In countless cities every day, diners order their meal of chicken, fish, pork, beef, or even vegetables and are excited to see the diamond grill mark appearance, and savour the woodsy, charred taste of their dish, that tricks the diner into thinking their order was cooked over an outdoor grill or pit. However, these marks and flavours can be created inside the kitchen, as well, with the help of a commercial charbroiler, like those sold at Culinary Depot. 

The main function of a char broiler is to cook food at a consistent temperature and a high production level with as short a recovery time as possible, while presenting a pleasing cross-mark presentation on the food itself. Char-broilers can use any of four sources of heat, gas, electric, wood, or charcoal. The general structure of a char-broiler features an adjustable grate on which the chef can place food orders. This grate is suspended over a localized heat source, which, in the case of gas or electric char-broilers may also be adjusted for temperature control.  This tray can be angled to allow for grease to be sent to a trough or tray rather than causing flare-ups from direct contact with the heat source.

Depending on the type of heat source the char-broiler uses, conducted heat is transmitted through the top grate, while convected heat is carried by circulated air. Infrared rays emanate from the heat source, use less gas and reach operating temperatures in 90 seconds. Some models offer variable front-to-rear control of heat sources for more precise cooking control. Gas models have a Btu range from 17,000 up to 217,500, depending on their size. Economy models may feature heavy, cast-iron radiants for even heat distribution and to hold cooking temperatures in excess of 700 °F, however most char-broilers are most efficient when used between 550 °F and 625 °F.

While many chefs prefer to use a lava rock or ceramic briquette heat source for their char-broiler, this can accumulate large amounts of carbon and grease and experts recommend replacing both the heating elements and the grates as often as twice per year. Some other models offer self-cleaning elements and do not need to be replaced.

Char-broilers come in a variety of sizes and can be floor-standing or counter-top to accommodate even the smallest kitchen. Some other forms of char-broilers include cheese-melters and overhead salamanders. 

Exhaust requirements are highly important to consider when purchasing or using a char-broiler. In the case of a drop-in model, exhaust requirements range from 900- to 1,200- cu.-ft. per minute. These units must be also be installed 1” from any side wall, at least 5” from a back wall and about 4” from any other piece of countertop equipment. Proper ventilation and frequent cleaning are equally important to consider.

At Culinary Depot, we carry a wide variety of char-broilers, cheese-melters and salamanders, both in floor variety and in counter-top size. Culinary Depot stocks a number of sizes and manufacturer varieties of the broilers and can even help you plan out your kitchen design to allow for ventilation concerns and city/state codes. Visit us today at www.culinarydepotinc.com, or call us at 1-877-863-3630 for more information or questions about our broilers and other commercial kitchen equipment and supplies.

Have you had a chance to look at all the equipment CulinaryDepotInc.com offers for food preparation? We our proud of our huge compliment of everything from Band Saws and Blenders to Timers and Thermometers.

If you’re looking for blenders, we offer selections from such renowned manufacturers as Hamilton Beach, Vitamix, and Waring. While you’re looking at our blenders, be sure to take a look at our blender accessories, as well, which are offered from these respected names and Robot Coupe, as well.

Our Cheese Cutters & Graters selection includes products offered from Adcraft, Alfa, Volrath, and Winco; we even have a selection of parts from Alfa and Volrath from which you can also choose. And, if vegetables are a mainstay in your kitchen, take a look at our Mandolines and Vegetable Cutters including—in addition to mandolins—egg slicers, onion bloomers, lettuce and onion cutters, tomato slicers, and wedgers.

Our Vegetable Potato Peelers are available to you in 15-to-20 pound, 30-to-40  pound, and 50-to-60 pound capacities with one-to-three minute timing capacities with synchronous timing in increments dependent on the model you choose. These peelers are also available with removable abrasive silicon carbide discs and lexan liners, v-beld drives, and welded stainless steel construction. You’ll even find a meat saw in this section that comes with a stationary cutting table, adjustable legs, and hose down capabilities.

If you need help deciding what works best in your kitchen, feel free to call us, toll-free, at 1.877.863.3630 for all of your food preparation needs. We have virtually everything imaginable to make your food prep work more efficient and productive at reasonable prices from only the best manufacturers.

We’ve been talking about shelving and encourage you to take a look at the shelving section on the CulinaryDepotInc.com website if you need to add storage space in your work space.

In addition to all of the various shelves, shelving units, and shelving accessories that we’ve already covered, we also offer options for Channel microwave wall shelving, which are provided in two different depths, 18 or 24 inches and are constructed of stainless steel, which always offers a sanitary appearance and a clean line, always welcome in a kitchen atmosphere. Solid and T-bar shelving is aluminum constructed with adjustable shelves that are offered 21 inches in depth and either 36, 48, or 60 inches in length, depending on your kitchen’s needs.

Tubular shelving is also aluminum constructed and offered in a range of sizes that includes 20-, 21-, and 24-inch depth options, shelf lengths from 36 to 72 inches, options from between two and four shelves, and choices for spacing between shelving. The choice is yours and the many options available better enable you to create configurations that work best for your kitchen’s processes, customers, menus, and budget. Even better, many of these shelving configurations boast capacities of 2,000 pounds, which comes in handy for high-traffic, large-scale facilities.

Duke offers shelving cabinets, plate shelves, wall- and table-mounted shelving, and wall-mounted microwave shelving. Table- and wall-mounted shelving is available for overshelf uses and for pot and pan racks. These shelving choices are provided in a number of sizes and stainless steel gauges to suit nearly every kitchen need.

And, remember, if you need help in deciding what items will work best for your kitchen and your budget, feel free to contact us, toll-free, at 1.877.863.3630.

Does your kitchen have adequate shelving and storage? Take a look at the shelving section at CulinaryDepotInc.com. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at all we have to offer and how much some well-placed shelves will help you run your kitchen more efficiently and more productively.

We are proud to offer shelving options from some of the most respected names in the business: Cambro, Channel, Duke, and Metro. You can purchase wire shelving and a wide range of fence systems from Cambro. We also offer an enormous array of shelf plate kits and wall shelves in many sizes to suit your kitchen’s needs. And, even better, we also offer shelf extenders that help you expand your storage space, allowing you and your staff increased options while working. Shelving units are available as stationary units, mobile units, and add-on units.

Add-ons are available from 18-by-36 inches to 24-by-60 inches, with 13 options in between. We also have nine mobile units as small as 18-by-36 inches to as large as 24-by-48 inches. If you prefer stationary units, there are 15 to choose from from 18-by-36 inches to 24-by-60 inches. The Channel Shelving Upright is 80 inches in height and accommodates cantilevered shelves.

Channel’s shelf and shelf accessories include, in addition to a range of accessories, cantilevered shelves, shelves for microwaves, solid and tubular units, wall-mounted shelves, and T-bar shelving. Accessories for Channel shelving include shelving uprights and cross supports and shelving hardware. Cantilevered shelves are available in solid, t-bar, and tubular choices, all are NSF certified  and made of sturdy aluminum.