Chafers

Go where you like in the food business, you'll be surrounded by stainless steel. As a caterer, yours goes beyond the cooking supplies. Provided you're not peddling your services on cheap, second hand catering equipment, you've got a great big line of stainless steel chafing dishes and such. Then there's the appliances, spoons, pans, pots, etc. The list goes on. Keeping that space clean is essential to presenting a good business image.

Catering Equipment - There are endless products on the market designed to help you keep your kitchen space clean, organized, shiny, polished, etc with minimal long-term maintenance. One of the reasons stainless needs so much attention is the fact that everything is so visible on the polishes surface. Stainless streaks quickly, it gobbles up finger prints like they're going out of style and it can stain easily if it's not taken care of. To keep your stainless clean, try these simple but effective tips:

Clean with the Grain - Just about everything has a grain, whether it's natural or manufactured. If you look closely at the surface of your stainless steel you will see the grain within your catering equipment. As you prep to clean the surface, avoid rubbing against the grain. When you rub against the grain you risk marring the finish and scratching the surface of your stainless. Instead you should clean it along the grain lines to easily restore the finish and keep the surface looking sharp.

Don't Use Abrasives - An abrasive item might get other hard surfaces clean, like stone, but abrasives should never be used on stainless steel. That time of method, like a brillo pad, would certainly get rid of stains and grease but it will also ruin the finish and scratch the stainless steel. If you have stubborn spots, soak and use some other cleaning methods.

Hot Water or Cleaners - In many cases, soap and hot water are the best choice for cleaning up stainless steel catering equipment. If you're prompt about swapping out trays before they sit and get empty while heating (Drying everything out) and move them to the dish area for rapid cleaning then hot water works great. Otherwise, you might have to rely on some cleaning agents to help you get things clean.

Glass Cleaner - Glass cleaner is not an all purpose cleaner for stainless steel and it shouldn't be used to clean the entire surface of a dirty chafing dish. It will however work very effectively to remove stubborn fingerprints from your catering equipment. This is the ideal choice for spot cleaning your stainless steel.

Mild Detergents - Sometimes you get stubborn grease that won't rinse away with hot water and a little soap. If that's the case then switch to a grease-fighting dish soap or commercial cleaning soap to remove the grease. Just remember to rinse thoroughly and sanitize the catering equipment to remove all soap residue.

Catering Equipment - Lastly, if you're struggling with stains on your catering equipment try switching to something like club soda or vinegar. A little soak and clean with these items and high temperature water can help break down the moisture barrier of stains, lifting them out with a little elbow work and mild scrubbing.

 Don't trust your catering business to just any supplier.  You want to work with a supplier who has been supporting upstart catering companies for years with premium catering equipment, chafers and the best choices in every kind of beverage server.  Contact us at CateringEquipment.com for more information.