Are you thinking about starting a pizza restaurant? Buying used pizza equipment is a brilliant way to cut cost. However, it’s crucial to know what to look for and proverbially “kick the tires” as second-hand products come with risk.
To turn the risk into a tremendous economizing, here is what contemplate before purchasing the pizza equipment. These tips are to ensure you don’t buy an albatross for the pizza restaurant.
Prioritize pizza equipment purchase
To avoid jeopardizing your business operations, you need to know which equipment you are willing to buy as second hands and which you would rather sacrifice and purchase new. Pizza equipment includes: pizza oven, pizza stone, pizza cutter, pizza mixer, rolling pins, pizza paddles, steel pans and the list goes on.
Usage
Make a list of all items required and how much each particular piece of pizza equipment will be used more and give an idea of the right size of the unit. If the restaurant is to be operating 24/7, it means some pizza equipment will be running non-stop. It’s wise to invest them in a new piece.
Number of pieces to be purchased
Starting a restaurant calls for a considerable capital which not only goes to purchasing but also furnishing the place and buying attire for the workers. Such amount of money is not easy to raise. Therefore, it’s essential to cut cost where possible. Buying a mix of new and used pizza equipment is a great way to remain within the budget.
Once you know which pizza equipment to buy as second hand, the next step is to find an official dealer who sells used pizza equipment.
Check the pizza equipment condition
It is a no-brainer to examine the state of the pizza equipment thoroughly. Note that, not all pizza equipment are created equally, e.g., a pizza stone. Electronics are the most challenging due to their technicality. If purchasing from an online shop, it’s impossible to examine if it has impending faults or not. Nonetheless, use your eyes and instincts. Newer models tend to run longer even if their aesthetics is less because of dent or scratch.
Consider availability of spare parts
To do this, take note of the pizza equipment model and find out if its replacements are readily available. It’s important to keep in your mind that something might go south with the equipment after purchase where having spare parts puts you on the safe side. This applies to tools such as refrigeration and pizza ovens.
Research the pizza equipment brand name
The brand name is not something to brush off when purchasing used pizza tools. This is because some companies make better products than others. Do a quick research to know which brand is the best per equipment. For example, LG and Samsung are best in refrigerators while pizza craft and kettle pizza make great ovens. However, keep an open mind as a new Toyota is better than an old Cadillac.
Check the warranty of the pizza equipment
A warranty is incredibly important. However, finding a used pizza equipment with a warranty is something that rarely happens unless purchasing it directly from the owner. If lucky, your item might still be under warranty despite having incurred aesthetics faults.
Ensure the pizza equipment has right safety standards
Work safety is something government takes seriously. You also don’t want legal cases to pull you down. When purchasing used pizza equipment, it’s of fundamental importance to ensure it ticks with the health, fire, sanitation and building departments. Otherwise, you will suffer losses if the federal government ask you to replace the equipment or close the restaurant.
Match the pizza equipment with the available space
Space is critical to any business premise. Therefore, ensure that your choice of items such as an oven, refrigerators, cooler and other pizza kitchen kits are not too big for the available space.
Keep the pizza equipment simple
It’s a rule of thumb to keep commercial products simple. Buying complex tools mean you keep training workers if they are new. You can also repair a pizza equipment yourself if it’s less mechanical.
Here is a new hack. You can instead buy second-hand prep tables, sinks, furniture, and prep tools to save money and buy new pizza equipment. Invest more in what propels the business, and it shall thrive.
Pizza equipment and accessories
Pizza is one of the Americans favorite dishes. While the pizza remains synonymous with order, Americans have begun to practice their superb cooking skills on pizza recipes. Baking a pizza is natural but every aspiring pizzaiolo must have the best tool to achieve a crispy crust with perfect leopard spot on the pizza and evenly cooked toppings. From prepping the dough, slicing, placing, flipping, retrieving to serving of the pizza, here are the pizza accessories that you need to make the process fun and at the end, have a delicious pizza worth bragging.
Pizza equipment and accessories for outdoor wood-fired ovens
KIT pizzaiolo
The kit contains all pizza accessories necessary to bake pizza: ember-mover, small wooden paddle, laser thermometer, pastry cutter, chopping board, cookbook, etc. The tools are made of wood and selected according to high-quality standards.
The peel is used to put a pizza in the oven. The pizza peel is made with a wooden handle and a stainless steel paddle guarantying robustness, cleanliness and easy handling. It’s also round in shape for efficient placing of the pizza dough in the oven
The amber-mover helps to prepare the oven floor, move ash and burn wood to the side.
The dough ball box provides optimum air condition and maintains hygiene for better fermentation of the dough. It can also fit in any home refrigerators.
The infrared laser thermometer allows the baker to read the temperature of the oven to know if it’s ready to place the dough.
The pizza cookbook contains lots of recipes to cook in a wood fire oven.
The gloves are heat resistant ideal to handle the hot parts of the wood-fired oven safely.
The pastry cutter has an ergonomic handle and stainless steel blade for a perfect cut of the dough. The smaller paddle is used to handle dough balls.
Cleaning kit
These pizza accessories are used to wash pizza baking tools and also keep the oven shining.
Pastry board
The pastry board, made of quality wood, is used to give the best result in the realization of the dough.
Rolling pin
A rolling is made of wood, ideal to shape the pizza dough into the right thickness and shape.
Wood Rack
A wood oven needs optimal combustion for better cooking, a role that the wood rack performs.
Pizza accessories for baking a pizza using kitchen oven
Pizza Pans
A pizza pan is one of the essential pizza accessories. The pizza accessory is specially made to give the dough the preferred size and allow the baking process to be efficient. No one to have a soggy dough as pizza. Pizza pans come in a variety. You can get it in square or round shape, iron or in aluminum. These differences (shape, material, and size) bring in different in cost. Choose the one that best suits your pizza baking needs.
Dough trays
This pizza accessory is recommended for commercial pizzaiolo. They are used to store pizza dough, keeping it fresh and at the same time allowing it to proof for a perfect pizza.
Pizza pan lids
Pizza pan lids are used to prevent air from getting to the raw pizza dough allowing it to rise correctly. If this process is interrupted, the result will be a mediocre quality pizza regardless of the baker prowess.
A spiral dough mixer
Mixing a dough with a hand is possible, especially for a small batch. However, if you bake frequently, then a spiral dough mixer will spare you both energy and time needed to prepare a dough. The pizza accessory comes with many selection and prices. Choose one that has a good horsepower and is easy to use.
Pizza Oven
For home pizzaiolo, it’s okay to use the standard oven by placing a pizza stone. However, anyone selling pizza for hotel or restaurant needs a specialized pizza oven. For business owners, a pizza oven is the engine of the business. Investing in a quality brick oven then becomes of paramount importance. Failure to do so not only risk business but also expose workers and customers to hazards. If you are short of funds and still need a pizza oven for commercial production, then you need to consult an expert to ensure you get a quality pizza oven.
To make all the above pizza accessories last longer, you need to know how to they are maintained. Apart from electronics, the rest of the accessories maintenance is DIY hence no substantial repair cost. Whenever you are making a pizza, ensure that the place of baking is super clean to avoid contaminating the dough. If you love cooking with your kids, then you need to label pizza accessories they can handle and ones they need to ask for assistance for safety purpose.