care homes

looking after those looking after people that need looking after.

The provision of hot, healthy and nutritious meals in the Care Sector is extremely important and Falcon equipment makes it easy to do this, safely and reliably. 

Over the years Falcon has built on great partnerships with operators within the Care Sectors, recognising the demands placed on these vital operations.

In the article below our Chef offers some suggestions as to the equipment that Care Homes should have in order to cater efficiently and meet the demand placed on them.

Essential Equipment – The Must Have’s:

Most care home kitchens will typically need a combination of the following products in order to produce the variety of menu items demanded in this type of environment: 

  • Fryer - chips and battered products to add variety to menu 
  • Oven Range / boiling top - all kitchens need the versatility of some kind of hob - main query is what type (open top, solid top, hotplate or induction)
  • Combination Oven - steaming is a hugely important cooking method in care home kitchens. Combination ovens allow for this process in addition to dry heat and combined moisture cooking. It is by far one of the most versatile equipment in modern kitchens today. 
  • Convection Oven - every kitchen needs at least one oven, for general cooking, baking and regeneration.
  • Regeneration Oven - a cooking device specifically developed to allow for efficient regeneration of foods from chilled or frozen, supporting the operation with functional simplicity. 
  • Salamander Grill - great finishing tool and for food browning,  yet able to cook various items fast from scratch, grilling from the top
  • Mobile heated food serving trolleys - providing the operation with flexibility allowing hot meals to be served safely and conveniently outwith the dining room and main serving areas.
  • Mobile heated plate dispensers - allowing the caterers to ensure hot food is served on warm plates, no matter where the location of service is.

 

The combination of products, the quantity and type of appliance will vary significantly when such factors as number  of residents, size of kitchen, size and type of menu, food products, service times, etc. are being considered. 

Traditionally, care home kitchen equipment featured mostly gas appliances, but new builds have seen a distinctive turn towards electrical equipment, with energy efficient products such as induction hobs and combi ovens becoming integral parts of many new kitchens. 

 

Consideration Points 

  • Usable kitchen space
  • Kitchen layout and design
  • Energy source and capacity available for the equipment
  • Menu offering and food products / supply
  • Healthy eating
  • Kitchen staffing, i.e. skills set, formally trained / qualified
  • Total number of kitchen staff vs amount of residents
  • Additional catering requirements; such as themed dinners, events or special occasions
  • Collective equipment budget

 

Other Equipment – The Nice to Have’s

These products are generally not an absolute necessity for care home kitchens but can be worth considering depending on the factors mentioned previously:

  • Bratt pan
  • Flexi-pan
  • Secondary fryer (or allergen fryer)
  • High Speed Oven
  • Pasta boiler
  • Microwave ScanHeat
  • Induction Range

 

Which is best for my specific set up?

Care Home kitchens can vary significantly from one to the other, even within a group format. The grade of Care Home, total number of residents, catering staff and food offering will usually determine equipment budgets and requirements. 

Although the emphasis is now firmly on producing healthy foods and steering away from anything deep fried, all 3 scenarios have essentially different style food offerings.
Therefore, the equipment required will also vary, not just in type, but also in the amount installed per kitchen.

Care Home kitchens will often also cater for events, parties and themed dinners. This will require the kitchen to operate differently than with normal set menu or trolley service. 

Typical Kitchen Equipment Set-up

Equipment type Private Owned Small  Council Managed  Group Owned 
Oven range / boiling top 1 1-2 1-2
Fryer 1 1 1
Regeneration oven 1 1 1
Convection oven 1 2 2
Combi oven 0-1 1 1-2
Plate dispenser 1 1-2 2
Salamander grill 0-1 1 1
Mobile servery  1 1-2 1-2

 

Whether you need to replace existing equipment, add extra capacity or completely redesign your kitchen, our comprehensive product portfolio, experienced and knowledgeable support team and our understanding of the unique requirements of the Care Home kitchen makes us the ideal partner for all your catering equipment needs.

HELP ME WITH MY CARE HOME KITCHEN



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