Admiral Craft's New Color-Coded Cutting Boards

Admiral Craft is one of the lead manufacturers of equipment, utensils, and supplies for the foodservice industry. Growing from their start up in 1952 selling smallwares, to now producing many large commercial kitchen equipment pieces which are sold through many restaurant suppliers around the world. Most recently Adcraft has come out with a line of Color-Coded Cutting Boards for food preparation to reduce bacterial cross-contamination. They have 6 Colors, Brown for fish, Yellow for poultry, Blue for cooked food, Red for raw meats, White for dairy, and Green for fruits and vegetables.

There are numerous benefits to these Color-Coded Cutting Boards besides the most important, reducing bacterial cross-contamination. These cutting boards comply with hygienic recommendations on color coding food preparation. They are also guaranteed to not crack, chip or rot. They will not dull your knifes, and are safe and easy to clean! Adcrafts Color-Coded Cutting Boards are certified by the NSF.

To view our supply of Commercial Restaurant Supplies and Cooking Equipment visit Jean's Restaurant Supply website. Call toll free with any questions you may have regarding any of our products or pricing.

Helping Out Those In Need

Here at Jean's Restaurant Supply we are dedicated to helping those in need. As a company we have all joined together to participate in fundraisers and Bar-B-Que benefits to help our our co-workers in times of need. Not only do we want to be able to actively help our employees, but we want to be able to help those in the community. Our great dedication to helping others has been brought to light for our local ministries, Corpus Christi Metro Ministries has come to Jean's Restaurant Supply employees to donate to their summer food program.

Corpus Christi Metro Ministries has been helping out the people of Corpus Christi since 1982. "It is the mission of Corpus Christi Metro Ministries to help create a community that is free from hunger and homelessness." During the past 29 years Metro Ministries has served over 4 million meals to adults and children in the Coastal Bend. They specialize in health care, meals, shelter and employment services all for free! The hot summer seasons are the hardest times for people in Corpus Christi. With the children out of school families are struggling to serve up three healthy meals a day, so they are coming to Corpus Christi Metro Ministries for help.

Jean's Restaurant Supply has decided to take our donating to another level, we are recruiting all our customers to help as well! We have suggested to customers donate to help those in the coastal bend with food donations. The food drive begins today and will end August 31, 2011! So, come out to our Corpus Christi location and bring in your nonperishable food items for donation. Every donation made to Corpus Christi Metro Ministries will stay right here in the Coastal Bend. While your visiting Jean's Restaurant Supply to help others, we will help you with your restaurant supply needs!

Faster, Better, and More Efficient Frying

Everyone may not like being fat, but we all like our food fried in it. The switch from hydrogenated oils and shortenings to fat-free oils is better for our health, but not better for the foodservice industry. These newer oils are more expensive and that means costs go up on our delicious fried food too! Luckily manufacturers have focused on improving the fryers. Three basic areas of improvement are oil conservation, energy efficiency and safety. These improvements are resulting in a better and safer models for you and your customers.

The costs of frying oil and shortening rising it helps to conserve every drop. It seems simple to just use less oil when frying, but its not that easy. Most fryers have a "cold zone", this is in the bottom of the fryer where the food particles sit keeping them away from the hot cooking oil and contaminating your food. What manufacturers are doing is basically eliminating the cold zone in the fryers. How, you ask? Well with the advances in the filtration of the oil eliminates the food particles and essentially eliminates the need for the cold zone. The manufacturers make the filtration process much easier by installing it inside the fryer. This new filtration system allows the drain to pump out the food particles that would otherwise sit in the bottom of the fryer and contaminate the oil.

Conserving the oil used in the fryer with the new filtration systems also conserve the energy of the fryer. With the filtration systems in place it will allow you to less frequently need to fill the fryer with new oil, resulting in less energy heating the fresh oil. Newer spinning fryer models not only save oil, but they also say the heat used to cook your products. The spinning fryers are closed, to keep the oil from flying around your kitchen during the spinning process, it keeps in the heat from the oil. Cook times will be faster and recovery times too since less heat is lost when the product is cooking.

