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COOKING AREA –A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DIFFERENT LAYOUTS
Island Grouping
The principle behind this type of arrangement is an island grouping of major cooking equipment
which is normally positioned back to back with access afforded all round. The arrangement pre
supposes that sufficient gangway space is available all round to allow also for the grouping of
other items of equipment around the perimeter walls of the kitchen. Some separation of
cooking equipment is advisable, in particular wet items (steamers, boiling pans etc.) away from
dry equipment such as fryers, grills, griddles. A ventilation canopy is normally suspended over
the island arrangement, with forced air extraction eq uipment used to remove steam and
cooking smells from the kitchen. Drainage gulleys may be provided all round or adja cent; to
wet equipment, which may also be provided with mains ( drinking) water supplies for direct
filling and cleaning. Item. of equipment used by more than one kitchen party are best sited
at the periphery of the island to allow easy access by all users.
Wall Arrangement
In wall arrangement, as the name suggests, the preparation areas are ranged along walls in an
L-shaped pattern and a grouping of appliances (open top ranges, wall mounted grills, deep tat
fryer etc.) occurs along, a further wall section. Additional preparation or holding, tables are
placed in the centre of the kitchen, allowing considerable space for make-up of meals,
preparation of salads and cold dishes, during serving periods and so on. Crockery and pan
wash-up has been confined to the remaining wall. This type of arrangement works well if
distances between work stations are not excessive. V entilation may rely simply on open
windows in walls close to cooking equipment or alternatively extract hoods can be mounted
over equipment. An extension of the straight line arrangement is to run a second line of
appliances parallel to the first, with serving tallies or trolleys arranged in a central aisle
between the two sets of equipment.
‘L’ or ‘U’ Shaped Arrangement
Here space does not permit use of the Central Island or wall or parallel arrangements. An
alternative is to create an L or U shaped grouping of equipment. Separation of main groups of
equipment can be achieved, particularly with the L-shape and if further items need to be added
a second inner L-run can be positioned. This second 'L' may in fact consist of preparation of
serving tables and follows the line of the cooking equipment, with an appropriate aisle in
between.
The U-shape as its name implies consists of a run of equipment, arranged around three walls.
Both arrangements offer reasonably easy access to cooking equipment and are b est suited to
traditional restaurant, or hotel, kitchens offering a wide and varied menu, rather than die large
scale production of standardized meals where smoother work flow patterns are invariably
called for.
PLANNING OF GOOD RECEIPT AND STORAGE AREA
The principles of planning goods receipt and storage areas were outlined earlier. The type and amount
of storage provided will depend upon buying policy, frequency of deliveries and the type of foodstuffs
used in the establishment. Operations making use of largely prepared foods will require more chilled or
freezer storage than traditional kitchens relying on daily deliveries of fresh vegetables and certain
other items like milk, fish (in season) etc. The quantities of supplies stored will also depend on the
location, with urban sites relying on daily deliveries, and more remote establishments carrying stocks
to last three or four days or more.
Whatever type of storage is required certain guidelines apply as shown in the diagram. It shows
separate entrances for goods and staff, the latter leading directly to cloakrooms etc. Various storage
areas are indicated; these will include vegetables, dry goods, chill store and deep freeze storage. All
storage areas are readily accessible from the goods entrance, which could incorporate a loading bay of
suitable height, if large quantities are handled. The height of the loading bay should roughly match
that of the tailgate of delivery vehicles, thus providing easy access to mechanical trucks or hand