The Anatomy of a Knife

When it comes to kitchen cutlery it's easy to think in simple terms - the blade and the handle. In reality, a knife's anatomy is complex. Here we'll explain the full anatomy of a knife so you can use your kitchen cutlery to its fullest potential. As mentioned, knives are made up of two primary parts, the handle and blade. But, to get a better understanding of how to use your knife, the handle and blade can be broken down into more detail.
Most knife handles are made up of four parts: a finger guard, a knife bolster, a knife tang, and the knife butt. Each of these parts play an important part in your knife's safety and overall performance. The knife's finger guard is designed to add pressure to the slicing motion while protecting your fingers from potential cuts. Many chefs consider the finger guard a part of the bolster because they share the same location, but the bolster serves a different purpose. The bolster provides the knife's strength. It improves the knife's balance, strength, and stability by adding forward-weight from the chef's hand. The knife's tang performs a similar task, but it's more of an extension of the blade. The tang encloses the blade and fuses it into the handle. Look for knives with a tang that extends completely to the knife butt. These knives will likely last longer as they have more strength throughout the entire handle. Lastly, the knife's butt is simply the back end of the knife. You'll find some knife butts that have a hanging hook for a way to store them.
The second part of a knife is its blade. It should be noted, quality cutlery is very sharp. (Public Kitchen Supply recommends investing in a cut resistant glove when dealing with professional knives. Chef Revival's D-Flex Cut Resistant Glove is a great choice.) The blade is the key to a knife's anatomy and it has five key components: the heel, spine, cutting edge, tip, and point. The knife's heel is the farthest away from the knife's point. It is designed for maximum strength and leverage. The heel will help you cut through thick slabs of meat easily thanks to the added pressure. You'll even use the heel of your knife for other uses such as when smashing heads of garlic to get crushed pieces. As the heel of the knife is the largest part and will not bend or break.
The knife's spine is the opposite side of the cutting edge, at the top of the blade. It is smooth and dull. Many chefs use the blade's spine for precision. You can steady your hand with your blade's spine as you chop thin, delicate vegetables or garnishes. Next is the knife's cutting edge, also known as the blade. This is most common part of your knife's anatomy and typically runs from your knife's heel to its tip. Your knife's tip is often thought of as the first third of the cutting edge. Chefs use the tip for exact, delicate cuts. Most culinarians recommend using the tip and the spine of the knife for ultimate precision. Finally, the knife's point; the point is one of, if not the sharpest part of your knife's anatomy. The point is located where the edge and spine meet. Use the point of your knife for piercing meats and other foods to start a cut.
Understanding the anatomy of a knife is an important piece of culinary knowledge for any chef. If you're looking for a knife kit that will aid in many recipes, try the Alfi Knife Kit. This knife kit comes with a bread knife, a sandwich knife, and serrated sandwich bread knife, and a bread scorer. It's an especially great purchase for bakeries. For a classic chef's knife, try the Mercer's Renaissance 10" Chef Knife, which can be a go-to knife for a variety of uses. To check-out all of Public Kitchen Supply's available cutlery, visit our Knives Category at PublicKitchenSupply.com.

