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Kim Dowrey
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09.3.19

Steam Kettles 101 - Considerations When Choosing A Commercial Kitchen Kettle

Steam kettles offer more productivity to your kitchen. This piece of equipment has all of the same capabilities of range top cooking, but they provide a significant increase in productivity and energy efficiency.

Steam kettles can be an excellent addition to any sized commercial kitchen. More advanced than a stockpot on a range, your kettle can boil grains, simmer sauces and prep stocks and soups without supervision. They can be partially automated and set up to your kitchen’s specific needs, which can help reduce labor and cooking time.

Which Steam Kettle is Right for Your Commercial Kitchen

When purchasing a steam kettle for your business, there are a few models you can choose from. The capacity of a steam kettle can range between 6 gallons and 150-gallon capacities, allowing for kitchens of all sizes to take advantage of their efficiency. Before getting into the details of these models, it’s important to understand the construction of a kettle.

Steam kettles are enclosed by something called a "jacket." The jacket refers to the outer wall of the unit that contains the raw steam. This fundamental piece of the kettle creates a circulation of steam to provide even cooking and heating. Some steam kettles are crafted with a full jacket while others have a ⅔ jacket. Units made with a partial jacket are typically tilting units; therefore, they need room to rotate for an even pour.

Stationery kettles generally are fitted with a full jacket, as they do not need to move or tilt. Both jacket sizes produce and maintain an intense heat and are typically modified to fit the design of the kettle.

Electric & Gas Kettles

Like many other pieces of commercial kitchen equipment, steam kettles come in both gas and electric models. Most sizes of steam kettles come in both power options and is primarily a matter of preference and utility availability for your business.

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