wiring on your appliances every few months to make sure there are no loose or damaged parts. Replacing wires can be an expensive fix, but it is less costly than dealing with a kitchen fire!
5. Keep Out Grease and Food Particles
Make sure your hood filters are always clean and free of grease or food particles. If you keep them in a hurry, it can immerse the filters into an explosion if a flame source is nearby. This will cause grease to spread across the kitchen and catch fire when it comes in contact with flames from another appliance
6. Prevent Leaks
A small leak is not usually a big deal, but if faulty or damaged equipment isn’t repaired or replaced, it can lead to bigger problems. A small oil spill might ignite when exposed to open flames. Replacing the faulty equipment will be cheaper than replacing an entire restaurant!
7. Prevent Lint Buildup on Your Oven
Always make sure your oven lint trap is clean. If you don’t, it can result in a fire when the lint ignites and spreads across the inside of your appliance. Lint buildup can be a sign that you need professional help to repair your oven if there’s damage to the heating coils or interior surfaces
8. Check for Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is a deadly gas that can build up in kitchens. Make sure your stove or oven is not leaking this hazardous gas, or install carbon monoxide detectors under the hood of your appliances to make sure there are no leaks. It’s also important to make sure your vents are functioning properly, so air can escape and prevent carbon monoxide from accumulating inside your kitchen.
9. Use Rubber Mats if Possible
If you have a gas line under your stove, place a rubber mat underneath it to prevent heat damage. You can find these mats online or at your local hardware store. This is also helpful if you have flammable materials near your stove, like wooden cutting boards or paper towels. If you can, use rubber mats instead of combustible linoleum or tile flooring materials. A flammable floor can easily catch fire if exposed to an open flame. Ensure all surrounding areas are free of clutter and potential fuel sources for a fire.
10. Do Not Leave Appliances on When You Are Not Around
Make sure to always turn appliances off when you are not around, and if you have to leave them running overnight, make sure they have been properly turned off from the inside so that no one can turn them back on while you’re gone. If you have employees, make sure that anyone who is supposed to be closing up your restaurant at night knows to always turn off appliances before they go home for the day.
Owning a restaurant is hard work, but following these ten tips for maintaining your kitchen appliances can help make the job a little easier. By keeping up with regular maintenance and checking for repairs, you can avoid dangerous and costly accidents in your kitchen. Make sure also to keep wiring safe, prevent leaks, and check for carbon monoxide buildup to ensure the safety of both customers and employees.