Resource: http://www.mercercutlery.com/anatomy-of-a-knife

Many Menu Options vs. Few Menu Options

Your restaurant's menu is significant to your restaurant's overall success. Your menu's appearance, selection, and size all affects your business's overall demeanor. The food on your menu is a pricey investment and it’s imperative that it sells well, otherwise the restaurant has no success. Many restaurant owners try to create competitive menus by offering countless options but there are many benefits to a concise menu. Let's weigh the advantages and disadvantages of a lengthy restaurant menu compared to a menu with only a few options. When choosing the length of your menu it's important to consider price, your target audience, and customer satisfaction.
1. Watch Ingredient Costs Purchasing food in bulk saves money. Shorter, limited menus allow you to purchase more food in bulk compared to lengthier menus that require many more ingredients. Furthermore, you can invest in a few high quality products compared to many inexpensive foods by cutting down the list of purchases required to stock your kitchen. On the other hand, fewer choices typically result in fewer temptations from a customer's standpoint. If a customer knows a short menu well, they'll be less likely to spontaneously add an appetizer, dessert, or side. Lengthy menus on the other hand encourage customers to splurge, especially on easy up-charges like changing a baked potato to a loaded potato, adding a salad, or adding an alcoholic beverage. When it comes to menu length and pricing, it's important to consider the type of food you're selling and in turn, your target audience.
2. Consider Your Target Audience Your target audience is easily one of the most influential aspects of your restaurant's decision-making. Expensive, quality food may be great if you own an upscale restaurant, but if you're a quick, family friendly establishment you'll want to offer cheaper options that a family can afford and be happy with. Family restaurants require more options as you have more people to please. You want to create a menu that everyone can agree on. Customer happiness = restaurant success. Upscale or themed restaurants demand a more precise menu and tend to be "special event" type of restaurant, meaning it's busy for anniversaries, graduation parties, proms, or celebrations, but not necessarily a weeknight-dinner type of restaurant. 3. Add New Items Effectively Regardless of your restaurant's menu size, if you are attempting to add additional menu selections, consider having special menus specifically for those items, like a menu easel from Cal-Mil. This is perfect if it's just a drink option, dessert or appetizer that you're testing. It'll draw your customers attention as it will be on the table all night and demands attention. You'll quickly see if it's a menu item that is worth adding full time and is worth the cost of ingredients, or if few people try it, you know to keep it off the menu.
On the other hand, one way to have more menu options, but you don't want to offer them all the time, is to consider having seasonal menus. This tends to work better for more upscale restaurants that people are okay with ever-changing menu options. If you try this, use a menu that can easily be printed and replaced, like a Double-Fold Menu Cover that has plastic windows. These mean that you can print a new menu from a printer and pop out the old menu and put in the new one on your own. No extra printing cost, no binding costs, simple and easy. Happy, returning customers are how businesses succeed, especially restaurants. After all, the way to a person's heart is through their stomach. If your customers seem overwhelmed by your menu, consider cutting items or asking patrons to take a survey on menu size. If your customers appear bored by limited menu options consider expanding it or offering seasonal menus. Judge your menu on how your customer's see it. And when in doubt, simply ask.

Thanksgiving Must Haves!

Thanksgiving is on Thursday and that means Turkey. Turkey is the main entrée of many holiday meals, many chefs are starting to feel the pressure but Public Kitchen Supply is here to help! There are countless Turkey recipes to choose from but they all have a few things in common. Whether you're making a classic roast turkey or a unique, citrus glazed turkey you will need certain cookware staples. In today's blog Public Kitchen Supply will share the most necessary Turkey Day equipment you should have in your kitchen.
A food thermometer is a must when you cook meat, but it's especially important to use when you cook turkey. Monitoring your turkey's temperature is an important step in preventing foodborne diseases like salmonella and campylobacter. A food thermometer will protect you and your guests from a painful, sickly Thanksgiving weekend. Public Kitchen Supply recommends Taylor's Digital High-Temp Food Thermometer. This thermometer is easy to read and capable of measuring a wide range of temperatures. Use Taylor's Digital High-Temp Food Thermometer to measure food between -40°F to 500°F. Taylor's thermometer is NSF listed meaning it can be used in a commercial kitchen and pass inspection too. Public Kitchen Supply recommends cooking your turkey until it reaches 175°F to 180°F in the thigh. This is a perfect, ready to eat temperature.
Basting your turkey is one of the most important steps too. You can baste your turkey a few different ways. Two popular ways to baste your turkey is with a brush or with a baster. Consider using Update International's 1.5" Wood Pastry Brush and Update International's 10.5" Plastic Baster. Both of these basting tools are inexpensive and easy to use. The plastic baster is particularly helpful because you can easily slip it in between the slats of the roasting rack to add juice while it's cooking. Basting your turkey is a great way to create flavorful tender meat. We recommend basting your turkey every 30 minutes. Basting your turkey every half hour will keep your bird moist and it will allow you to carefully monitor your entrée's temperature.
One tool that's clearly important to use is a timer. Timers should be used when cooking turkeys and Thanksgiving side dishes. In a busy holiday kitchen it's easy to lose track of time. Use Update International's Hour/Min. Digital Timer to keep your Holiday meal in check. Try the Update International's Hour/Min. Digital Timer because it's easy to use. Use your timer to keep your food's temperature and basting times on point. Timing is one of the most important factors when it comes your holiday meal.
There are countless Thanksgiving recipes but they all require food safety, careful preparation and timing. The products mentioned in today's blog will help you host a flawless Turkey Day. For more Thanksgiving Day cookware, visit our website at publickitchensupply.com. Public Kitchen Supply is always happy to help you find the perfect products for your home or restaurant kitchen. As you enter the holiday season remember, with Public Kitchen Supply at your side you've got this! Take a deep breath, smile and enjoy your tasty creations. Public Kitchen Supply wishes you a happy Thanksgiving and thank you for supporting us at publickitchensupply.com.

