Something smells amazing! That’s the sign of a good and running bakery, but do you know what else is necessary to keep the bakery on its feet, besides the yummy baked goods? Smooth-running bakery equipment. And that’s only possible if you take proper care of it by keeping it clean and consulting commercial appliances repair services when required. Here is everything you need to know about maintaining bakery equipment.

Bakery Equipment Maintenance Tips

Every Appliance Is Different

A bakery doesn’t just run on one or two appliances. There are a lot of machines that a bakery needs to run smoothly. Aside from the usual baking ovens, mixers, blenders, extruders, and conveyor belts, there are also refrigerators, freezers, and other storage items that are crucial for every baker starting commercially.

Now, all of these machines have different maintenance requirements, cleaning instructions, and precautions. This is why you need to make sure that you read every machine’s instruction manual thoroughly and go through the steps of maintaining each.

This will lead to better performance of the appliances in the future and you will know exactly what to do and what to avoid doing with every equipment. It can be hard to keep track of these things, but you will get the hang of it, once you start taking things one by one. This little bit will ensure that your equipment stays in pristine condition and also lasts longer.

Don’t Ignore Scheduled Maintenance

If you don’t want your bakery equipment to break down on you, then you should never ignore scheduled maintenance. This one is a lifesaver because it’s during maintenance any hidden issue can be spotted and fixed before it becomes anything bigger and costly.

If you tend to forget things or have a hard time keeping track of the equipment, then you can pencil in maintenance days for each machine and then have an expert take a look at them.

Don’t Wait Too Long

This one ties in with the previous one, but it’s extremely important to take note of. You don’t want to wait too long or until the machine completely stops working to get it maintained. Usually, monthly maintenance of each equipment is enough to keep things smooth sailing and it’s also doable, no matter how busy or packed your schedule is.

Make it a habit to maintain the equipment before anything goes wrong. It’s frustrating and, if you don’t have backup, then it can put everything to a halt. So, save yourself from misery and act well before time.

Keep Everything Clean

It can be tempting to leave the machine as it is, as soon as you’re done with work, but you don’t want to do that. The equipment might be dirty, there might be wet and dry debris all over and you really should clean it if you don’t want it to break down on you in the future. Moreover, using dirty appliances will negatively impact the food’s quality and it’s also unhygienic.

So, as soon as you’re done with mixing, blending, kneading, baking in the oven, whatever it is, make it a habit to clean the equipment, by dismantling it and washing it properly. This will not only make the equipment last long, but it’s also going to be one less task to take care of, the next day.

Choosing The Right Cleaners

You might think that bakery equipment can be cleaned by any and every cleaner under the sun, however, that’s not true. Equipment also reacts harshly to abrasive cleaners and you can end up damaging your machines rather than getting them cleaned. So, avoid anything with non-recommended chemicals, harsh acids, reactive ingredients, and more.

As for cleaning equipment, make sure to not use abrasive cleaning pads as those can scratch the equipment and you don’t want that. Use something soft and use a bit of elbow grease to remove the grime and dirt.

Take Care Of Electric Sockets

Almost every bakery equipment is powered by electricity and it’s a vital thing that you need to take care of when you’re elbows deep in cleaning your bakery equipment. Exposing the electrical sockets to water, moisture, or even chemical cleaners can damage the circuit and you can end up ruining a perfectly good appliance.

So, whenever you’re cleaning the equipment, even if it is a simple wash, you want to protect the sockets by either wrapping the wire and exposed circuit in plastic or turning off the equipment before even thinking about cleaning it. Also, you want to let the machine cool down before you wash it, otherwise it’s an accident waiting to happen.

Look Out For Rust

Another thing that is a key indicator of bakery equipment getting old and worn is the appearance of rust. This is more common in machines with grooves and attachments that are hard to clean and reach. This can cause rust to accumulate over time and it can lead to a lot of problems.

Normally, rust can occur when you leave the equipment wet or don’t clean it properly. This is why it’s recommended that you take good care of the equipment and clean and dry it properly, otherwise you’re asking for trouble.

Warm Water Is Your Best Friend

Debris and dried-up food can be really hard to remove unless you go to town scrubbing the equipment. So, instead of working hard and breaking a sweat, why not work smart and let science do the work for you?

Well, warm water is here to make your equipment sparkle like brand new. If there are stubborn food crumbs that won’t tear themselves away from the equipment, then you can use warm water to gently scrape the crumbs off and you’ll be good to go. The mildly hot water will loosen the crumbs and cleanup will be much easier. For extra help, you can mix baking soda in warm water.

Dust & Grime – How To Deal With Them?

Dust and grime is the norm in bakery equipment, but you need to know how to clean them effectively to get rid of every speck. Dust is usually dry, so you’ll need a dry washcloth to clean it. Afterwards, you can wipe the equipment down with a wet washcloth and that’s pretty much it.

As for grime, use a wet washcloth to wipe it away, and then use a dry washcloth to get rid of any wet streaks.

A Test Run

This is the last, most important step of maintaining your bakery equipment. After going through the cleaning and wiping process, you’ll want to give it a test run to see if everything is working perfectly or not.

First, rearrange the entire equipment as the manual instructs, then make sure that everything is dry and clean. Check the electrical sockets once more and plug the machine on. This is the point when you want to double-check that everything is secured and there aren’t any loose parts. Power up the equipment and see if it runs smoothly. If it does, perfect!

Conclusion

If you want your bakery to be a smashing success, then you need to ensure that the supply of delectable morsels never runs out. That’s possible through maintaining your equipment on time. So, do so and never hesitate to get help from commercial kitchen appliance repair Northern VA technician if an issue arises.