At ShortOrder, we’re always looking for new ways to help the enhanced professional kitchen make the most of its restaurant equipment. This week, we’ve got some great steps your restaurant can take to become a sustainable business. Making a greater effort toward sustainability has many benefits. According to the National Restaurant Association’s president and CEO, Dawn Sweeney, “Many restaurant operators have been working on sustainable practices for years, finding it’s good for business by helping attract new guests, boosting communities, and driving savings as operations become more efficient.” With that in mind, read on for our top tips and tools for using your restaurant equipment and turning your business into an environmentally-conscious operation.

Turn off the Lights

Not all night, of course, but it’s a good idea to be mindful of when you have all of the lights on in your restaurant. Equipment in your kitchen uses plenty of energy, so why not save a little on the electricity bill? Turn off the lights during breakfast and/or lunch hours, especially in the summer when the days are longer. If there are lamps on or above each table, make sure their bulbs are low-watt. Also consider investing in LED lighting, which can save thousands of dollars per year in electric bills.

Use Efficient Restaurant Equipment

Part of being a sustainable restaurant includes saving energy wherever possible. One way to cut costs is to invest in quality, energy-saving restaurant equipment. Lower costs don’t mean you have to sacrifice value, however. Brands like Scotsman ice machines are Energy Star certified, meaning that they provide significant energy savings to consumers, have increased energy efficiency, and maintain a higher quality of performance than other products of its kind.

Maintain Your Restaurant Equipment

You should also be sure to regularly maintain your kitchen’s restaurant equipment so it remains in proper working order at all times. Equipment that uses up more energy than necessary can be a drag on your business’s expenses. For example, click here for energy-saving tips for your restaurant’s ice machines.

Donate Uneaten Food

A study by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases found that 40% of all edible food in the U.S. goes to waste. Restaurants can reduce this number by making an effort to donate or compost un-served food. Find out about “food-rescue” programs, including national organizations like Food Donation Connection, 2nd Harvest, and Feeding America in your area, or start your own program!

More Restaurant Equipment Tips

For more tips about keeping your restaurant sustainable and making the best use of your restaurant equipment, keep reading our What’s Cookin’ blog! You can also follow ShortOrder on Twitter and like us Facebook.

Last week we brought you some delicious winter drinks, but now we’d like to turn our attention the baked goods of the holidays.  Our ovens are chock-full of holiday treats.  As you know, catering to the holidays is an important part of standing out as a business.  Baked good fresh out of your ovens signal “home for the holidays” to patrons, and provide a way to warm up on cold winter days.  Here are a few sweet and fruity as-good-as-a-bakery recipes for a menu that will keep your ovens busy and your customers happy.

Traditional ovens will work for any of these recipes, but you might try baking them in convection ovens as well for faster cook time!  Just make sure to adjust baking time as necessary.  Enjoy these tasty recipes and have a warm holiday!

Breakfast:  Berry Oven Pancakes
Take this breakfast-time favorite and re-shape it!  Use the small container of your choice, be it a 2-cup baking dish or a gratin dish.  Put a tablespoon of butter in the dish, bake for 3 minutes, then take the dish out, making sure butter fully covers the bottom of the dish, and add pancake batter.  Bake for about 13 minutes.  Spoon a berry medley or the filling of your choice into these bowl-like pancakes and serve warm.

Appetizer: Cranberry Orange Brie Crostini
A twist on the traditional crackers-and-brie combination, this creation is a great way to start a meal and celebrate the decadence of the holidays.  Just spread marmalade over baguette slices, add a thin slice of brie, and bake.  Set your oven’s timer for 4-5 minutes to melt the brie.  Take the slices out and top with dried cranberries and pistachios.  For a savory variation, replace the fruit and nuts with black forest ham, and bake under the broiler for about 3 minutes.  Ta da!  Instant hors de’oeuvres.

Dessert: Crunchy Oatmeal-Nut Apple Pie
Pie, as a holiday staple, can be found in many ovens this season, and is preferred by many over even the best cookie recipes.  Whether you choose to use a ready-made pie crust or you make one from scratch, this textured version of America’s favorite dessert will satisfy traditionalists and adventuresome foodies alike.  Simply mix whole-wheat flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Cut in 2 tablespoons butter until evenly distributed. Add orange juice concentrate for a hint of citrus, and nuts for more texture.  Simply bake an apple pie for 30 minutes, remove it from the oven, sprinkle the crunchy topping liberally over the pie’s fruit, and bake for another 20 minutes.

Having winter drinks on our ranges at home is one of the best things about wintertime, and it’s no different in restaurants.  As kids we enjoyed seeing how many miniature marshmallows we could fit into a mug of hot cocoa.  We sipped at non-alcoholic eggnog, then wondered why anyone would want to sip at eggnog.  The smell of cider filling the house meant that the holidays were fast-approaching.  The fact is, warm beverages are a tried-and-true part of the winter months.

