Question 1

What equipment does a central kitchen need for high-volume production?

Accepted Answer

Central kitchens process thousands of meals daily and need heavy-duty equipment: 6-burner stoves with large ovens, 10-tray convection ovens, 50 kg spiral mixers, floor-standing meat mincers, large-capacity tilting kettles, blast chillers, walk-in cold rooms, flight dishwashers, and food transport trolleys. All equipment must handle continuous operation without overheating. IPEC specifies equipment rated for 16+ hour daily use.

Question 2

How do I choose equipment for a catering central kitchen?

Accepted Answer

Start with your peak daily output (number of meals), then work backwards. A kitchen producing 1,000 meals/day needs different capacity than one producing 5,000. Key factors: cooking capacity per batch, cooling speed (blast chillers are essential), storage volume (cold rooms sized for 2–3 days of production), and warewashing throughput. IPEC has equipped central kitchens serving schools, airlines, and corporate catering operations across Lebanon.

Question 3

What's the difference between a central kitchen and a restaurant kitchen?

Accepted Answer

Scale, workflow, and equipment duty cycle. Central kitchens produce in bulk (batches of 50–200 portions), use cook-chill or cook-freeze methods, and equipment runs 12–16 hours daily. Restaurant kitchens cook to order in smaller portions. Central kitchen equipment must be rated for continuous duty — a home-duty convection oven will burn out in weeks. IPEC supplies only commercial-grade equipment rated for the intensity central kitchens demand.

Kitchen Equipment for Central Kitchens

What We Supply for Central Kitchens

Continuous-Duty Equipment for Demanding Operations

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