Equipment Maintenance Tips for Ranges, Ovens, and More

Proper upkeep of ranges, ovens, steamers, toasters, and warmers ensures peak performance. It can also promote a greater return on investment in commercial foodservice equipment. With preventative equipment maintenance tips and cleaning schedules, foodservice operators can avoid costly downtime and maintain smoother operations. When maintaining any commercial foodservice equipment, it’s important to follow best practices, guidelines, and equipment maintenance tips. This will not only ensure food safety but also help with efficiency.

Commercial Range Maintenance

To keep your range in the best condition, consider frequent equipment maintenance. This includes pulling out crumb trays, removing dirty foil, wiping down surfaces with a wet cloth, and removing stray bits of food. Use a wet soapy cloth to clean ledges, backsplashes, knobs, doors, and handles, and a wire brush to remove stuck-on food particles from grates. Perhaps most importantly, operators should pull burners and make sure all the holes are clear and free of debris so the unit can cook as it was designed to do.

When cleaning the oven interior, use a warm, soapy cloth to wipe down the door, bottom, and sides of the porcelain interior. Also, run the oven racks through the dishwasher. Avoid abrasive cleaners that cause surface scratches and pits, which can become breeding grounds for bacteria and promote corrosion. Opt for natural disinfectants like vinegar, and clean the range while it’s still warm to loosen oil and grease. In addition to daily cleaning, it’s crucial to maintain the working parts of your commercial range. Have a schedule to inspect gas lines for loose fittings or potential leaks and clean or replace other features according to specifications.

Commercial Oven Maintenance

Establish a daily cleaning routine that includes removing loose food particles, wiping down surfaces with a wet cloth, and removing stuck-on food particles from grates using a wire brush. Use a non-abrasive sponge or cloth to clean the interior, and avoid abrasive cleaners that can damage surfaces. Use commercial oven cleaners for the porcelain interior of convection ovens, but avoid contact with the temperature probe, heating element, or blower wheel. Regularly inspect the oven door seal to prevent heat from escaping, and clean around the inside and outside of the door to remove food particles that prevent proper closing. Inspect all ventilation and air circulation to ensure there are no blockages.

For conveyor ovens, remove and clean the conveyor belt, crumb trays, draft diverters, and impinger fingers separately. Clean the intake fan on convection ovens weekly, and check the fan hinge for proper securing. Make sure the impinger fingers are reinstalled in the same place where they were removed. Failure to do so can result in improper and inconsistent cooking. This should include the blank plates between the fingers.

Increase the heat in pizza deck ovens until leftover food particles become ash. Then, scrub the deck with an oven brush to remove unwanted particles.

For combination ovens, remove and clean the racks daily, and empty and de-lime the steamer regularly. It is critical to clean the door gaskets on all combis with soap and water daily. Grease can quickly deteriorate the gasket material.

In rotisserie ovens, remove and soak the spits and rotors in a cleaning solution. Then, spray and wipe down the interior.

Commercial Steamer Maintenance

The most common cause of commercial steamer breakdowns is the build-up of scale, lime, and other mineral deposits. Start by considering a professional water test to determine what types of filters may be needed.

Additionally, regular cleaning and equipment maintenance tips are crucial to ensure the efficiency and performance of commercial steamers and to avoid costly equipment failures. To clean the stainless steel walls of most steamers, apply a degreasing spray and run the equipment on steam mode to loosen stuck-on particles in the interior cabinet. While the machine is cooling, open the door and scrub the interior using a soft brush. If a degreaser is used, make sure to rinse the unit thoroughly.

Avoid using harsh or toxic chemicals that can impact the taste of the food or create food safety concerns. Depending on the water quality in your area, replace water filters and cartridges quarterly or biannually. In areas with extremely poor water quality or heavy mineral content, more frequent filter cartridge replacement may be necessary. During descaling, inspect the steam line tubing, connection points, and water lines for cracks or frayed ends, and check electrical components for wear and tear.

Also, if it is a boiler-less steamer, make sure to include the float probes/switches in the cook cavity in the descale procedure.

Commercial Toaster Maintenance

To clean the exterior of commercial toasters and conveyor toasters, use a mild detergent and a damp cloth, occasionally employing a stainless cleaner for stuck-on debris or stains. Avoid abrasive cleaners that can damage the finish and create ruts where dirt and grease can accumulate. Clean tough-to-reach places with a small brush and mild soap. Crumb trays and built-in catch boxes should be emptied daily to prevent particulates from interfering with the toaster’s mechanical workings, as rising temperature can cause caramelization, leading to conveyor misalignment, poor operation, and potential damage. Excessively moist bread, especially those with high sugar content, can stick to the hot conveyor chain, causing burning and service delays. To reduce moisture, consider staging bread on the loading rack or slide, allowing it to air-dry before placing it directly onto the conveyor. For routine equipment maintenance tips, clean the air intake weekly by vacuuming and wiping it down.

Commercial Warmer Maintenance

Proper daily cleaning of commercial food warmers is crucial to prevent breakdowns. Grease, butter, sugary products, and fats break down from solid to liquid, which can seep into the unit and damage electrical components like thermostats or wiring.

To maintain peak performance, empty and clean the water basin daily. This helps remove hard water deposits that can corrode stainless steel. For stubborn deposits, use non-abrasive cloths, mild detergents, and mildly abrasive nylon or brass brushes. Avoid steel scouring pads, wire brushes, metal scrapers, and cleaners containing acids, alkalines, chlorine, or salt that can damage surfaces. Remove any scale with vinegar or other approved descaler each day, making sure to rinse thoroughly.

Lastly, make sure all cooling fans and the filter media in front of them are clean. They should be cleaned, dried, and reinstalled daily, as with other areas of the unit. However, cooling fans are often one of the top contributors to premature component failure because they are in the back of the unit. This often turns into an out-of-site, out-of-mind scenario that should be avoided.

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Sources:

Foodservice Equipment Reports