FOOD SERVICE EQUIPMENT
China or Earthenware
Tableware:
Storage:
What
to look for:
1. Every item of earthenware should have a complete cover of glaze with
no patcxhes to ensure a reasonable length of life
2. China should have a rolled edge which will give added reinforcement
at the edge, which if well done will reduce chipping.
3. Check whether the pattern is underneath or on top of the glaze, for
better life it should be under the glaze. This requires additional glaze
and firing. Patterns on top of the glaze will wear and discolor very quickly.
Often earthenware produced for catering purposes is given a trade name by the manufacturer to indicate its strength.
Some
examples of these are:
a) Vitreous b) Vitrock c) Vitrex d) Vitresso e) Ironstone f) Vitrified
Of these vitrified ware is recognised to be the strongest, but this does
not always mean that every caterer buys vitrified hotelware as other factors
apart from strength and economy have to be taken into account. Two newer
forms of crockery are known as 'Steelite' and 'Micratex'. Steelite is
advertised as Vitreous china and has a high chip resistance. A range of
'Steelite' is to be found on the Cunard liner the Queen Elisabeth 2. Micratex
is a form of crockery where the body strength of the china has been re-inforced
by a technique employed in grinding the clay. This is to make the article
stronger without adding to the weight. There are various classifications
of catering china. Very briefly these are as follows:
Bone China.
This is a very fine and hard china and is very expensive. The decorations
are to be found under the glaze only. It can if necessary be made to thicker
specifications, if requested, for hotel use. The price of bone china puts
it out of reach of the majority of caterers, and only a few of the top
class hotels and restaurants would use it. Obviously a price of a meal
in these establishments is high in order to cover this aspect of the overheads.
The range of design, pattern and colour is very wide, and there is something
to suit all occasions and situations.
Hotel Earthenware.
This is the normal earthenware which as we have seen (a-e above) can be
made stronger than that designed for domestic use. It is not however guaranteed
to the British standard 4034 as is Vitrified Hotelware (f above). The
specification for BS. 4034. demands that vitrified tableware be non-porous
which is also a guarantee of its strength. This form of tableware is cheaper
than bone china. There is a standard range of designs and patterns in
varying colours. As it is the only type of Hotel Earthenware to come up
to BS. 4034 specifications it is dearer than the other classifications
of hotel earthen ware.
Vitrified earthenware is particularly economical where it is in continuous
use 24 hours a day, has heavy handling with a high turnover and where
hygiene is particularly important for example motorway cafeterias and
hospitals. A domestic weight earthenware is also available but this is
lighter and thinner than the hotel earthenware or vitrified hotelware
previously mentioned. Because of its short life, lack of strength and
possible high breakage rate it is not regarded as suitable for the average
caterer, except perhaps the seaside boarding house.
When purchasing china note that some manufacturers stamp the date/ month/year
on the base. From this, the life of the china under normal usage, can
he determined more accurately. China should be stored on shelves in piles
of approximately two dozen. Any higher may result in them toppling down.
They should be stored at a convenient height for placing on, and removing
from, the shelves without any fear of accidents occurring. If possible
keep covered to prevent dust and germs settling on the china. There is
a wide range of items available and their exact sizes vary according to
the manufacturer and the design he produces. As a guide they are as follows:
diameter:
Sideplate
15 cm (6 in)
Sweet plate 18 cm (7 in)
Fish plate 20 cm (8 in)
Soup plate 20 cm (8 in)
Joint plate 25 cm (10 in)
Cereal/Sweet plate 13 cm(5 in)
Salad Crescent
Breakfast Cup and Saucer 23~-28 cl (8-10 fluid oz)
Tea Cup and Saucer 19cl (62l3 fluid oz)
Coffee Cup (Demi-tasse) & Saucer 9.5 cl (31/3 fluid )
Consommé Cup and Saucer
Teapot
Hot Water Jugs Milk Jugs
Cream Jugs Coffee Pots Hot Milk Jugs Sugar Basin Slop Basin
Butter Dishes Ashtrays Egg Cup Soup Bowl/Cup Platter
Tableware (Flatware, Cutlery, and Hollow ware)
1. Flatware: in the catering trade denotes all forms of spoons and forks.
2. Cutlery: this refers to knives and other cutting implements.
3. Hollow-ware: consists of any items made from silver apart from flatware
and cutlery, e.g. teapots, milk jugs, sugar basins, oval flats.
Manufacturers are producing varied patterns of flatware, Hollow-ware and
cutlery in a range of prices to suit all demands. One new pattern of flatware
and cutlery is scaled down to three quarters the normal size specifically
for tray service. This demonstrates the manufacturer's desire to keep
in touch with the caterer's needs. 'The majority of food service areas
use either plated silverware or stainless steel. Once again the points
mentioned previously concerning purchasing should be borne in mind. In
addition, when purchasing flatware and cutlery consider:
1. The type of menu and service offered.
2. The maximum and average seating capacity.
3. Rush hour turn-over.
4. Washing-up facilities and its turn-over.
The manufacturers will often quote 20, 25, 30 year plate. This denotes
the length of life a manufacturer may claim for his plate, subject to
fair or normal usage. The length of life of silver also depends upon the
weight of silver deposited. The term Al often heard in connection with
silver plate has no significance whatsoever. There is no standard laid
down and the quality of Al plate differs with every manufacturer. There
are three standard grades of silver plate—full standard plate, triple
plate, and quadruple plate.
The Hallmark on silver tells two things, the standard of silver used and
the Assay office responsible. The two letters are the maker's mark and
the date letter.
Plain cutlery and flatware is more popular than pattern for the simple
reason that it is cheaper and easier to keep clean. Handles are an important
factor in cutlery. The best investment are knives with hard soldered silver
plated, nickel or good stainless steel handles. Plastic materials are
much cheaper and usually satisfactory.
The 'Sanenwood' handled stainless steel is a material which is impervious
to boiling water and will not crack or chip. Stainless steel flatware
and cutlery is available in a variety of grades. The higher priced designs
usually have incorporated in them alloys of chromium which makes the metal
stainless, and nickel which gives a fine grain arid lustre. Good flatware
and cutlery is made of 18/8 stainless steel. This is 18% chromium and
8% nickel. Stainless steel is finished by different degrees of polishing:
1 High polish finish
2. Dull polished finish
3. A light grey matte, non reflective finish
Stainless steel resists scratching far more than other metals and may
therefore be said to be more hygienic. At the same time it neither tarnishes
nor stains.
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Careful storage of cutlery and flatware is important. The ideal place
would be boxes or drawers for each specific item, each box or drawer being
lined with baize to prevent the items concerned sliding about and becoming
scratched and marked. Other items of hollow ware should be stored on shelves
which are labelled showing where the different items go. They must be
stored at a convenient height for placing on and removing from the shelves.
Ideally all flatware, cutlery and hollow-ware should be stored in a room
or cupboard which can be locked since they constitute a large part of
the capital of the restaurant. Cutlery and flatware may be stored in cutlery
trolleys of which there are a number now on the market to suit all purposes.
There is a vast range of flat ware, cutlery and hollow-ware in use in
the catering industry today. These items are those necessary to give efficient
service of any form of meal at any time of the clay. Everyone is familiar
with the knife, fork, Spoon flats, vegetable dishes and lids, entree dishes
and lids, soup tureens, teapot, hot water jugs, sugar basins and so on
that we see in every day use. Over and above these however there are a
number of specialist items of equipment provided for use with specific
dishes.