Food Service

Tools & Equipment

In the commercial kitchen, hand tools
and equipment are used to prepare
food items to be served. Equipment is
usually larger, heavier machinery
placed in one specific location and is
very seldom moved. Equipment used
in the commercial kitchen is expensive
and is always purchased by the
establishment. It is imperative that
individuals are trained properly on how
to operate such equipment or when
working with hand tools. Experience
using the tools and equipment will
definitely make the food preparation
process become increasingly more
efficient in the commercial kitchen.
 Hand Tools
Hand tools are hand-held
implements used in preparing
food. 1. Knives and Other Cutting Tools

2. Food Handling Tools

3. Food Preparation Tools

•
4. Cooking Tools

5. Baking Tools

6. Measuring Tools
 Knives & Other Cutting Tools

Knives are the chef’s most important tool. A set of knives should consist of
chef (French) knife, a carving knife, a boning knife, a utility knife, and a
paring knife. Other knives are available for specialized tasks.

Knives should be selected for quality and by personal preference. Like any
tool, a high quality knife may cost more initially, but perform better and last
longer. All knives must be kept sharp at all times. A sharp knife is safer
than a dull knife because it requires less force to use and will not slip off the
item being cut as easily. A steel or sharpening stone should be used
periodically to keep the blade sharp.
Types of Knives & Cutting Tools
 Boning Knife
a short thin knife with a pointed blade to
remove meat from bones.
 Butcher Knife
a slight curved, pointed blade knife to
section raw meat.
 Butcher’s Steel
a round steel rod to maintain the edge on a
knife (does not sharpen it).
 Clam Knife
a short, flat round tipped blade to open
clams.
 Cleaver
a heavy, square blade used to chop bones.
 Chef (French) Knife
a wide and tapered blade used for chopping,
dicing, mincing, and slicing.
 Slicer
a narrow flexible blade used to slice food.
 Paring Knife
a short knife used to pare fruits and vegetables
and remove eyes and blemishes.
 Oyster Knife
a short thin dull edged tapered blade to open
oysters.
 Pie & Cake Knives
a wide flat blade that is tapered to a point and
shaped like a wedge to cut pie and cake.
 Potato/Vegetable Peeler
a loop shaped blade to allow peeling in two
directions.
 Utility Knife
a pointed knife used for a variety of cutting
tasks.
 Types of Food Handling Tools
 Food Tongs
Two grippers with a saw-toothed grip to pick
up and serve foods.
 Grill Tender
Used to clean grills.
 Turner/ Metal Spatula
Wide flat offset blade with handle to turn
foods while grilling.
 Kitchen Fork
Two-pronged fork used for holding, slicing,
turning, and broiling meats.
 Can Opener
Mounted on a table to open large cans
 Ladle
Stainless steel cup, solid or perforated
attached to a long handle to stir, mix, and
dip.

Ladle Size Weight/Portion

¼ c. 2 oz.
½ c. 4 oz.
¾ c. 6 oz.
1 c. 8 oz.
 Types of Food Handling Tools cont.
 Melon Ball/ Parisienne Scoop
Stainless steel blade formed into a round
half-ball cup to cut fruits and vegetables.
 Scraper/Dough Cutter
Wide rectangular metal blade with a handle
for scraping meat blocks and cutting
dough.
 Skimmer
Flat stainless steel perforated disk
connected to a long handle to skim grease
or food particles from soups, stocks, and
sauces.
 Spoons and Spatulas
Used for stirring, serving, scraping, and
spreading.
 Slotted Spoon
Stainless steel spoon with three to four
slots to serve large cut vegetables or whole
items without the liquid.
 Spatula
Flexible flat or offset blade used for mixing,
spreading, and scraping.
 Metal Paddles
Long handled paddles used to stir food in
deep pots.
 Types of Food Preparation Tools

