TigerChef

I love a stainless steel kitchen. The look is clean and professional. Even if there weren’t so many practical reasons for choosing stainless steel in the kitchen, I would design a kitchen with it anyway—just for the aesthetic value. When I walk into a well-organized, gleaming stainless steel kitchen, I am energized and ready to work. From stainless steel refrigerators to stainless steel stockpots, the well-fitted commercial kitchen is sleek, stylish, and simply looks clean. There is no doubt that the preferred material for a commercial kitchen is stainless steel, and this is based on a number of factors.

Stainless Steel Kitchens Are Cleaner and More Durable

That clean look is backed up by fact: stainless steel resists bacteria. You can clean your stainless steel refrigerator with a disinfectant and be sure that it is really clean because stainless steel isn’t porous like wood and plastic, which are far more likely to breed bacteria. A study published in Poultry Science demonstrated that electro-polished stainless steel showed significantly fewer bacterial cells than other treated surfaces. Their conclusion was that “food safety could be improved if bacterial populations could be reduced…by increasing the use of materials resistant to bacterial contamination.” Another recent study conducted by the Hospitality Institute of Technology and Management (HITM) concluded that stainless steel countertops, when compared with other countertop materials, are the least likely to harbor dangerous bacteria, such as E. coli.

Kitchen professionals also choose stainless steel because it lasts so long. It’s strong stuff—and it’s a good investment. Have you wondered, though, what keeps it looking so good? First, steel itself is an iron alloy that generally doesn’t crack or bend. However, steel alone does have a tendency to rust (you’ve probably noticed this tendency in cars). So, stainless steel has the addition of chromium—a wonderful metal that provides a film of chromium oxide, an element that prevents rusting.

The same qualities that make stainless steel a solid choice for commercial refrigerators and other appliances make stainless steel cookware and storage containers a good choice. It’s easy to clean and extremely durable. Stainless steel also fits beautifully into the “cooking green” movement, as stainless steel lasts longer, and all stainless steel is recyclable.

So with its sleek look and long-lasting qualities, it’s no wonder that stainless steel is the first choice in commercial kitchens—from stainless steel refrigerators to stainless steel pots.

Filed under: General • Top Picks • Food Quality • Going Green

Tags: commercial kitchen, commercial kitchens, stainless steel, stainless steel refrigerator, stainless steel sinks