Should You Accept Reservations?

Staying up-to-date on the latest restaurant tendencies and trends can be overwhelming. One of the latest trends, however caught our eye. Recently, it has become more common for restaurants to refuse to take reservations. For many customers this practice is frustrating and inconvenient but the reason behind the no reservation trend has an explanation. Let us explain the possible benefits and detriments of accepting reservations and why this trend seems to be growing across restaurants.
Reservations can be advantageous but it takes exact planning and timing. Customers clearly like the option of making reservations because it allows them to plan their evening accordingly. The customer is able to say "Ok, I have two hours to be here before I have to be at dinner, which then I can sit down, eat, and then get to this movie (for example) by this time." Not having a reservation often means a lengthy wait before you are even seated. Sometimes on a weekend you can get to a restaurant and wait another 45+ minutes before being seated, which then begins the process of waiting for your food. Preventing reservations means that a customer must say to themselves, "what time will I be hungry? I should arrive an hour before that." On the other hand, the biggest problem with accepting reservations is if the customer is late or misses their reservation completely, it can take money away from your restaurant. Protocol differs between restaurants, but most wait at least 5 minutes for reservations before moving on to the next person in line. Canceled reservations and overestimated reservations are a problem too. If a potential customer is waiting on a table but can’t be seated because too many reservations were taken, chances are, the restaurant will lose that customer.
While there are detriments to accepting reservations there are benefits too. Restaurants that accept reservations have better access to large groups, parties and even conventions. Restaurant owners know that big parties typically result in big checks. If a large group cannot schedule a reservation with your restaurant they’re likely going to take their business elsewhere. If a group is wanting to eat together, they know it can be an ordeal without a reservation. Be sure to clearly mark reserved tables with signs like our Reserved Sign from Update International so everyone in the staff is aware of the large party. Walk-in customers will be more accepting of a wait time if they see a table is reserved, rather than simply not being utilized. Another benefit of reservations is that they can give your business a more upscale demeanor. If someone is wanting to schedule a nice evening out, especially if they have plans following dinner, they will want reservations. So, now that you've determined that you will accept reservations, the question is: How do you offer reservations without losing money?
Restaurants are dependent on their customers to arrive on time for their reservations or they will lose business. You may not be able to make your customers be punctual but you have options. Some restaurants who offer reservations require a deposit for reservations. If your customer does not show up you will still make money. Another option is dropping reservations after a certain amount of time. For example, if patrons are more than fifteen minutes late you can move their table to the next guest. Some restaurant use call ahead seating as an alternative to reservations. Call ahead seating is when customers calls and adds their name to a wait list as they’re driving to the restaurant. This is great for small groups but does not work well for parties.
Another factor in accepting or refusing reservations is understanding your restaurant style and clientele. If you’re debating between reservations and no-reservations consider a few things: Is your restaurant casual or formal dining? If you own a formal dining restaurant you will likely want to accept reservations especially if you serve long, multi-course dinners. Casual menus don’t take long and tables typically rotate quickly.   Where is your business located? If your business is located on a busy street and you accept walk-ins, reservations may be unnecessary. On the other hand, if your restaurant is in a less frequented area reservations may be a great way to bring in business. What can patrons do while they wait? If your business has a comfortable lounge area or an excellent bar, you can go without reservations and recommend your customers wait at the bar. When customers have a way to occupy their time and enjoy themselves, they will be more patient with wait times; however if they're stuck standing at the door, constantly shifting side to side to let people pass, a long wait can increase walk-outs. On the contrary, if your business has limited seating, reservations are likely a good idea.While your customers wait, always allow them to have the option to look at a menu, at least then, they'll be able to order quickly and eat sooner.
At Public Kitchen Supply we work to stay current in the restaurant industry. To make sure your restaurant stays up to date and has all the products it needs to handle restaurant reservations, visit our website at PublicKitchenSupply.com. Or, if you would like to speak to a sales representative directly you can call us at 1-800-458-1716, we'd be happy to help.

