All too often you’ve been told how great a cook you are. Some of your guests have even recommended that you start your own restaurant. After years of hearing this, you’ve decided you’d like to give it a try. The idea of being able to do what you love and recreate your family recipes for the masses seems like a fun and lucrative way to make money.
As good as the idea sounds (and it can be very lucrative) there’s more to consider. When deciding to take Grandma’s famous recipes to the restaurant industry, there are a few things you should know about cooking in a commercial kitchen.
Commercial Appliances and Equipment
Commercial kitchens are designed a lot different than what you’re used to at home. For starters, the equipment is very different. It is made to a higher quality to withstand excessive use (which is a good thing). However, restaurant appliances and equipment are also designed to help you get things done quickly. That means you’ll need to get used to hotter ovens, heavier pans, and appliances that heat up in the blink of an eye.
There’s also the added fact of maintenance and repairs. If you were to fry chicken at home, cleaning the grease would only require you to discard it in a container that you place in trash. In a commercial kitchen, however, grease needs to be pumped and replaced. Grease can also cause a mess. You’ll need to look into dissolved air floatation design (devices used to clean grease and other gunk from wastewater to keep your equipment intact and your restaurant up to compliance.
Food Differences
Another difference between cooking at home and cooking in a restaurant is the food. Though the idea going in maybe to create everything from scratch, this may not always be possible – especially if you’re going to provide timely customer service. As such you will have to find vendors that supply fresh and/or frozen products that still make your recipes taste great but can be cooked in half the time.
No Gadgets for Easier Cooking
At home, you may be used to using convenient gadgets like rice cookers, veggie choppers, and sandwich makers that help make cooking easier. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of looking in a commercial kitchen, however, you’ll find that these devices are nowhere to be found. Though cooking meals quickly is the main objective, most professional chefs rely on very few gadgets in the kitchen. Instead, they use knives, pots, pans, stoves, and ovens. You’ll either need to invest in gadgets for yourself or figure out how to finetune your recipes to make them faster to prepare with the tools and equipment you do have.
The Environment is Hectic
When you’re cooking at home, you’re alone. You can take your time, create an inviting space, and cook at a pace most convenient for you. In a restaurant, however, the pace is much faster and the demands are higher. You’ll be on your toes the entire time with a team of staff buzzing back and forth with orders and special requests. So, you’ll need to get used to preparing delicious meals under pressure.
Scaling Recipes
When you cook for dinner, family gatherings, and other special events, you’re cooking for a couple of people which is easy to manage. However, you have to be very efficient at scaling your recipes to meet the needs of a lot of people. While you would think it would be as easy as increasing the ingredients by the number of people you need to serve, it’s not always simple as not all recipes scale well.
The Health Department
Another big difference you’ll need to get used to in a commercial kitchen is the health department. Restaurants are required to meet certain health and safety codes to continue operating and are inspected on them periodically. They check everything from the cleanliness of the space to the expiration dates on the ingredients you’re using. At home, these things aren’t that big of a deal.
Getting into the restaurant business can be a very rewarding profession. That being said, it is important to consider the major differences there are in cooking for family and cooking for customers. The transition from the home kitchen to a commercial one can take some time, but with systems in place and a bit of practice, you can be successful.
25 Responses
Thank you mommy for sharing this . God bless.
thanks for being generous, sharing your knowledge, haealthy tips nd dishes and a great cooking experience.
dami natutunan sa ganito usapin thank you.
dami natutunan sa ganito bagay
Napakalaking pagkakaiba po tlga anf commercial cooking to home cooking.masyado na kasi malaki ang audience mo para isatisfy yong cravibg nla. Marami din po ako kasmahan na nakakatikim ng mga luto ko at ung iba nagssabi bkit hindi ko dw po itry.pero takot po ako.hehehe hindi pa po fanun kalakas ang loob kong ilabas kubg ano man ang kunti kung alam.aside fron the fact kulang din po ako ng mga utwnsil and tools sa bakibg.😍
Wow new idea satin mg momshie i will try this para naiba namn sa paningin ng hobby ko🥰❤
Thanks for sharing mommy peach.. sobrang dami kong natututunan sa inyo..
Very informative… THANKS for sharing Mommy Peach!
Ay, an sosyal po may pa dahon . An lakas maka-healthy po ng mga menus. Nakakahiya saming mga ndi health conscious. Neweys, madaming thank you madam. Lagi, sa masasarap at masustansiyang menu. Salamat sa laging pagshare ng kaalaman ninyo. God bless po..
Thanks for sharing this po. Medyo marunong naman ako magluto, pero takot akong itry ang commercial cooking. Malakas pa naman yun na gawing business kasi ang daming logistics offices dito sa amin. Ang dami din mga karinderya.
super ganda ng blog na toh marami kang matututunan dito😊
Isa sa mga magandang negosyo ay ang food. Na try ko Na po ito. Mahirap, need mo ng sipag at tiyaga. Pero ok.naman kita kung masarap at malinis ang food you sell.
Thanks mommy may natutunan ako dito sa blog mo na ito.
Ako sa totoo lang po d marunong magluto kaya madalas po nanonood sa youtube at kahit papano nmn po ay medyo marunong na(pero dpa masyado masarap😊). Actually po may recipe notebook po aq and yung mga share nyo po kinokopya ko.
Ibang iba po talaga pag commercial cooking. Parang hindi ko pa kaya Momshy. Home cooking kasi kung ano lang anjan. Gagawin mong special para sa family mo. Pag sa commercial cooking, gagawin mong special para sa customer at client. Dapat maramin kang ideas and knowledge. 😊 Thanks for the tips Momshy.
I’ve learn so much because of your useful tips, especially as a mother, it’s very helpful.
I learned from this thanks momshie
Very informative.. Thanks fir sharing Mommy Peach…
When I was working abroad. I worked as a cooker .kaya nmn natituwa alo sa mga idea mo mommy.Ang galing mo kaya.
Salamat sa information na ito momshie.. Marunong din ako magluto moms.. Nasa isip ko nadin na mag business ng mga lutong ulam. Paunti unti ang hirap lang kasi pagsabayin kasi may baby pa kc ako.. Kaya natutuwa ako sa mga recipe mo po nadadagdagan ung kaalaman ko sa pagluluto.
Thanks for idea.
Sa tigin ko hindi ko pa kaya lalot alam mong may audience ka,hindi tulad sa bahay hawak mo ang oras mo at wala kang pressure..
Hehe tulad sakin na hindi ganun kagaling magluto,honestly hindi talaga ako nagluluto ng mga putahe..kung prito lang talaga,
Amazing blog,thank you for sharing and continue to share your knowledge to us.God bless you.
i dreamed of having my own restaurant but im not good in cooking pang bahay lang talaga pang family lang . and hassle na din sakin ngayon may baby ako na wala magbabantay . but cooking sone commercial food is nakakagana sa taste nng family natin . hindi lang ganun koylpyang kopya sakin. 😂😂😂 but reading your blog mommy peach makes me feel na kaya ko lahat . thank you for sharing mommy. 😘😘😘😘
More tips po ginagawa ko.po ang iba madali heheheh god blesss
The best talaga ang blog na ito.. Dami ko pong natutunan about mga recipe, try ko po lahat ng recipe mo mamsh! Lahat healthy foods.. Godbless mamsh, more recipe pa po