So Why Has Stainless Steel become the standard in Commercial Kitchens?

In 1915 The New York Times announced the discovery on Non-rusting Steel.

"A Non-Rusting Steel ** Sheffield Invention Especially Good for Cutlery"** "According to Consul John M Savage, who is stationed at Sheffield, England, a firm in that city has introduced a stainless steel, which is claimed to be non-rusting, unstainable and untarnishable. This steel is said to be especially adaptable for table cutlery, as the original polish is maintained after use, even when brought in contact with the most acid foods and it requires only ordinary washing to cleanse,"" Fast forward 100 years you will find most commercial kitchens have adopted Stainless Steel.

So Why Has Stainless Steel become the standard in Commercial Kitchens?

Unprotected carbon steel rusts when exposed to air and moisture. This not what you want in any kitchen. So along comes Stainless Steel problem solved. Putting it Simply, Commercial Kitchens use stainless steel because it's one of the most durable, versatile, and worry-free metals available. It's attractive, resistant to corrosion and intense heat and can be manufactured into a great range of products, making it the ideal for any commercial Kitchen.

Warning Geeky Science

So when you add Nickel & chromium it forms a passive layer of chromium oxide, which stops surface corrosion by blocking oxygen reaching the steel. Stainless Steel comes in different grades and surface finishes to suit the environment the alloy must endure. For most Commercial Kitchens they would use 304 Grade Stainless Steel. Which is Comprises of steel & a composition of 18% chromium and 8% nickel which has high resistance to corrosion... 316 is referred as Marine grade Stainless Steel which has an even greater resistance to corrosion than 304. This main difference it has 18% chromium and 10% nickel... Stainless steel has a non-porous surface, which means that no type of liquid or substances can penetrate its surface. So it's a safe option when it comes to use with food and beverage because no chemicals that can migrate into your food from these products... Stainless steel is one of the most common materials found in kitchens today because it's' durable, easy to sanitise and corrosion resistant to various acids found in meats, milk, fruits and vegetables... In all kitchens Cleanliness and hygiene are critical. Stainless steel resists attack from meat juices and by the aggressive chemicals used to clean and sterilise them... Just apply a sanitiser every day to your stainless steel surface and you can work with confidence that you have hygienic surface. Bacteria, mold and other common household germs don't stand a chance with stainless because they can't penetrate the non-porous surface...

So you see why Stainless Steel benches are in such demand in Commercial kitchens

It takes skilled tradesmen with the right equipment to work with Stainless Steel. Stainless steel has great malleable properties during its production, so it can be customised. So it's possible to form sinks, draining boards and incorporate these in your worktops.... Stainless Steel is a lot harder than steel so the best economical way to cut Stainless steel is with a:... A Turret Punch for up to 3mm gauge Stainless Steel repetitive shapes... If you are manufacturing customised shapes then you need to use a special laser which uses Nitrogen assist gas, Rather laser with use oxygen as the assist gas. If you use a standard laser oxygen laser it will carbonise the stainless giving a burnt black edge, this requires a lot of effort to remove. Lasers using Nitrogen will polish the stainless edge... Not just anybody can weld Stainless Steel, it takes many or practise of practice so you don't burn the stainless... Dressing Stainless Steel is the work of an artist, it takes a lot of patience to get Stainless to look good...

The main surface finishes you will find with Stainless Steel are:

No. 2B: Cold rolled, annealed, pickled and passivated with additional pass through highly polished rollers to remove mill scale... No. 4: Brushed finish or linished applied with mechanical abrasives... No. 8: Mirror finish - highly polished which marks easy... You would find most commercial kitchens use No 4 Linished Stainless.

You have 2 options when it comes to getting stainless steel worktops

You can start by building everything from scratch and customise & dress (or shine) the stainless onsite. Most of this can be done offsite, but it will need to be dressed on site which takes plenty of time. Think expensive.

Or go with Option 2 using modular System These have been prebuilt modular System like from Simply Stainless They manufacture using the principles of 5S - Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise, Sustain - helping us to achieve high levels of quality and workmanship in our product. We are also a fully accredited ISO9001 factory. It has been difficult to customise Stainless Steel Undercounter Dishwasher benches with a sink. Simply Stainless has solved the problem of trying to get a dishwasher to fit under a Stainless Steel Work bench. Check out SIMPLY STAINLESS SS05-7-1500-DW Under Counter Dishwasher Sink Bench

Skip all the hard work and get the right equipment Restaurant or Commercial Kitchen

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