Pub food has come a long way in the past 10 years or so, so it should come as no surprise that a pub chef’s kit has also developed in leaps and bounds to keep pace with such change.
“With some pubs now rivalling restaurants for the quality of their food offerings, a pub’s kitchen has become a core part of its business,” says James England, director at Fourth Hospitality.
His company has a product for chefs called StarChef Light, which is software designed to run on any iPad, tablet or smartphone to allow chefs to review dishes, track ingredient requirements, look up cooking methods and more.
“More pubs are also beginning to follow the nutritional example set by Harvester and JD Wetherspoon by introducing calorie counts to their menus,” says England.
“StarChef Light can calculate nutritional values, allowing pubs to provide their customers with basic calorific information.”
Another piece of technology for chefs is Call System Technology’s (CST) WaiterCall software, which wirelessly connects front-of-house staff with the kitchen to ensure efficient service.
WaiterCall consists of a multi-buttoned transmitter sited in the kitchen and matched pagers carried by front-of-house staff.
Meanwhile, Rational has launched a free iPhone App for its SelfCookingCenter Whitefficiency users.
The Rational Expert App is designed to make cooking with the combi-boiler even simpler and to help users exploit their combi steamer’s potential to the full. The app provides recipe ideas as well as tips for getting the best results.
Food prep
Henry Stephenson, managing director at pub equipment supplier Stephen-sons, says the rise of gastropubs championing locally sourced produce and restaurant-like presenta-tion, is “responsible for rising consumer ex-pectations of the pub-food experience”.
He explains that this change has required chefs to get technical with their cooking and presentation, necessitating a wide range of food preparation kit, especially good knives.
“High-end chefs’ knives have experienced a revival over the past couple of years,” he says, “with Japanese knives in particular gaining momentum in the UK market. Lines including the Zwilling Pro series knife and the Miyabi knife have stood out at the latest trade shows. Additionally, Victorinox Chefs Sets continue to sell well as junior chefs seek out good value, quality knife sets with roll-bags.”
Chefs may be called upon to open large cans, wider than 150mm and containing more than 2kg, which may prove a struggle with a standard can opener. To overcome this, Mitchell & Cooper has introduced the Bonzer EZ40.
The company says it is the only industrial can-opener to include a quick-release blade for easy cleaning, which also features an anti-bacterial component.
“Trying to open larger cans with an opener that has been calibrated for regular-sized ones will not only be difficult, but also damages the intricate settings,” says MD Guy Cooper.
The company also offers a product designed to remove lemon zest delicately. The Zip Zester is designed to zest citrus fruits quickly, easily and with minimal mess. It comes with four detachable blades to allow a chef to create thin ribbons or even flaky zests, ideal for syrups, sauces and marinades.
Cooking, mixing and blending
Some additional new products for pub chefs are the Dynamic Senior Mixer XL GF348 and the Dynamic Junior Mixer Plus XL GF343, which are stainless steel stick-blenders.
Both models, which now feature in the Nisbets catalogue, have a titanium-coated blade for improved strength, enabling them to blend the hardest of ingredient, including nuts, root vegetables and even ice.
Nisbets can also offer pubs chefs its KitchenAid CA987, which it describes as the most powerful and quietest heavy-duty stand mixer available. The mixer is strong enough to process large amounts of food with minimal noise, ranging from 19 egg whites to 3.6kg mashed potato. This model also has a range of attachments including a meat mincer and citrus juicer.
Another food blender suitable for commercial kitchens is the Hamilton Beach HBF600s from Foodservice Equipment Marketing (FEM), a heavy-duty model with a large capacity and special features to help reduce the risk of motor burnout.
Meanwhile, FRIMA can offer chefs a product that will allow them to pressure-cook meals without needing constant monitoring. The VarioCooking Center Multificiency models 112+, 211+ and 311+ constantly check the temperature and pressure throughout, adjusting as necessary. All the chef has to do is select the desired result on the touch-pad.
And for even quicker cooking, chefs can use Samsung’s latest CM1929 microwave oven, which has the capacity and power to handle bulk food containers and over-sized dinner plates.
And finally, another product that claims to cook faster than conventional models is the Synergy 900, which is a British-manufactured grill. The producer, Active Food Systems, says it not only saves energy but it improves flavour and cleaning is simpler as there is no fat to deal with.
Serving food and tidying up
Mitchell & Cooper has a new design addition to its Bonzer Litegrip and Unigrip Portioner ranges. Each range now has colour-coded handles to highlight portion size, with 15 sizes in the range.
“We have had the largest range of portioners in the world since 1928, all designed and manufactured in the UK,” says Cooper. “The new colour- coding system is designed to make the product even quicker to use.”
And for chefs it is essential that food is cooked for the correct length of time.
The SuperFast Thermapen, which costs £48 plus VAT, can help pub chefs ensure their food is never over or underdone. The producer, ETI, says that the food probe gives a speedy and accurate temperature reading in under three seconds, and it is also available in 10 colours.
ETI has also launched the Gourmet Folding Probe Thermometer, which measures temperatures between -39.9°C and +149.9°C. The product is available in six colours and it costs £20, exclusive of VAT.
Meanwhile, to keep the kitchen area tidy, Winterhalter has the MTR range of conveyor dishwashers, which has a high speed of throughput. The range is designed for highvolume catering kitchens, but the machines are also economical, energy-efficient and simple to use. According to the company, the enhanced speeds now make the smallest MTR2, capable of processing up to 155 racks per hour, while the largest (MTR4) can process 350 racks per hour.
The machines are said to be a big hit with staff, as a time-controlled start-up allows the machine to fill and heat up automatically before they start their shift.
Clothing options
Stephenson explains that chefs are increasingly in view of customers as pubs design eating spaces with open kitchens.
“Chefs are now renewing their clothing more regularly and opting for more modern designs, rather than just the traditional chef’s whites,” he says.
“Coloured jacket-and-trouser combinations are in demand, and are good for masking splashes and marks. And we’ve noticed that chefs are paying more attention to their footwear.”
Debbie Rosher, marketing manager at London Workwear Rental, agrees that there is a very distinct trend towards having chefs and kitchens on display.
“Branding is an increasing trend as businesses need to stand out from the crowd.”
The company has a range of items in chefwear, workwear and uniforms that can be branded and made bespoke. Garments can be personalised and the company can work with pubs to source exactly the right clothing for their business.
Its new EkoChef range is also available, consisting of chefs’ jackets, trousers and aprons made from re-cycled plastic bottles and waste polyester fibre.
“This range has huge environmental benefits, including the fact that 80% less energy is used in production, and there’s a huge saving on landfill,” she says.
