We typically only assist clients with major equipment specifications, but many times we are asked to provide a list of restaurant kitchen small hand tools that may be needed for their operation. Every restaurant kitchen design project will have their own specific needs when it comes to selecting their small hand tools, so we are providing a list of the most used items in the industry for your convenience.
Restaurant Kitchen Small Hand Tools
We are going to assume every restaurant kitchen will require a knife set to some extent, so if you are unsure as to what you may need, please refer to our post: 6 Most Important Commercial Kitchen Knives
Honing Steel
In order to maintain the sharpness of your straight blade knives, you will need a quality honing steel to keep your edge true. Using a honing steel before you use your knife every time will maintain its sharp edge for longer intervals between sharpening.
Rotary or Swivel Bladed Peeler
Used to peel the skin of fruits and vegetables, these peelers have sharpened blades on both sides to speed prep work. You can also maintain your peelers blades on your honing steel.
Parisienne Scoop (melon baller)
This is one of the many restaurant kitchen small hand tools that were created for a singular purpose. Specifically designed for scooping out decorative balls or ovals from fruits and vegetables.
Kitchen Fork
The chef’s kitchen fork is a multipurpose tool used for testing the doneness of braised meats, lifting finished items from roasting pans, and even for the strategic plating of pasta. It should not however be used for sautéed items since piercing the product being cooked typically releases all the juices within it.
Palette Knife
This flexible, rounded top tool is used for both culinary and baking purposes. Primarily used to turn items on a griddle in culinary applications, it is more often used in baking for icing cakes and spreading fillings.
Whips or Whisks
They beat, blend and whip foods for a multitude or reasons. Balloon whips are thin wired and typically used to incorporate air into items such as whipped cream or meringue. Sauce whips are more slender and have thicker wires that are used for sauces.
Offset Spatula
This spatula is designed to turn or lift foods from charbroilers and griddles. Typically made with heavy steel, they can also be purchased with a thinner blade that may or may not be perforated for a wide variety of uses.
Rolling Pin
There are two types of rolling pins used in the foodservice industry. French rolling pins are a single long piece of wood that may level, or tapered on both ends, and is used by guiding the pin with the palm of your hands. The Rod-and-Bearing rolling-pin (shown in the image) is typically much heavier and requires much less pressure for an even rolling of product.
Pastry Bag
These can be made of plastic, canvas or nylon and are used mostly in the baking industry to pipe out items such as whipped cream and icing in a decorative fashion. Pastry bags are also frequently used in culinary applications to decoratively plate pureed items such as mashed potatoes onto a dinner plate.
Other Restaurant Kitchen Small Hand Tools
In addition to the often overlooked items above, most kitchens will use a vast array of common and specialty hand tools such as the following:
- Cutting Boards made of wood or plastic
- Ladles of various sizes
- Metal and Wood Kitchen Spoons, both solid and perforated
- Rubber Scrapers and Spatulas
- Skimmers and Spiders
- Fish Scalers
- Oyster and Clam Knives
- Tomato Knives (tomato witches)
- Cherry Pitters & Strawberry Hullers
- Mircoplane Grater and Citrus Zesters
- Spice Grater
- Garlic Press