Chefs tasked with cooking large batches of food often turn to one key piece of foodservice equipment: the braising pan. This incredibly versatile unit used in many high-volume operations saves both time and space with no sacrifice in food quality. Let’s take a closer look at these commercial cook pans guaranteed to be a useful addition to any commercial kitchen.
What Is a Braising Pan?
Also called a “tilt skillet” or “tilting braising pan,” the braising pan enhances commercial kitchen productivity thanks to its multitasking capability and flexible design. What makes a commercial tilt skillet so uniquely suitable for cooking an amazing array of foods? A large tilting cooking pan not only speeds up food production, but it makes transferring cooked items from the skillet into a serving pan or storage container a snap.
Braising pans come in a variety of shapes, styles and sizes and are suitable for either countertop or freestanding use, depending on the size of the model. A small braiser pan may hold 12 gallons while a large braising pan can hold up to 40 gallons! Models in the 30- to 40-gallon range are particularly popular with commercial kitchen operators, while the countertop braising pan is especially suitable for operations with limited floor space.
Braising equipment features may include durable non-stick stainless steel surfaces, coved corners for easy cleaning, temperature controls and optional motorized lift. Available draw-off valves also permit the straining of oils and pouring of liquids from the cooking pan. Equipment used for braising is generally electric or gas powered with some units mounted to a heavy cabinet base for years of dependable service.
All About Braising
Wondering about tilt skillet uses? Equipment for braising is often used, as its name implies, for braising or browning food items. Their high-efficiency, high-output design makes commercial cooking pans uniquely suitable for bringing out full flavors while reducing cooking times and increasing batch consistency.
But braising pan use extends far beyond braising. Commercial cooks can also use a tilting skillet braising pan for everything from sautéing and simmering to boiling and frying. From soups to sauces to whole chickens, there’s pretty much nothing a gas or electric braising pan can’t cook. Not only that, but their size and design allows for high-volume cooking when serving large crowds is the order of the day. In other words, the electric tilt skillet or gas tilt skillet is any high-volume kitchen’s star performer.
When it comes to tilting skillet uses, Vulcan commercial skillets offer more standard features than the competition, including a tapered cooking pan with embossed gallon and liter markings that will never wear off, coved corners for easy cleaning and a satin non-stick finish. The sealed tilting mechanism features an anti-jamming design to ensure that the tilt braiser lifts and lowers whenever needed.
The Advantages of Braising
Because of its many advantages, the commercial skillet for braising is used in a wide range of settings, including hotels, hospitals, schools, and government organizations. Simply put: There’s no better way to cook and prepare large amounts of food in high-volume settings — an opinion echoed by the experts.
As Marenic Food Service Consulting Principal John Marenic told Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Magazine of equipment needed for braising, “From an investment perspective, a tilting skillet is like having three pieces of equipment in one. What many people don’t realize is that, with the right attachments, these units can be put to work for things like creating retail sauces, which can generate extra income. Anything that can be done in a kettle can be accomplished in these units. From a design perspective, [due to their versatility], these units can help save space.”
Cooking large amounts of food doesn’t have to mean turning out an inferior product or dealing with the mess caused by using multiple stock pots and pans. With a commercial braising pan, high-volume kitchens gain a best-of-both-worlds solution: the ability to produce heaping amounts of hot, flavorful food without taking up excess time or countertop space.
Source: Foodservice Equipment & Supplies