Safety is also a big issue that manufacturers are thinking about. Since most of the newer models come with the filtration systems built right in, the employees do not need to handles the hot oil and hoses used to filter the oil. These systems are so simple, all the employees need to do is open the drain valve and the filtration system will begin. And the hot filtered oil is returned directly to the vat so employees never have to touch it! Some of the models also have a high temperature limit. This high temperature limit controls the temperature of the oil so it does not get too hot and burn out the elements or start a grease fire.

All of these new features help control your costs and safety, but they also are goof for your customers too. The products cook faster and result in less oil being absorbed by the product and is not only healthier for your customers, but it tastes better too! Jean's Restaurant Supply wants to help you improve your cooking costs and help create better tasting food. Call our toll free number or visit our website to view our products and for more information on all of our cooking equipment!

Concession Equipment

Concession Stands are a high profit gig to get into. You will most likely maintain your profits throughout the seasons if you keep a few good tips in mind. You'll need to find the perfect location to sell your items. Having a variety of snacks will help to broaden your client base and expand your sales. Keeping a well maintained concession equipment and staff will help to improve the smoothness of your service.

Location is key. When thinking about opening a mobile concession stand you need to think about location above all else. If you are opening a mobile concession stand at a dead end street the likely hood of you making any profit is very rare. You'll want to be in a well populated area. Try to avoid any place where there is construction going on. Big tourist spots are a great place to start. If your concession equipment is not mobile and your working with cooking equipment, then go all out. You'll definitely want to maximize your cooking space to product more food products faster which will help boost profits. The faster you serve and sell, the more money you keep in your pockets.

Supply a wide variety of snacks. Of course if your serving in a hot place, like Corpus Christi, you will probably sell more sno-kones and ice cream on a hot day than you would nachos and hot dogs. Always know what the customers like and provide a wide variety of their favorite snacks. If you are in a concession stand at a sporting event, try and sell things big. Big bags of popcorn, two for one hot dogs, nachos... Most people at sporting events will share the snacks they get from the concession stands so selling bigger portions for a higher price will benefit you and your customers.

Keeping your concession stand clean and organized will also help to boost sales. If you walked up to a concession stand with flies on the food, and dirty rags lying everywhere would you want to eat anything from there?! Maintaining your employees and ensuring they are working to their maximum capabilities is a great way to keep your profits up. If you have someone slacking off and not helping your customers, then your customers will not want to come back.

If you are looking to start a new concession stand or update your existing concession stand Jean's Restaurant Supply can help. We have all you need from Sno-Kone Machines to Hot Dog warmers. We can help you find the right equipment and supplies for your concession needs. Call us toll free, 1-866-618-4999, or visit our website, www.jeansrestaurantsupply.com

Fast Food Chains are Making Healthier Menus

Recently Subway has taken over the Number One spot for the most popular fast food chain in the World. People are making wiser choices in the food they consume. Fast food chains are becoming more aware that Americans are looking for healthy choices in their food. Healthier alternatives are becoming more popular on menus; salad instead of fries, low fat yogurt for dessert versus the apple pies or ice cream. As the whole "Going Green" and preserving the environment is becoming popular, people are also wanting to live healthier lifestyles to preserve themselves!

A recent study by the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) states "Approximately 17% (or 12.5 million) of children and adolescents aged 2—19 years are obese." Fast food restaurants are offering better choices for kids meals too. They are offering fresh fruit instead of fries with the burgers, and juice boxes or 1% milk instead of soft drinks. Not only are Fast food restaurants trying to benefit childrens health they are also trying to improve their minds offering small books instead of useless toys.

A few tips to making healthier choices while eating out:
Look over your item selections carefully!

Any item reading "Breaded", "Fried", "Hand Battered", "Crispy", or "Creamy" is high in calories and unhealthy fats or sodium. Order more vegetables and choose leaner meats.

Drink more water!

Choose to have bottled water with your meal instead of Soda. Sodas contain a large amount of hidden calories. Try adding lemon to your water for taste, or choosing unsweetened Iced Tea.

Have your food "Undressed"

When ordering a salad, ask for your dressing on the side and spoon small amounts of dressing on at one time. Or try ordering lemon wedges and juicing the lemons over your salad for a citrus flavor.

Pay attention to what you eat.

Chew your food slow to enjoy the taste. Stop before you are full. You mind take a minute to process when your stomach is full so don't eat until you "feel" full.

