Where there are kitchens, there is grease and knowing how to deal with it is essential to making sure your kitchen runs smoothly. It doesn’t matter whether you work in a restaurant kitchen, hospital kitchen, school kitchen or any other kind of cooking area, grease is one of the many universal aspects of kitchen life.
Now, you may be asking what is grease exactly?
Well grease (in a food waste context) is the common term for animal fats and vegetable oils and can be found in the following when cooked:
• Food Scraps
• Baked Goods
• Cooking Oil
• Margarine, Butter and Lard
• Meat Fats
• Sauces
• Dairy Products
What are the issues surrounding kitchen grease?
The key issue with grease is the frequent incorrect disposal of it by way of the kitchen sink or external drains. It is mistakenly assumed that because the warm oils are liquid they therefore can be poured away. It may appear harmless due to its lack of viscosity and fluid form but as grease cools it begins to solidify causing build ups in pipes becoming a hardened mass. The more grease which is disposed of in this manner leads to large deposits of solid grease which restricts drain flow causing clogs. These blockages can result in burst drains, flooding and seeping water from in between floors and low-level brickwork.
Ultimately, hardened grease residue is one of the key contributors to large scale sewage blockages which coined the aptly named “fatberg” term between 2008 and 2010.
As a result of mass public campaigning due to the expense required to remove fatbergs from the UKs aging Victorian sewer system, both domestic and commercial kitchens now dispose of FOGs in a more sustainable manner.
But, with hardened grease being a problematic substance to get rid of once solid, what should commercial kitchens do with cooking equipment which is prone to grease build up?
Invest in a commercial degreaser.
The best answer for commercial level grease is a commercial grade degreasing agent / cleaner. Using anything less than a solution which has been designed and tested for professional kitchens will fall short. Domestic ovens are not subject to the same level of use as that of capital equipment in businesses, so you need the right cleaning agent. Should FOGs be allowed to build up in your kitchen it can impact the efficiency of your machines like ovens and ventilation systems meaning such kit takes longer to heat up and requires more energy to maintain constant temperatures.
So, to prevent you from requiring many hours and a metal scraper, what degreasers are available?
The following are all great options to help keep on top of grease levels in your kitchen:
• Deepio Heavy Duty Degreaser Spray – Deepio’s degreaser is a popular choice amongst restaurants and quick service eateries. It is highly efficient and effective at breaking down grease with ease making cleaning equipment a quicker process. The formula features surfactants and high alkalinity to deliver grease-cutting cleanliness. It is also unperfumed.
• Flash Professional Degreaser – This ready to use spray is not just a degreaser but a disinfectant too. It is great at degreasing surfaces (not to be used on grills) along with kitchen utensils. It also benefits from being EN14476 accredited and EN1276 / EN13697. The solution is also unperfumed and bleach free.
• SURE Cleaner & Degreaser (Concentrate) – SURE’s eco-range of cleaners includes a degreaser option which is perfect for cutting through heavily soiled and greasy surfaces. Perfect for kitchen equipment, cooker hoods and counter tops the degreaser is perfect for any commercial kitchen. It can also be used on tiled floors too.
There are many other options but as wholesalers to multiple industries, including the healthcare, care and nursing sectors we’d recommend the above as they are proven across a variety of kitchens in numerous environments. At Alliance Online we have over 20 years’ experience providing quality and professional cleaning solutions to businesses across the UK. As such we are confident in our product offering and options we provide to the care industry. For more information about our care ranges and ways we can help companies in the sector contact us on hello@allianceonline.co.uk or call us on 01270 252333.