How to Make a Stir-Fry Dish

Buwei Yang Chao first coined the term stir-fry in her book How to Cook and Eat in Chinese. First published in 1945, many culinary historians consider it the first book to present traditional Chinese recipes to an American audience. Over the years stir-fry has become a common entree gracing dinner tables everywhere. Stir-fry is a great way to incorporate fresh vegetables and lean meat into a delicious meal. In today’s blog Public Kitchen Supply will explain how quick and easy a stir-fry meal can be with the right kitchen smallwares.
One of the most common stir-fry tools is a wok. A wok is a wide, rounded pan that originated in Guangdong Province in China. A wok’s curved, sloping sides allows for more food to cook evenly. You can shift food around in a this pan by cooking some food on the more direct heat and others on the side farther away from the burner. We recommend Adcraft’s Induction Ready Wok with Cover. This wok is made with an aluminum core to maximize even heat distribution. The Adcraft wok has a magnetic bottom so it can be used on an induction cooker. To make stir-fry, woks should be placed over medium-high heat. Once your pan is hot, 1 tablespoon of peanut oil should be added to the wok until the oil simmers.
Before you add your stir-fry spices and ingredients, you should considering measuring them to ensure no one ingredient overpowers another, unless you want it to. Use Update International’s 4-Piece Measuring Spoon Set for your seasonings. Stir-fry is a versatile rice dish that can use a large variety of spices and sauces. Some of the most common, popular stir-fry seasonings are garlic, soy sauce, peanut sauce, crushed red pepper and ginger. The key to delicious stir-fry is knowing the impact of each flavor. Each seasoning needs to be correctly measured. Same goes for meats and vegetables. For a yield of four, we recommend using 12 ounces of lean meat and four cups of vegetables. Use Cambro’s 1 Cup Clear Measuring Cup for precise measurements for your meats and veggies. Stir-fry is a great way to use leftover ingredients. Most meats and vegetables work well in a stir-fry, especially with the right seasoning. Consider using chunks of chicken, chunks of beef, or pieces of seafood. If you’re looking for a quick weeknight dinner use a bag of frozen stir-fry vegetables and chicken breasts and mix with white rice.
Once you have measured your ingredients and added them to the wok you will need a wooden spoon or a heatproof silicone spatula. Rubbermaid’s 16.5” White Spatula Spoon is a great way to stir and handle all of your ingredients without damaging the wok. You should continually stir your meat, vegetables, and rice until they are crisp, hot and tender. Be careful not to stir-fry too many vegetables at once or they’ll lose their crunch, becoming soft and mushy. Most stir-fry recipes take about 40 minutes between food prep and cooking.
Serve your stir-fry dish with Update International’s 12” Black Serving Spoon. This serving spoon is made out of nylon making it heat resistant up to 410°F. Its long handle will provide plenty of space between your hand and the stove. Use colorful plates like Tablecraft’s Orange Frostone Serving Bowl to present your stir-fry dish to your family or guests. The Orange Frostone Serving Bowl is temperature resistant up to 212°F. It will do an excellent job of containing your favorite crispy vegetables and meats in their exotic sauce. Let Public Kitchen Supply supply your kitchen with the kitchen smallwares you need to feed your family. Stir-fry is a quick way to make a hot, fresh meal. There are endless stir-fry combinations that are just waiting to be explored. Spice up your weekday with is easy, healthy delicious dish.

