Blog

Five ways to make your commercial kitchen safer

Chefs in motionPicture a commercial kitchen during peak rush -- the staff hurriedly prepares food while wait staff bustles in to retrieve orders and bring in stacks of dirty dishes, all in the presence of hot ovens, slippery floors and boiling pots. 

So, what can you do to make sure your kitchen is as safe as possible? Check out the tips below. Read on to learn some basic safety principles and tips that can help reduce the risk of injury, decrease insurance costs and keep your commercial kitchen running smoothly. 

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Understanding your plumbing inspector's view

Beakers of clean and dirty waterDon’t accuse a plumbing inspector (PI) of blindly following a bloated set of bureaucratic rules for no good reason. Yes, a plumbing inspector’s job is to enforce the plumbing code. Yes, a plumbing inspector will likely be suspicious of anything that deviates from that code.

But plumbing inspectors have good reasons for following the plumbing code (and so do you). In fact, good plumbing inspectors can help you, your business and your community by preventing long-term problems. Here's how they approach the job.

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Big Dipper digital control optimized for rotisserie ovens

Rotisserie chickenCommercial rotisserie ovens, which are popping up in more grocery stores as well as some restaurants and institutional settings, bring with them some unusual challenges when it comes to managing grease. Seasonal fluctuations in demand for rotisserie-cooked poultry pose some unusual challenges for grease removal, which a new Big Dipper feature resolves. 

(Photo courtesy of Steve Parker / Creative Commons on Flickr)

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Expert viewpoint: From treating waste to harnessing resources

Bob Rubin - wastewater treatment expertDr. A. Robert “Bob" Rubin is an emeritus professor and former extension specialist in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering at North Carolina State University. He spent more than a quarter century there doing research, teaching and public service. He’s testified before Congress, spoken to international meetings of researchers and policy experts and been honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for his service. He was kind enough to talk to us about the changes he’s seen in the last 30-plus years in wastewater treatment and what he expects in the coming years.

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New Big Dipper Digital Control Increases Life, Improves User Experience

Big Dipper Push Button InterfaceIn the three decades since Thermaco developed the innovative Big Dipper grease interceptor, more than 33,000 units have been installed in commercial kitchens around the world. 

Thermaco is also focused on continuing to innovate, and we’re proud to announce the new and improved 40000 Series Big Dipper with digital control. We know a food service establisment's priorities for a grease interceptor are simple: efficient operation, minimal maintenance, and compliance.

The 40000 Series Big Dipper with a new digital control unit is designed to help accomplish all those goals.

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Six ways your commercial kitchen might be out of compliance

Chef and Waiter discussing menu

You always score a solid "A" during health department inspections.

You make sure your fire extinguishers and other safety gear is regularly inspected.

And if something goes wrong with a piece of equipment, you immediately call a service technician and get it fixed.

While you may think you’re doing everything you could, and everything you should, to keep your commercial kitchen in compliance with government regulations, there are still a few surprises that could trip you up.

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Welcome to the New Thermaco Website

Image of New Thermaco HomepageWhy we redesigned the Thermaco website

We built Thermaco on innovation — the idea that we could figure out a way to manage fats, oil and grease from commercial kitchens better than the industry had before. 

So when we decided this year that it was time to give our website a facelift, we took the same innovation-first approach. Though we wanted to update the look and feel of the site, we also wanted the site to be a better resource for customers and others seeking information.

To that end, the new site has several changes:

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Increases in Eating Out Put More Pressure on Pretreatment

Sandwich and friesChanging demographics and lifestyles are producing greater strains on water treatment systems and could threaten water quality. Surprised? It’s true. And we’re not just talking about the strain of a growing population.
 
Since the 1970s, the amount of food consumed at restaurants or purchased from take-out spots has increased dramatically. And with that, comes more commercial kitchen wastewater entering the sewers.
 
2006 USDA study, for example, found that from the 1970s to the 1990s, the percent of daily calories from meals purchased away from home increased from 18 percent to 32 percent. And from 1974 to 2004, away-from-home spending grew from 34 percent of total food dollars to about half of all food expenditures.
 

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Trapzilla, A Thermaco Technology, making a difference in worldwide effort to deliver clean water

Mexico CityASHEBORO, N.C. — Water runs from our taps, and we store it in bottles, coolers and refrigerators.
 
Clean, cool and crisp. We take it for granted.
 
Much of the world isn’t so fortunate.
 
While the world population has tripled in the 20th century, the use of renewable water resources has grown six-fold according to water.org, which works to promote clean water sources throughout the world.
 
Thermaco, a leader in the highly specialized field of oil and grease extraction from wastewater, considers this to be an important part of its mission.
 
“Thermaco strives to make relevant products for water pretreatment that enable food service providers to be better stewards of the sewer collection systems of which they are a part,” says Yaralitza A. Erives, Director of Customer Service and Sales at Thermaco.

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Alpha Biofuels - Offering a Clean Solution to Growth in Singapore

Alpha BioFuelsSingapore –- the East Asian city-state –- is known worldwide as a leader in urban cleanliness and environmental stewardship. Visitors to Singapore discover a bustling multicultural metropolis where towering skyscrapers soar above charming British colonial architectural, and where an abundance of tourist sites, glamorous shopping centers, and food courts buzz with activity seven days a week. As one of the world’s most densely populated metropolitan areas, both the government and citizens of Singapore are proud of the nation’s leadership in urban efficiency, quality of life, and environmentalism.

 

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