Interest in restaurant equipment?

[fan-of-fans]

Does anyone have an interest in old restaurant equipment? I have always been interested in restaurant equipment and especially the older stuff. There is currently an old Hotpoint restaurant equipment brochure on eBay. I really liked their countertop appliances from the 1940s, 50s, 60s they had a lighted Hotpoint logo and a retro look, all matching design. There were fryers, griddles, stoves, and steamers. They do still show up on eBay from time to time. GE and Hotpoint sold their line of commercial appliances to Hobart in 1981, some designs are still made I believe.

These items are probably much too big to use at home though. I do have a few pieces of restaurant equipment - some steam table pans and lids, and I have a cheese or chili warmer I found at an estate sale, but it is missing the lid and round pan to go inside.

 

[hoovercelebrity]

If you're not a member of AutomaticWasher.org; you should go post this over there -- those boys will talk a mile around this!

 

[paulg]

Fan here

I too am a fan of restaurant equipment. Fred is correct though - this is a great thread for the Automatic Washer site.
I find restaurant equipment fun for several reasons. First, my father worked for Hotpoint. I do have some brochures for their 1950's era restaurant equipment. Hotpoint at the time was based in Chicago but the restaurant brochure refers to the restaurant/commercial division being in Chicago Heights, Il (near Indiana).
Secondly, I like using restaurant equipment. Fortunately I have a restaurant supply store within a five minute walk of the house. We entertain, sometimes for large groups so we've bought much restaurant wear, (china, salad plates, LOTs of Martini glasses, baking pans etc.) We have this huge metal mixing bowl which comes in very handy. We've also given away super big cutting boards as gifts.
The only electric restaurant machine we have is a 1950's Oster Electro-Blend bar blender.
And lastly, one of my prior occupations was a Quality Specialist for appliances, include some used in restaurants. For a while I was assigned some very-well-known chain restaurants and would visit them periodically. I found it interesting although it is very hard though to do a site inspection when the fella next to you is slicing a thousand onions. LOL!

 

[Anachronism]

I had a 6 burner Vulcan Hart in my farm house, was great for canning, and that 36" oven held 14 loaves of bread. Previously I had an old Wasteking Universal obtained from a Pizzaria. The flimsey utensils sold for home use just don't hack it for real food prep, and I'll take a sharp dingy grey carbon steel carving knife over a dull but shiny stainless thing any day!

 

[tolivac]

Most new kinves are "disposable"they are bought in large numbers by fishing crews aboard fishing ships-when a knife gets dull or broken-its just thrown overboard-hence they are called "boat knives"term for plastic handled stainless steel knives you see a lot of in commercial cooking equipment supply stores.I like commercial cooking gear too,have commercail Blendtec and Vita Mix blenders-inclusing the VM "XL" model that can handle up to a gallon and a half at a time-just fun to use-love hearing its 15A motor reving up!!