Merril D. Smith (9 January 2013). History of American Cooking. ABC-CLIO. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-313-38712-8.

The Big Push to Include Calorie Count on Menus: Good or Bad?

According to the Huffington Post, in 2010 the U.S. Government required chain restaurants and other food establishments to label their menus with a calorie count. This decision was extremely controversial in the restaurant world. Some businesses appreciated the law seeing it as a step to greater food consciousness and health awareness. Yet, others in the food industry argued the practicality of a calorie count menus. In today’s blog Public Kitchen Supply will discuss the benefits and detriments of this new FDA requirement.
One negative of calorie count menus is that they can be extremely difficult to create. Creating an accurate calorie count menu requires exact precise measurements every time. While products like Fundamnetal Design’s Portion Pal and Cambro measuring cups can reduce this burden it can still be difficult to meet exact calorie expectations. This is especially true in restaurants that have greater recipe flexibility. If you’re restaurant is required to have calorie count menus, Public Kitchen Supply suggests investing in quality measuring cups and utensils. Purchasing the proper portion control tools will help you meet menu requirements every time.
While a calorie count menu requires more work, one benefit is uniform cooking. If you’re restaurant strives for consistent recipes, a calorie count menu may prove useful. Many food establishments, especially chains, want their customers to have a consistent product. Many customers expect the same taste every time when they go to a restaurant. The best way to achieve this is through exact recipes. A calorie count menu will motivate employees to use the proper measuring utensils. Calorie count menus make it easier to manage what ingredients are being used and how much. This is a fantastic benefit when it comes to restaurant inventory and food cost. Following a calorie count menu assists in restaurant organization.
One obvious detriment of calorie count menus is that it may cause people to order less. While a customer may know a food’s unhealthy for them they may proceed to order it if they don’t know the exact calories. When all customers see is a tasty menu description it’s easier to ignore the food’s calories. Calorie count menus eliminate this veil clearly displaying menu items nutritional value. While this may deter some customers from ordering as much food as they normally would, some customer’s may not care either way. If you see a substantial drop in food orders considering creating “half portions”. “Half portions” are a great way to meet health conscious customers in the middle.
Another benefit of calorie count menus is menu transparency and restaurant honesty. Many customers will appreciate truthful menus. Some customers, especially those dieting, may choose calorie count restaurants over another because of their menu. At Public Kitchen Supply, we think product honesty is a part of business integrity. Consider offering a low calorie menu for your health conscious customers.
Public Kitchen Supply work's hard to stay up to date on the latest restaurants trends and regulations. As the U.S. government and FDA push for greater food awareness it’s important the Food Industry does the same. At Public Kitchen Supply we carry a variety of products that will assist you in building a calorie count menu. To view the products mentioned in today’s blog and other fantastic product visit our website at publickitchensupply.com.

Jalonick, Mary C. "Menu Labeling Law: Calorie Counts Are a 'Thorny' Issue, FDA Head Says." Huffignton Post 12 Mar. 2013: n. pag. Huffingtonpost.com. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. .

