The Science Behind Commissary Kitchen Cooking

Though commissary kitchens were gaining in popularity over the last five years, the newfound prevalence of off-premise dining means there are more shared commercial kitchens.

What is a commissary kitchen? In simple terms, it’s any commercial kitchen that allows other types of foodservice operations to rent space to meet their production schedules. Owners of commissary kitchens will convert space into kitchen as a service (KaaS) resources, or exist solely for the purpose of renting, in order to support operations like ghost kitchens, caterers, food trucks, and restaurants.

For owners, commissary kitchens are a great way to profit from space that might otherwise be unprofitable. They can also maximize a 24-hour cycle of production, renting out space during times when the kitchen might otherwise be dark. Restaurants, senior care kitchens, churches, and private commercial kitchens can all benefit from renting out space and time to other foodservice operators.

For operators who rent commissary kitchen space, it can be a profitable way to develop an off-premise dining business without all the steep initial investments in initial overhead. Shared commercial kitchens also allow for shorter start-up periods and less time dealing with equipment maintenance, relying on the commissary kitchen owner to handle those aspects of the business.

So, how can commissary kitchen owners attract renters? By offering a lineup of equipment that not only matches a tenant’s production needs, but also delivers a consistent product and saves on labor.

Using Science to Produce Consistent Commissary Kitchen Food

Cooking is science. It’s formulaic. Once you get the steps and processes down, they can be replicated over and over again. This is exactly what cutting-edge foodservice equipment can do. It takes the formula and the inputs required to create a great dish, and it makes it easy to repeat that process in a consistent manner. The result is quality and dependable menu execution.

Foodservice equipment solutions from Firex, including their BetterPan braising pans, Cucimix kettles, and Multicooker pasta cookers, are all designed with step-by-step programming to achieve chef-driven needs in a consistent and repeatable manner.

With Firex, it’s possible to drill down into the exact details of the cooking process. How long is the cooking oil is heated? At what temperature are the onions caramelized? How many minutes is the beef browned to achieve the signature crust? When kitchen staff presses start on a Firex unit, the result will be the same, every time, eliminating the potential for human error. The right commissary kitchen equipment leads to consistent quality and repeat customers.

Minimize Labor Requirements with Firex Automated Cooking Machines

When a braising pan or a kettle simply needs someone to press start to create consistent quality, the final product isn’t impacted by someone taking breaks or stepping away. If the result is the same without someone standing over the cooking process, then labor requirements are minimized.

For renters of commissary kitchen space, equipment that can reduce headcount while also broadening the labor pool because classical training isn’t required, can be an attractive draw to use one shared commercial kitchen over another. With lighter workloads, it’s easier to attract and hire candidates that might not have advanced cooking skills. It makes the job less strenuous, increasing retention. And for busy operators, it makes the training processes easier. It’s even possible to coach dishwashers on how to operate Firex equipment, giving them a glimpse at future promotions and career opportunities that go well beyond the suds.

It’s all about using science to save time and create consistent quality, and Firex foodservice equipment was designed to do just that for commissary kitchen owners.

Discover the cutting-edge kettle that manages each cooking process, so you don’t have to.