Maintenance Tips for Kitchen Equipments – Hotel and Restaurant Academy

BROILERS AND CHARBROILERS

Most problems with broilers and charbroilers are the result of grease and food particles clogging the burners, pilots, and/or shutters. These components need to be cleaned weekly and to be properly adjusted to restore optimum operation.
A good way to prevent this buildup is to make sure that broiler grates are positioned to direct the excess grease flow for burn-off or collect it in grease drawers.
Clean the broiler grates at the end of each day, which is easy to do, just place the grates flat on the broiler and set the gas valve on \’High\’ for 45 minutes.
Then turn off the broiler and allow the grates to cool.
Remove them from the broiler when they’ve cooled down, and clean them (both top and bottom surfaces) with a wire brush, damp cloth, and mild detergent.
The grate channels and burner radiants should be thoroughly cleaned as well. Brush the burner’s heat reflector to remove dust or debris, and clear all the burner portholes at least once a week.

A major maintenance problem for gas-fired fryers may be their location in the kitchen. It is essential that there are no restrictions for \’NEW\’ air entering the burners or blower motor.
If the airflow is restricted, the fryer sidewalls and internal controlcomponents will be abnormally high. This will cause the electrical controls to overheat, and soon the equipment’s performance will diminish.
To prevent this problem, make sure the gas connections to the fryer are tight. Be sure that enough fresh, make-up air is available. And clean the hood filters each day, checking again for airflow restrictions there.
Another maintenance concern for fryers is slow temperature recovery, which is related to having a reliable and controllable heat source.
A fryer that takes too long to recover its temperature when cold food items are dropped into the kettle is losing its capacity to conduct or radiate heat efficiently.
In high-efficiency fryers, the burner seals may be leaking, the blower motor speed may be too low, or a broken temperature probe could be the problem. In tube-heated fryers, internal heat-baffle wear causes recovery problems. Your owner’s manual should offer some guidance in these situations.

The cooling fan exhaust grilles should be wiped clean on a daily basis. Check to see that the cooling fan is turning when the oven is operating.
Remove the entire conveyor every month so you can clean the jet-air \’fingers\’, being careful to replace all components in their original positions.
And every two or three months, clean the combustion motor’s blower air intake, which is usually located behind a closed panel.

Most maintenance problems with gas-operated ranges happen because bits of food and greasy particles settle into the gas lines or ports, preventing a smooth flow of gas and air to the pilot lights and burners.
To identify this condition, check the burner pilot lights and flames for clear, even combustion.
Clean the burner grate surfaces every day using a wire brush, damp cloth, and mild detergent.
Clean and adjust the range pilots monthly; they should sit level in their mounts and be situated so the pilot light flame can easily ignite the burner.
Check the range burners at least once a month for heat flow. If foods are taking too long to cook, ask a factory-authorized service person to check the gas pressure and flue.

Every month, check the underside of the griddle to make sure grease is not running where it’s not supposed to go, such as into the air vent for the gas pressure regulator.
If the vent is blocked, the griddle’s heating performance will become erratic.
Each griddle section and its burner/orifice must be kept clean to maintain a consistent flame and heat correctly.
Also, be sure that the thermostat mechanism is securely in place.