Cooking Equipment
Items of cooking equipment should be grouped together to provide efficient extraction of heat, steam and cooking odours. All such equipment must be overhung with a stainless-steel canopy served by drip channels, fluted grease filters (which are more easily cleaned than the wire mesh type) and a mechanical extract fan of sufficient size. Cooking equipment should preferably be sited on an 'island' or central location in the kitchen, rather than adjacent to walls, so that there is no obstruction to cleaning. The use of wheeled cooking equipment is highly encouraged.
Service Fridges
Service fridges are those holding vulnerable food likely to be required within a short time for cooking or serving. They should be located near the dining area, holding milk, butter, orange juice, wines and the like. Similar fridges near the cooking area (but not too close) will avoid frequent trips to and from the cold-room. Unless this procedure is followed, vulnerable food could be left close to the cooking area, in the warmest part of the kitchen, for perhaps several hours, resulting in the growth of dangerous levels of bacteria.