“Get out of the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat!”
Yeah right! The truth is that this luxury doesn’t apply to Chefs and Line cooks who practically live in the kitchen and spend their hours preparing delicious meals for patrons.
Of course, most Chefs, the really tough Chefs will tell you that being hot while working in the restaurant kitchen is part of the job description hence the above expression. However, this does not change the fact that a lot of Chefs and Line cooks suffer from heatstroke[1] and other heat-related illnesses which makes it necessary to learn how to stay cool working in a restaurant kitchen. For your health’s sake.
Also, who said the kitchen has to be hot? It doesn’t, not with these tips to help you stay cool.
9 Tips to Help You Stay Cool Working In a Restaurant Kitchen
1. Take Breaks In The Walk-In Room
When the kitchen gets too hot, you can take a break in the walk-in room. In fact, you can have a designated chair in there, and everyone can take turns going in there to cool off.
Meetings can also be held in the walk-in room. Instead of having your meetings in the kitchen, you can gather the team in the walk-in room, and you can all cool off while you talk. Don’t stay in too long though; the point is to cool off, not to freeze.
Also, when going into the walk-in room, make sure you go in clean. While you cool off, don’t forget to adhere to the health and safety regulations. You don’t want to take in any dirt or foreign objects that could ruin the refrigerated foods.
2. Get Air Curtains
If your restaurant kitchen is located in places with cool air or ocean breezes, then air curtains will do your kitchen a world of good. Get air curtains and install them in the kitchen entry, whenever the kitchen door opens, the air curtain will blow out a steady stream of air outwards. It will also allow you to keep your kitchen doors open so that cool air can come inside.
Air curtains are also great because they take off the stress from your usual heating or cooling systems. During the winter it will help you reduce heat loss, and during the summer it can help your kitchen stay cooler. That way, undue stress is taken away from your cooling and heating systems, and you spend less on electricity.
It also keeps your kitchen clean because it keeps out insects, dust, and fumes.
3. Drink Water
There are fancier and slightly less complicated ways of keeping cool while working in the restaurant kitchen, but there is none as simple and as straightforward as drinking water.
Restaurant kitchens are incredibly busy. So busy that the thought of drinking water may not occur to you. So busy that most Chefs and Line cooks will take caffeine and energy drinks to stay up and active rather than take water. But here’s the thing, because of how hot the kitchen is, your body would lose water much faster than it usually would in a normal and less hot situation. This puts you at a higher risk of fainting, experiencing dizziness, and just generally feeling dehydrated. Throwing caffeine or energy drinks into that mix is just detrimental. That is why drinking water is an absolute necessity.
The best way to ensure that this happens is to create a space specifically to get hydrated. This space will reinforce the idea and remind you and your team that you need to drink water. Besides water, you can also try fruit juices, and even better, you can turn the juices into popsicles; making it a perfect combination of cool and delicious.
To stay hydrated drink plenty of water even when you think you don’t need to: there is nothing fun about heat exhaustion or dehydration.
4. Use Ice Towels
That may sound unconventional, but ice towels are great. You can soak a towel or cloth in water, and toss it in the refrigerator to freeze. When the kitchen gets hot, you can roll the frozen towel around your neck or place it under your hat to keep cool. If it thaws out, you can always toss it back in the refrigerator to freeze again.
While you use ice towels, don’t forget to wear breathable clothing. All of the ice towels in the world will only do so much good if you are wearing heavy clothing.
Speaking of clothing, this may seem contradictory, but you can wear a cotton shirt under your chef coat. It will absorb the sweat instead of just letting it drip on the floor. This trick ensures that you stay comfortable and hygienic. The kitchen is no place for sweating.
Furthermore, during the really hot months, you can wear shorts, instead of pants. You can also trade your long-sleeved shirts for short sleeves.
5. Keep The Light Out
More specifically, the sun. The way to do this is to close out the blinds to keep the sun out. You can also install blinds and block out curtains to effectively keep the sun out.
The advantage of this is that it keeps the sun from adding to the hotness of the kitchen. That, coupled with ice towels and staying hydrated, should keep you relatively cool and comfortable.
6. Get Fans
The placing of these fans is the key to staying cool. For instance, placing the fans close to the ground will help circulate air around the ankles to keep it cool. The fan can also be placed at the kitchen entry because it will help bring in cool air and keep out the hot air.
However, don’t forget to clean the fans regularly for dust. You don’t want dust and dirt blowing into your food preparation. That’s not good for business.
7. Custom Air Vents
Not only do they offer a permanent solution to staying cool while working in the kitchen, but they will also leave the air in the kitchen clean and fresh. They will also keep clean air circulating which will get rid of any unwanted grease or cooking odor.
8. Get Air Conditioning
Most restaurants reserve the air conditioning for the dining room while leaving the restaurant kitchen unbearably hot.
There is some skepticism about having air conditioning in the kitchen. The primary issue being that it’s not a good idea to have an AC in a place radiating high heat. However, this can be solved by putting the AC far away from any high heat radiating equipment. Another way this can work is if the ovens and cooking equipment have ventilation systems.
9. Keep A Bucket Of Ice Water Near You
Don’t drink it. You can dip your hands into it whenever you get too hot. You can spray some on your head too. However, because you are cooking and to prevent germs, you can pour a spoon full of bleach into it so that you don’t take germs back into your food preparation.
Conclusion
A hot kitchen is a recipe for disaster. Not only are the Chefs and Line cooks prone to heat-related illnesses, but they are also prone to heat-related accidents. Imagine getting dizzy in front of a pan of hot oil.
We hope you avoid this and any other accidents with these cool tips. Here’s to tasty meals. Happy cooking!
Glossary
[1] Heatstroke – Link