The nature of holiday libations ranges from rich, creamy refreshments to punches that are easy on juice and heavy on wine.  More often than not, the idea behind warm winter drinks is to throw all the ingredients into a saucepan, then let them simmer until ready to serve.  They are great to have readily available, because once they require no upkeep, as long as you keep them warm.  Here are four of the best winter drinks to please your guests.

1. Wassail (Non-Alcoholic)
This kid-friendly version of the traditional hot beverage will warm children and adults alike.  Its name comes from the Old English phrase “waes hael,” which means “be you healthy,” and was involved in an old drinking ritual that ensured a good harvest.  Today’s wassail is a more of a variation of mulled cider.  It usually combines several fruit juices cooked with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and sometimes allspice and ginger.  The result is a fragrant, flavorful punch.

2. Hot Chocolate
This winter drink is a classic.  However, there are many, many ways to put a new spin on hot chocolate.  Belgian hot chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate, hot chocolate Agasajo-style, and even peanut butter hot chocolate are all options.  Give your hot cocoa a kick with ancho chile and cinnamon, add a dollop of marshmallow fluff, or drizzle with some ever-trendy salted caramel.  Whatever you do, make sure you top it with real whipped cream and serve with biscotti, cookies, or toast.

3. Mulled Cider
Mulled cider is one of the timeless, great holiday drinks.  To make it, combine apple cider, cinnamon sticks, allspice berries, whole cloves, an anise star, and some thinly sliced oranges for a citrusy kick.  Let it simmer on one of your ranges for as long as you would like; the longer it simmers, the more flavor it has!  (Besides which, no one likes cold cider.)

4. Hot Spiced Ginger Lemonade
It turns out that lemonade is no longer limited to summertime.  Although it sounds an unlikely candidate for a winter beverage, it’s actually perfect for cold winter days.  It generally requires the same spices as a wassail, but uses lemonade instead of fruit juices.  The result is a lighter-tasting version, and a great way to surprise guests with the unexpected.

No matter how you choose to fill your menu or your ranges, be sure to be creative with your holiday drink recipes.  Your unique drinks will keep guests coming back for more!

The holidays are a busy time of year, and in such a fast-paced environment, chaos in the kitchen can lead to accidents.  While quality kitchen equipment like Gen2 Ranges can help you create delicious holiday meals with the best technology, be sure to remain diligent about kitchen safety.

Prevent Burns
With any range or stove, not just Gen2 ranges, always be wary of open flames.  Keep your sleeves rolled up and be mindful to turn off burners immediately after you are finished using them.  If you are stirring food on a range, stir away from your body.  With Gen2 ranges and other kitchen appliances, you can never be too careful.

Avoid Cuts
While it is important (not to mention more efficient!) to keep your knives sharpened, a sharp knife can be hazardous to clumsy fingers.  When slicing, dicing, chopping, and peeling, be careful!  Food cutters are a safe alternative, and have the additional benefit of slicing more food, faster.  You should also be wary of the blades on food processors and blenders.

Keep It Clean
Clean up any spills immediately after they happen.  A slick spot on the floor in front of one of your Gen2 ranges can quickly turn into an injury.  If you have your hands full and can’t get to it right away, warn others about the spill so they can avoid it.  Also, it never hurts to wear shoes with good traction.

Know Your Stuff
When working with kitchen appliances, from large Gen2 ranges to small Amana microwaves, it’s important to know your restaurant equipment.  Understand every setting, and fully repair any broken or malfunctioning equipment immediately.  It’s also good to know what kinds of foods you can and can’t use with certain pieces of equipment.  For example, click here for reasons you should never deep fry a frozen turkey.

Follow these tips and always exercise caution in the kitchen, and you can create successful holiday dishes for your customers.  Have a safe, happy holiday from all of us at ShortOrder!

Here at Short Order, we take our products and the quality of the food they help make very seriously. Not only do we want to provide you the very best in restaurant equipment, but we also want to make sure you can get the best results for whatever it is you’re preparing. Take our extensive selection of state-of-the-art Gen2 Griddles, for example. Here are a few tips on how to use our griddles as efficiently and effectively as possible:

Take Your Time
Kitchens can get hectic, and when you are in the middle of a big rush, things can fall through the cracks. It’s easy to forget to heat the griddle before service and try to crank the heat up as high as possible in order to make up for time lost. This creates two problems. First, the drastic rise in temperature will waste energy and cost you money. Second, that much heat created that fast will make for an uneven cooking temperature which means the outside of your food will be overcooked or burned while the inside is still cold.

Take the TG-48C-NAT Gen2 Griddle for example. It’s heavy-duty gas griddle and thermostatic controls gives you a heat range from 150 to 450 degrees Celsius. With a little preparation and the help of custom thermostats, you can get the perfect temperature for any recipe you need so your food is cooked to perfection on the inside and out.

Use Thawed Ingredients When Possible
Similar to slowly raising your temperature, try to avoid putting frozen food directly onto the Gen2 griddle. The surface will have to produce more heat and energy in order to cook the food. And sadly, just like heating the surface up too quickly, food won’t cook as well in the center.

Keep Away from Cold Spots
In order to maximize your griddle’s efficiency, try your best to keep it away from doorways and overhead air conditioning units. The less cold air your Gen2 griddle has to compete with, the hotter it gets with less time and energy.

