The commercial range is the most versatile piece of equipment in your kitchen. They come in various widths and various top configurations. They come with open burners, griddle tops, hot top, French tops and charbroiler tops. Each aspect of the range requires special care, and if they care if given, your range will last longer.
Clean as you go. During the day, spills happen. Do your best to safely wipe up excess liquids from the range area. At the end of each shift, have your kitchen staff perform a more thorough cleaning process, but implementing some of the procedures below. Before thoroughly cleaning, be sure that the range is off and the top is cool.
Clean the grates: Whether your commercial range is gas or electric, the burners can be removed for cleaning. Cast iron grates, common additions to gas ranges, can be cleaned by simply wiping down with a wet cloth. If they are in need of a deeper cleaning, these grates can be soaked in warm soapy water to break down the grease. Calrod heating elements, that are prominent on electric commercial ranges, can be wiped down the same way. If you choose to soak these elements, be sure to let them dry before plugging them back in!
Clean under the grates or burners: When your grates and burners are out for cleaning is a great time to clean under them. If your stove has drip trays, remove them and wipe them down. If they are wiped down daily, they will not be as difficult to clean. These can be soaked in warm soapy water if necessary. For gas ranges, wipe down the area underneath the grates.
Scrape debris from griddles and clean with warm water. After cooking on a griddle, use a scraper to scrape off excess food products. Be sure to do this throughout the day. Not only will these keep your griddle surface clean, but it will also prevent taste contamination between foods. At the end of the shift, or the end of the day, pour water on your griddle and heat it to 150ºF or 175ºF and wipe down the area with a thick clean cloth.
Wipe down hot top and French tops with warm soapy water. While food does not directly touch these tops the way it does a griddle top, it is still important to keep these areas clean. By spot cleaning them throughout the day, and wiping the down at night, you can increase the longevity of your cook top. While the burners are covered, it is still a good idea to check them every month to ensure that everything below the cook surface is clean.
Check flame on commercial gas ranges. After cleaning the range at the end of a shift, turn on each burner one at a time and check the flame. What you should see is steady blue flame.
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If the flame is jumpy, turn off the burner, and adjust the screw
that secures the flame shutter. Check it again, and make any tweaks necessary.
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If the flame is to yellow or white, open the shutter
just a tiny bit to ensure proper air flow. Once you have the flame where you want it, tighten the screw around the shutter.
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If the pilot doesn’t stay lit, then the port is clogged.
It should be cleaned out with the range unplugged.
When you have a problem with your range, it is nice to be able to move it away
from the wall to take a look. Casters should be on every restaurant and heavy-
duty commercial range. This allows you to not only check out any issues that are
coming from the back of the range, but also allows you to clean behind and
beside it.
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