Starting a catering business can be quite difficult. There are so many things that you need to attract clients and be successful. You need delicious food, quality customer service, and the right products to do the job. In this article I will be discussing the products aspect of what you need to be successful. There are an unfathomable amount of choices for what to put in your kitchen and many people don't know where to start. I will be listing some products that I believe will benefit anyone starting a catering business or just anyone who loves to cook. I either have experience using these products or have heard reviews from trusted sources. I stand by my suggestions and believe that they will be a great addition to most kitchens. Price comparisons will be based off of Amazon. I will include a link to their website so you can compare options yourself.
The first product I will be talking about is a chafing dish. A chafing dish is simply a metal box that will keep food warm for hours. This is extremely useful since it allows a caterer to keep their food fresh for longer which is important for long events. It is important to remember that it will not keep food good indefinitely and the taste will suffer the longer it sits. This can also be useful for a regular person as well. It can keep your nacho cheese warm while you watch a football game or keep your food warm while you finish cooking Thanksgiving dinner. These products tend to go for about $15 to $200 depending on the quality and design. I would recommend purchasing a stainless steel one instead of an aluminum one. They cost a little more money but will last much longer. Proctor Silex is a brand that I would recommend. They offer high quality products at a reasonable price. The brand can also be found at many large retailers.
A high quality knife is going to be one of the most important things that you can purchase. They will be sharp and stay sharp for longer. This makes cooking much easier and safer. A poor quality knife can get dull which can cause the knife to slip and cause an injury. Cheap knives also tend to rust very quickly which can be concerning. Rust can give you or anyone who eats your food tetanus which can be deadly. It also wastes money since you can no longer use it. I once bought a cheap knife set from Walmart for $15 and on the first wash they all started to rust. Knife sets can range from $5 to $1,000 depending on brand and number of knives. I would recommend the brand Chicago Cutlery. The knives come sharp out of the package and do not rust when you wash them. Sets for this brand can be found from $60 to $200 online.
Flatware is very important to every person so getting a quality set is very important. Flatware is a term for what is used to eat the food. Examples being forks, knives, and spoons. This is used in every catering service and in every home in the United States. You do not need to spend too much money on these since they are typically pretty cheap but going too cheap can be an issue. If they are too cheap they may bend or even break after use. This can be a waste of money and there is a possibility that it hurts someone. They also run the risk of rusting if you buy a poor quality product which like I mentioned in the knife section can be very dangerous. Ensuring the flatware has nickel and chromium in it is a way to look at the quality of the set. Chromium and nickel help prevent rust which is extremely important. Flatware can range from $10 to $200 depending on the set. This price can increase drastically since you may have to purchase more sets to have enough to serve everyone at an event. If you are purchasing a home set of flatware I would go with the brand Lenox. They offer high quality flatware that will last a lifetime. However, they are fairly expensive but the quality is well worth it. If you are buying these for catering I would not recommend paying for the quality of Lenox. There is always the chance someone steals at a catering event or someone misuses the cutlery. I would recommend the brand Cambridge Silversmith's for catering. They are still quality utensils but are significantly cheaper.
Bowls and plates don't seem very important but they can have a large impact. The kind of catering business you have will affect what kind of bowls and plates you should buy. For example if you are just starting a company and are doing delivery you would want paper plates. These are cheap and they are disposable so you do not have to wash them. You do not want to do a delivery to an event and have to take all the dishes back to clean them. That is too tedious and will cost you more than it is worth. However, if you have your own building that you serve people in it may be a good idea to invest in some glass plates. These are easy to clean and would be cheaper than wasting paper plates. These also look far better and would make your place look more professional. It's the same premise as going to a really nice restaurant that has fine china and going to a fast food restaurant that has food in paper bags. They are doing what's most efficient for their business and that is what you will need to figure out. Bowls and plates can cost anywhere from a few dollars to even $100 depending on paper or glass and the brand you get. One brand I can recommend is Corelle. They make durable and great looking glassware.
The products you use don't define your business but they can greatly affect how people look at it and the profit you are able to get. These product suggestions will be a great addition to any company or home kitchen. These brands offer a quality product at a reasonable price. Ensuring that you use high quality products is an important step to running a high quality catering company.
A bonus product you could buy is a Shumway Catering Woman's Tee. This product will make you look great and feel great since purchases of this help a student in need! Purchase it here
Source
Amazon. (n.d.). https://www.amazon.com/
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