Commercial two-sided grills are the versatile workhorse of any business, giving food services the ability to quickly grill a quality product. These commercial kitchen appliances are the mainstay of a restaurant or food service operation, producing customer favorites like burgers, chicken, paninis, grilled sandwiches, and veggie and turkey burgers.
Because commercial two-sided grills play a central part in kitchen operations, it’s important to understand and select the right grill for a food service operation. This guide provides information on the benefits of a two-sided commercial grill and factors to consider when purchasing. (A local commercial equipment professional can also assist food services when selecting the right commercial two-sided grill.)
Benefits of a Two-Sided Platen Grill
- Faster Cooking. A two-sided grill can reduce cooking time by more than 60%, lessening customer wait times for food.
- Programmable Cooking (With USB port for easy file transfer). Taylor two-sided grills come with a USB port and controls that allow managers to input controls that produce a consistent quality product.
- Even Cooking. The two-sided design of the commercial grill and platens ensures even temperatures that produces a high-quality product. Taylor grills also recalibrate daily, ensuring consistent temperatures.
- Less Training Needed. Taylor grills can be pre-programmed so the cooking experience is automated, requiring less training and supervision during cooking.
- Energy Efficiency. Taylor grills are energy efficient, resulting in lower operational costs.
- Versatility. Two-sided commercial grills are capable of cooking many different menu items, and can be programmed for current and future menu options.
- Capacity for multiple functions. In multi-function mode, Taylor grills can perform three manual actions during a cook cycle, such as turn, sear, season or cheese melt.
- Fault log. Taylor commercial grills are self-diagnostic, allowing for efficient troubleshooting and less downtime.
What to Consider When Purchasing a Platen Grill
Food service businesses should consider these factors when choosing the right commercial two-sided grills for operation.
- Controls. Commercial grill controls should be easily programmable, with capabilities to expand as menus change. Many commercial grills come with the capability for quick uploads with USB ports.
- Plate Thickness. Commercial grill plates come into direct contact with the food, making plate quality an integral part of any commercial two-sided grill. Thicker plates are an investment that makes sense for businesses who anticipate using the appliance frequently and for intense warm-ups (such as frozen items).
- Product production. As with any commercial appliance, the right two-sided commercial grill can recover quickly to produce adequate product for busy times.
- Size of Grill. Fortunately, commercial grills come in compact and large sizes that can fit within a kitchen foot print. These commercial appliances typically come in 12” increments, and with one, two, or three platens.
- Heat Source. Commercial grills typically use gas or electric for a heat source, or a combination of the two. If a new grill uses a different fuel source (i.e. new grill uses gas while old grill uses electricity), some research should be done into the conversion process. In some cases, converting to another fuel source incurs significant time and cost. A commercial equipment professional can provide information that can help make the decision easier, and match an operation with the right two-sided commercial grill.