Keep it Clean
Keeping your griddle clean, just like all other restaurant equipment, is a given, but cleanliness also helps cut down on energy costs. A large surface like the Gen2 Griddle MG-24C-NAT makes cooking a breeze. However, it can be an intimidating surface to clean. Pro Tip: Instead of scraping and cleaning a cold griddle surface, heat the griddle to where it’s barely warm. This will loosen up all the debris and making cleaning up a whole lot simpler.

Everything about Gen2 ranges says the sky’s the limit with these magnificent workhorses. Beautifully designed for efficiency, power and reliability, Gen2 ranges have not only earned our 5 star rating and our Editors Choice Award, but they were also voted Best in Class by Food Service Equipment Supplies Magazine.

And it’s no wonder. Let’s look at the Gen2 Range 60-GEN2-10B-S26-NAT. With two 26-1/2″ ovens, a stainless front, landing range and backguard, and a holding range of 150-500 degrees, this baby can naturally do some heavy lifting! This exceptional piece of restaurant equipment is built to sustain the rigors of the toughest kitchen out there and still come out shining. Easy to clean and incredibly reliable, Gen2 ranges are a long time favorite of both chefs and line cooks around the country, and for good reason, too. It would seem that there’s nothing you can’t do with this bruiser.

That is, except put it in a residential home. In fact, the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if the range is installed in a residence or home. And most home insurance policies will be voided as well. That’s because commercial ranges like Gen2 ranges are built for volume. While installing commercial ranges has become a popular trend, its very important to understand what you are getting into. The warranty conditions, codes, and policies are there for a reason–because most homes are simply not designed to accommodate commercial restaurant equipment.

But if you have a commercial kitchen, there’s just about nothing you can’t do with Gen2 ranges. The world is your oyster, or duck, or seared scallop, or steak. Now we’re getting hungry just thinking about it!

Durable, safe and easy to clean, Gen2 fryers are the top choice of restaurant owners across the country. Crispy golden french fries wrapped in paper. Crunchy fried shrimp dipped in tart cocktail sauce. Soft bits of dough fried to perfection and covered in powdered sugar. Doughnuts, fry bread, fried fish, fried chicken–these are the items customers come back for time and again.  If you’re going to reliably deliver the goods — the fried treats your customers demand — you’ll want the reliability of Gen2 fryers on your side.

If you’ve noticed, we’ve been featuring Gen2 products in the last few weeks. That’s because, when it comes to restaurant equipment, nothing compares to the consistent quality of Gen2. For example, the Gen2-F3-NAT natural gas Gen2 fryers were voted “Best In Class” by Food Service Supplies Magazine. This fryer, like all of our Gen2 products, has earned our Editor’s Choice award and 5 star rating.  With a stainless steel fry tank, a cool zone for easy cleaning and range of 200º-400º, these 40-pound capacity Gen2 fryers really do the trick. We also offer an LP version of the F3, as well as the even heftier 70-pound capacity Gen2 fryers, also fitted for both Natural Gas and LP.

Gen2 fryers come standard with everything you need to install a reliable piece of restaurant equipment. However, if more flexibility is what you desire, accessories are also available. And, like all the products we offer at Short Order, we offer our Gen2 fryers at the lowest prices possible and include free shipping! When most companies offer low prices, they make up the difference in shipping costs. That’s just not the way we do business here at Short Order. So where would you go for better quality at a better price? Frankly, we have no idea.

Relatively new to the restaurant equipment market, Gen2 Griddles are (true to their name) the next generation of high-performance griddles. Griddles have a special place in the history of American food. In the homes of farmers from the northeast to the deep south; from the pioneer homesteads to the gold mining towns out West; griddles have been cooking our flapjacks, johnny cakes, fried eggs and fat back for centuries. How cooks managed to cook meals for large families and farm hands on a single cast iron stove is beyond the comprehension of most of us these days. But what today’s restaurant owners and yesterday’s cooks have in common is the need to serve many with great efficiency and culinary skill.

Whether you are cooking the perfect pancake or searing a scallop, you need a cooking surface that provides even, consistent heat to serve every customer every time. Gen2 Griddles are getting high marks for product reliability, performance and user-friendly designs. Take, for instance, a favorite in the line of Gen2 Griddles, the GEN2-TG-24C-NAT. This 24-inch countertop cooking dynamo features a precise and reliable thermostat to help maintain perfect cooking conditions. With 22,000 BTU/hr energy output, these two burners can really keep up! And if the demands of your hungry customers have you looking for something a little heftier among the Gen2 Griddles, take a look at the GEN2-TG-48C-NAT. This 48-inch, four burner gas griddle is an excellent choice for feeding the hungry mob. Both of these fine Gen2 griddles received our Editors Choice award and our highly prized 5-star rating.

Short Order is proud to offer a wide variety of Gen2 Griddles. We feel that our Gen2 Griddles are some of the best griddles out there. In fact, if they had awards for griddles at the County Fair, we know Gen2 Griddles would come home with the prize.