Jean's Restaurant Supply can help your restaurant in feeding the people what they want! We have a large selection of Cooking Equipment to help prepare fresh meals. If your customers are looking for healthier alternatives try Baking sweet potatoes for a side item. Also try Preparing Sandwiches fresh and made to order rather than preparing the food ahead of time. Your customers will be surprised and happy to see health conscious items on your menu!

Easy Steps to Create an Energy Efficient Foodservice Establishment.

There are several different ways to make your food service establishment energy efficient. Some are simple things to do on a daily basis, others can be somewhat expensive now and pay off in the future. Most of these tips can are based off of two things: 1.) Turn it off if you don't need it (turning the broiler off for one hour versus idling can save you up to $200 annually), and 2.) When its time to purchase new equipment, find the most efficient equipment you can (look for the Energy Star label on your appliances and lighting).

Lighting:
Turn off lights in unoccupied areas. Switch to motion sensors in areas like walk-in refrigerators and freezers to avoid the excess energy from the lights on all day and night. If you are currently using incandescent lighting, think about switching to fluorescent lighting. Fluorescent lighting uses 1/4 to 1/3 of the energy a standard incandescent lighting uses, you can save up to $34 a year per lamp on your electric bill. Use timers on the lights outside of the building and in parking lots, these do not need to be on in the daylight hours.
Heating, and Air Conditioning:
Use the factory settings for heating and cooling, 78º for cooling and 68º for heating. This will help to maintain your comfort without breaking the bank! Schedule routine maintenance on your heating and cooling systems. Regularly clean out easily accessible areas to prevent clogs from dust and other air pollutants. Don't forget to seal off area that are unoccupied such as storage rooms, and warehouses.
Water Heating:
Fully load the dishwashers. It will take as much energy to heat the water with a small load as it will a full load. Don't leave the water running unless its necessary. Set your water heater thermostats to the recommended temperatures to avoid extra costs from the unnecessary heating. Clean the dishwasher on a regular basis, food deposits and lime build-up will clog the wash and rinse jets. Consider purchasing a low-temperature dishwasher with a chemical rinse. This will not need the last rinse of hot water, instead it will use a bleach-like chemical product to do the final step of the cycle.
Cooking:
Check that your burners are clean and operating at the optimum level. Use the correct size of equipment for your operations. Turn off the cooking equipment when not in use or during slow periods. Replace inefficient fryers, holding cabinets, steamers, and any other cooking equipment not performing properly. Check the seals on holding cabinets and replace if needed.
Refrigeration:
Keep refrigerators at least 4 inches away from the walls for proper air circulation. Set the thermostats to the right temperatures. Keeping food too cold will use more energy and does not help the shelf life of the food. Clean the condenser coils, and check for leaks on doors latches and gaskets. Make sure the doors are getting an air tight seal. Replace you inefficient ice machines and other refrigeration products with energy efficient models.

These are just a few steps you can take to help lower your energy bills and create a more energy efficient foodservice establishment. Jean's Restaurant Supply has trained staff waiting to help you with any of your questions regarding energy efficient restaurant equipment. Call or stop by today to speak to someone about what steps you need to take to become more energy efficient.

What is CAD?

Many people have heard of CAD but might not know exactly what it is. CAD stands for Computer-Aided-Design. Many people use CAD Software such as; Architects, drafters, engineers, artists and in Restaurant Design. They use this software to create plans and construction drawings.

Current computer-aided design software packages range from 2D vector-based drafting systems to 3D solid and surface modellers. CAD also allows rotations in three dimensions, allowing viewing of a designed object from any desired angle, even from the inside looking out. CAD drafting provides all the dimensions and measurements in a single picture while saving time and energy! With the help of CAD models, all the minor details and operation of the business can be easily worked, they facilitate a look of the equipment in place too. There are several different types of CAD. Each different type of CAD system requires the operator to think differently about how he or she will use them. The operator must design their virtual components in a different manner for each.

Jean's Restaurant Supply has trained staff available to help you with a complete CAD model for your restaurant. We can work with you one on one to create 3D images of your new restaurant design. Whether developing ideas from the ground up or working with your existing buildings you can be assured that every inch of your space is utilized efficiently. We will also make sure your pluming, electrical and mechanical needs have met the requirements set by the city for your business permits. Call us today to find out how we can help you with your restaurant designs!