 Box Grater
A metal box with various size grids used
to cut food into small particles.
 China Cap
A pointed strainer used to strain gravies,
soups, sauces, and other liquids.
 Colander
A bowl shaped strainer used for washing
and draining foods.
 Hand Meat Tenderizer
A metal hammer like tool with a handle
used to pound and break the muscle
fibers of tough cuts of meats.
 Strainer
Perforated metal bowl used to strain and
drain foods.
 Wire Whip
Used for whipping eggs, cream, gravies,
and sauces. There are two types of
whips …a French whip and the Piano
whip, which is more flexible and is used
for more delicate whipping procedures.
 Types of Cooking Tools
 Bain-Marie
Stainless steel storage container with
high walls to hold hot water and foods.
 Bake Pan
Rectangular aluminum pan used for
baking.
 Braiser
A shallowed wall round pot used for
braising, stewing, and searing meats.
 Double Broiler
A double pot with hot water in the
bottom pan used to heat delicate items
such as cream, cheese, chocolate, and
pudding.
 Frying/ Sauté Pan
Round sloped shallow pan used to
sauté meats and vegetables.
 Iron Skillet
Thick heavy iron to withstand heat and
used for broiling and frying foods.
 Types of Cooking Tools cont.
 Mixing Bowls
Used to mix small and large foods.
Stainless steel does not affect flavor of
foods unlike aluminum with acidic foods.
 Roasting Pan
Large rectangular medium to high walled
metal pan.
 Saucepan
Smaller, shallower, and lighter pot.
 Sauce Pot
Large round deep pot with handles. Used
for cooking on the top of the range when
stirring and whipping is necessary.
 Sheet Pan
Shallow rectangular pan used for baking
cookies, sweet cakes, and sheet pies.
 Stock Pot
Large round high walled pot with handles
used for boiling and simmering food
items such as turkeys, hams, stocks and
vegetables.
 Types of Baking Tools
 Dough Docker
An aluminum or stainless roller with pins
and a handle used to perforate dough to
prevent uneven baking or blistering.
 Flour Sifter
A round metal container with a sieve and a
wheel to rotate as it removes lumps and
adds air.
 Pastry Bag
Cone shaped bag used to decorate cakes or
pipe food like duchess potatoes and
whipped toppings.
 Pastry Brush
Narrow shaped brush with bristles used to
brush on icing, sauces, or an egg wash.
 Pastry Tips
Metal tips with various shaped openings
used to decorate cakes and cookies.
 Pie and Cake Marker
A round heavy wire disk with guide bars
used to mark and cut cakes and pies.
 French Rolling Pin
Solid piece of wood with narrower ends
used to roll dough to the required thickness.
 Types of Measuring Tools
 Measures
Metal cups are used to measure liquids
and some dry ingredients. Measures are
graduated in quarters and are available in
gallons, half gallons, quarts, and pints..
 Measuring Cups Measurement Equivalent
Used to measure liquids and some dry
ingredients. A set consists of one- Pinch/Dash 1/8 t.
quarter, one-third, one-half, and one cup 3 t. 1 T.
measures.
16 T. 1 c.
Measurement Abbreviation
teaspoon tsp./ t. 1 c. ½ pt.

tablespoon tbsp./ T. 2 c. 1 pt.

pint pt. 2 pts. 1 qt.
quart qt. 4 qts. 1 gal.
gallon gal.
16 oz. 1 lb.
ounce oz.
1 lb. (water) 1 fluid pint
pound lb.
2 lbs. (water) 1 fluid quart
bunch bch.
 Types of Measuring Tools cont.
 Portion Control Scoops
A scoop with a thumb-operated release lever.
Scoops are available in specific sizes and are
used to serve food in accurate amounts.
Scoops are sized by numbers.
 Cans
Many recipes call for food ingredients
according to can size number (ex. #10 can).
Can Size ~ Content ~Measure Product
Scoop # ~ Weight Scoop # Level # 10 6 ½ -7 lbs 3 qt. Fruits &
(oz.) Measure Vegetables
8 5 8 ½ c. #5 2-3 lbs 1 qt. Fruit juice
& soups
10 4 10 2/5 c.
#2½ 1 lb. 12 oz- 3 ½ c. Fruits &
12 3 12 1/3 c. 1 lb. 14 oz Vegetables

16 2-2 ½ 16 ¼ c. #2 1 lb. 4 oz 2 ½ c. Juices &

Soups &
20 1 2/3 20 3 1/5 T. Vegetables

24 1½ 24 2 2/3 T. # 303 1 lb. 1 pt. Fruits &

Vegetables
30 1¼ 30 2 1/5 T. & Soups

40 1 40 1 3/5 T. #300 14 oz. – 1 ¾ c. Cranberry

16 oz. Sauce &
Pork &
beans
 Equipment

Equipment is machinery or a larger tool that usually stays in one place.

Unlike some hand tools, equipment is always purchased by the food
service establishment. Equipment should only be used after proper
instruction by the supervisor. Always follow the manufacturer's
recommendations for operation of any equipment.

Baker’s Scale
 Equipment cont.
 Chafing Dish
Used to keep food hot on the buffet. A
pan of water underneath keeps the
food pan hot above.
 Deep Fryer
Large automatic fry kettle used to
deep fry food. Holds 25 lbs. - 50 lbs.
of shortening at 200°- 400° degrees.
 Food Processor
Appliance used to puree, chop, grate,
slice, and shred food. It has a
removable bowl, “S” shaped blade,
lid, and a powerful motor.
 Food Storage Boxes
Used to safely store food while
maximizing the use of shelf space.
 Equipment cont.
 Stand Mixer/Floor Mixer
Used to whip, grinds, shreds,
slices, and chops food.
 Portion Scale
A scale used for measuring food
servings.
 Proofing/Holding Cabinet
A cabinet used to keep food hot
without drying it out or can be used
to proof dough.
 Slicing Machine
A machine that can be manually or
automatically operated. It has a
regulator for providing wide range
of slice thickness.
 Equipment cont.
 Pressure Steamer
Cooks food with steam under
pressure that is in direct contact with
the item being cooked such as
vegetables and meats.
 Convection Oven
Known as “air flow” ovens. Uses air
that is circulated throughout the
interior. Heat is distributed by this
circulation method, allowing the oven
to be loaded to its capacity and still
provide the required heat.
 Microwave Oven
Waves strike water molecules in the
food causing heat energy. Food then
cooks from the inside out as the heat
spreads.