APW Wyott Plate Dispensers 101

When you run a public eating establishment you have to consider how you want to offer plates to your guests. You have to consider the appearance of it as well as the usefulness and the hygiene aspects. Having a stack of plates that your employees constantly refill may be the cheapest way to present plates; however, you have to consider all the labor that goes in to that. Someone has to load them and unload them from the dishwasher, possibly dry them, then take them over, set them down, watch the level and repeat as necessary. This process would be a full time job during a busy dinner service. And since you can't stack plates too high, could potentially cause a run-out of plates.
All of these are things to consider if you want a manual plate dispensing system. Otherwise, a busy restaurant or catering company should look into more of an automatic plate dispensing system. APW Wyott is a great manufacturer to turn to for this dilemma. They offer many different options for plate dispensing. You just have to determine what style best fits your needs. There are drop-in and mobile options, heated and unheated options, shielded and unshielded and enclosed options.
Drop-in vs Mobile Drop-in plate dispensers are what you would assume they are. They are the type that you will build into a countertop or buffet line. All you should see of them is the black plate guides that manage to keep the plates in place as they're being held and dispensed. These are best to purchase when first building or remodeling your restaurant. Once in, they're essentially permanent unless you perform construction. Built-in styles are more for restaurants that know their layout and don't expect it to change for a while. A mobile plate dispenser, on the other hand, is ideal for the ever-changing food service place. It gives you the ability to move the plate dispenser around to wherever you need it. More of a cart, it allows it to be wheeled around a room. These are ideal for caterers who constantly need to change the set-up based on their clients' wishes. While it can be used in a restaurant, typically they are not. The fact that it is on wheels can be a liability and look out of place in an otherwise stationary and built-in setting. One great benefit of a mobile dispenser over a built-in dispenser is that when it needs to be refilled, it can be carted over to the dishwasher and filled there. A drop-in kind, on the other hand, requires someone to either carry a small stack at a time or enlist the use a utility cart to transport the plates from the dishwasher. There's a time and place for both styles.
Heated vs Unheated Choosing between a heated or an unheated plate dispenser is really a thing of taste. We've all been to a buffet line where you grab a plate and it's still wet from the dishwasher. You have the choice to either set it down and try a different plate or just ignore it and keep going down the line. A heated plate dispenser helps to prevent this from happening to your customers. The heated elements will ensure your customers get plates that are dry. The warmth of the plate helps also to keep their food warm while they're eating, which is especially helpful if your restaurant is a family-style restaurant filled with talking customers. Customers want to be able to carry on a conversation and not worry about their food getting cold. While heated plates are one of the most popular styles, they do tend to cost more, but customers notice the difference. Unheated dispensers on the other hand, do have a very important place in a restaurant as well. You should consider the placement of where a heated dispensers along a buffet line is not wanted. The last place you want to put a heated dispenser is next to a salad bar. For these plates, you probably want an unheated plate dispenser. No one wants a hot plate for a cold salad or fruit. By the time a person has finished preparing their salad, the lettuce will start wilting, guaranteeing a ruined meal. So make sure you consider what will be placed on the plates before shelling out extra money for a heated element.
Shielded vs Unshielded vs Enclosed When you're considering which type of plate dispenser you need, you also need to consider how open your plates can be to the elements. Some versions of plate dispensers from APW Wyott come as shielded plate dispensers and others you can get as unshielded. Which you purchase depends on where you will be placing them. You won't want to put an unshielded dispenser out in the middle of a busy room. Dirt particles among many other things can have easy access to the plates causing them to become dirty and unsanitary. Also, nothing will protect the plates from having a beverage or other food spilt on them causing a possible food allergy to occur. An unsuspecting customer with a high-level peanut allergy can grab a plate that had peanut butter spilt on it and end up in the emergency room. You don't want to have that happen when you could simply purchase an enclosed or shielded dispenser. A time when unshielded dispensers are great is when they're built-in to a counter or part of the drop-in collection. This means that the counter is already its protection from the elements and having the extra material to enclose it or shield it ends up being an added and unnecessary cost.
With all of the options that APW Wyott offers, knowing the diameter of the plates you plan to be dispensing is an important guideline. There are a few "adjustube" options, that are adjustable between a set of plate diameters. Look to these as your solution if you are a caterer who uses two plate sizes and are able to change them between dinner and dessert. Either way, you have a lot of options when you begin your search for the perfect plate dispenser. Choose wisely, and shop the different styles. Make sure what you purchase is appropriate for your needs. Browse our wide selection right here: www.PublicKitchenSupply.com/PlateDispensers