5 Extremely Important Tips for Commercial Baking

As a commercial baker, I have spent many hours in the hot kitchen baking hours and hours and making numerous mistakes. I love sharing what I learn with others so they don’t have to go through the same mistakes and save themselves time and money with added frustration.
There are many things you can do as a commercial baker to make your job easier and safer, but there are 5 important tips that I would like to share as a commercial baker. I love watching Gordon Ramsey’s cooking shows like “Kitchen Nightmares,” “The F Word,” and “Hell’s Kitchen.” Although these shows are entertaining, they are quite educational. There is a very good reason why he is one of the number one chefs in the world. Based on my experiences and what I’ve learned from other cooks and chefs, there are five tips I’d like to focus on: cleaning, cross-contamination, hydration, ventilation, and multitasking.

Cleaning

Being clean in your kitchen is of the utmost importance, which is why it is listed here first. Keeping every square inch of your kitchen clean, from ceiling to floor, refrigerator to oven, is important for a long list of reasons. It can create places for bacteria or mold to grow, which is very bad for food industries and helps you suspend health inspections; can cause cross-contamination that could lead to allergic reactions in your customers and possible lawsuits; and your kitchen just looks unappealing when it’s cluttered and dirty. It is not recommended that things grow or get dirty on your equipment because they can start to malfunction or drop some of the buildup into the food you are cooking. This will ultimately change the flavor of your food.
My routine is to clean before I start, clean while I work, and clean when I’m done. I wash all surfaces before I start, making sure there isn’t even any dust on a ceiling fan that could fall on my recipes. I wash my dishes and countertops while I work to prevent anything from getting into the food I’m preparing to keep food precise and rich in flavor. You don’t want to mix flavors from one recipe with another recipe; the results could be disastrous.
Be sure to wash your hands between handling each step if possible and wear gloves and a hairnet. You don’t want unsightly hair falling out on the food you plan to serve. That would not promote repeat business. Plus, you never know when you’ll have a guest in your kitchen, so keeping it clean and polishing the surfaces makes you look like a hero and a clean cook. I personally wash and polish all my kitchen surfaces when I’m done so everything sparkles and shines, literally. Makes cleaning much easier and faster when done daily and saves time.

Cross contamination

Food allergies are a big problem today. more people have allergies today than 20 years ago. Types of food allergies are getting worse and darker. I myself have food allergies that make it very difficult to get certain proteins in my diet. I also personally know someone allergic to mint. Whatever the case, you don’t want to end up with a lawsuit on your hands that could put you out of business. Your best bet is to develop certain practices in your kitchen. One practice I use is to have a different spoon, bowl, and spatula for each cookie dough I make. I don’t change spoons or rinse them. Once I’ve finished that batter, the spoon goes straight into the dishwasher and doesn’t get washed by hand. I also make first those recipes that do not usually have food allergies so that the smells of other foods such as nuts do not contaminate them. Some people are so allergic that they can have a reaction to the smell of food. Preparing these batters first and then sealing and storing them also helps prevent spillage from contaminating them. Just try to see the baking situation from the perspective of a person with allergies and make any adjustments you feel are necessary.

Hydration

Kitchens tend to be stuffy and hot. Ultimately, the heat can cause dehydration. Dehydration can be a problem resulting in exhaustion and dizziness which can lead to mistakes or even accidents. As explained above, accidents like cross contamination can be a fatal mistake. Making the mistake of not cleaning while working properly can also cause food raw material issues and ultimately food poisoning. Again, not a good situation to get into. My best suggestion, get a sports bottle that you can’t spill on your food and keep it away from your immediate work area but still within reach. Drink plenty of water and fluids to stay properly hydrated and think clearly.

Ventilation

Ventilation goes along with hydration because ventilation helps keep air moving, flowing, and keeps heat at a reasonable level. Too much heat can lead to dehydration and mistakes or accidents. Moving air and reducing heat helps minimize these problems. A ceiling fan works well to move air, and a range hood for your stove that moves air out of the building works great to keep heat out of the kitchen altogether. Make sure these devices are kept clean and dust free because you don’t want contaminants on your food. Another good reason for ventilation is to keep odors to a minimum. Strong odors in the kitchen can add flavor to your food. Odors are built from tiny, microscopic particles of that object. For example, if you smell Marsala sauce, there are actually tiny particles of that sauce floating in the air and entering your nose allowing you to smell it. Given this information, if you’re baking a Belgian chocolate mousse cake, but you smell peanut butter in your kitchen, the flavor is likely settling into your cake. This is another reason for the cross-contamination precautions I use when making basic doughs first and then making my white chocolate peanut butter or macadamia nut doughs last.

multitask

Multitasking is important in any commercial baking situation and is a key element to being able to function in this environment. Having to make so many recipes in such a short amount of time can be daunting, but doing it right can maximize profits and minimize stress levels. My best suggestion is to start small and break that routine down to a science before adding more. Slowly add one piece at a time until you are sure you can handle what is given. If you can only handle three items at a time, take it for what it’s worth and keep three at a time. Too much can lead to errors and lost profits. Don’t give up if you can’t do twenty things at once. At least it’s still making a profit and producing quality products. Remember, one of the most important things to sell your product is quality and not so much quantity. As you refine your routines, you can find tools that can help you improve on time and increase quantity without letting quality suffer.

I hope you found this article useful and keep looking for more in the future.