It’s December and we all know what that means, Christmas is almost here. For most people that means time with family, work Christmas parties, and going to family Christmases every single weekend leading up to the big day. For the most part, these are the people that don’t work in the hospitality industry.

There are two types of workers in a restaurant; a front of the house employee and a back of the house employee. First, let’s talk about the front of house employees. For those of you that have never worked in a restaurant, these fine folks would be your servers, back waiters, bussers, hostess, valet and of course the bartenders. This time of year is a gold mine for these workers. With larger parties coming in eating and drinking on the company card (someone else’s dime) whether it’s for a banquet or Christmas party of some sort. They will more than likely have a more expensive tab then if they were paying for it themselves and in turn having to leave a bigger tip. This is where the front of house employees makes almost all their money, in the tipping. Extra cash during the holiday season makes no one unhappy.

Enough about the front of the house, let’s get to the root of the topic: The Kitchen. Now let’s paint a picture, from roughly the Monday after Thanksgiving until about a few days after Valentine’s Day most restaurants are at the peak of their business. The weeks leading up to Christmas are slammed with holiday dinners, off site caterings and large banquets within the establishment. New Years Eve is up there with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day as one of the busiest nights of the year. Then comes January, time to relax right? Nope! All the people that purchased gift cards in November and December to give as Christmas gifts are coming for you. Grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, they are all coming in to have a nice dinner that has been paid for by someone other than them. Then once all that steam runs out, you are in the beginning of February. Time to stock up on every single thing you use in the restaurant because the guests that come to your establishment once a year will be here in a week and they are coming by the hundreds. Is it spring yet?

So how does Thermodyne solve your problems? Whether you are needing holding cabinets to not overcook the filets for your off-site banquet of 200 people or are in need of a vessel to cook 200lbs. of short rib for next week, Thermodyne is the beast that will get you there. With a top temperature of 230°F, it is meant for slow cooking and holding. Using the patented Fluid Shelf ® Technology, Thermodyne gives you the same quality product that you would get if you were using an immersion circulator. Why buy a Thermodyne when you can just use a Sous Vide? Well think of it this way, How long will it take you to cook  200lbs of short ribs if you are using an immersion circulator and a couple gallons of water? With Thermodyne, we have various size cabinets depending on what you want them for. Want to have prime rib For New Year’s Eve? Don’t screw around with trying to roast it off that morning and tying up an oven or two all morning/afternoon, yeah prep and a.m. Line cooks will love you for that. Then putting it in a dry heat hot box until someone orders a slice a few hours later. Don’t get me started on the poor schmuck that gets one of the last slices at the end on the night. Thermodyne units use conduction heat to cook and hold products, meaning there is no dry air blowing on succulent roast that you worked on all day.

There is a lot of stuff a Chef needs to worry about during the busiest time of the year, cold and flu season (you better be next to dead if your calling off), is the walk-in going to be able to fit everything in it that we need to get through until the next truck (ever heard of Polar Leasing?), Do I have enough staff to handle the increased volume of guests and the list goes on. Get rid of a portion of headaches that come with being a restaurateur and invest in a Thermodyne slow cook and hold oven, your staff will thank you!