Commercial Cooking The following information is presented as a primer to inspect commercial cooking. We will deal with the form in parts as shown below. Note: The owner, chef, or manager should be familiar with his/her kitchen and the protection do not be afraid to ask him or her questions! 1. Location/ Description Location Fuel Source Unit Description Cleaning 2. AES Fire Suppression System Cutoff Page 2 Page 3 3. Housekeeping Page 4 4. Specific Questions Page 5 5. Examples & Photos Pages 6-9 There is no substitute for experience and the more commercial kitchens you inspect, the better you will get. When in doubt always take a picture. Remember that you can ask us questions anytime! We are here to help you learn and succeed! 1
Location/ Description A) Location These are straightforward questions. Include the Brand Name shown on the cooking unit or ask your contact. Common Brand names are; Viking; Jen-Air; Vulcan; Imperial; etc. B) Fuel Source Again, ask if you do not know! C) Unit Description Check the appropriate box and Indicate the number of Burners, Ovens, etc Are the cooking units clean? Are they covered by the AES Automatic Sprinkler System? D) Cleaning Ask & answer the questions about the cleaning the units. Most cooking units are cleaned at least weekly. Vents & Filters are usually professionally cleaned at least annually or semi-annually (depending on usage). Grease (used grease) should normally be removed daily or weekly (depending on use). Used Grease is normally stored outside the building in an approved container. This container should be marked Grease Only or similar wording. A professional Grease Disposal/Recycling Company should come to pick up the used grease. This is usually done on a weekly basis (but again, can depend on usage). Grease should not be disposed with regular garbage pickup nor emptied down the sink drain. Proper Baffles A proper baffle is a Stainless Steel Sheet Metal barrier separating the DFF from any open flame. It is often called a Splatter Shield. If there is NOT an open flame next to the unit, you do not need a baffle. [The intent is to prevent grease from splashing onto the flame. The flame will follow the grease back to the DFF unit. You can imagine what happens next.] Note A Potable Deep Fat Fryer (DFF) is easily moved from one location to another. A tabletop DFF is portable. When in doubt take a photo! 2
AES Fire Suppression FAQ s What activates the system? An Automatic System goes off when the sensors are activated. A Manual System goes off when a person sets off the system. Allot of systems have both Automatic and Manual Activation. What distinguishes a Manual System? A properly installed manual system will have a chain that is pulled to activate the system. This chain should be located away from the system (you cannot pull a chain in the middle of a fire) and near the egress door. The idea is to get everyone out of the kitchen and activate the Extinguishing System as you leave just pull the chain on your way out! How can you tell the Type of System? Ask is the easiest way! But look for the control box. It should be mounted on the wall near the canister containing the extinguishing chemicles. Everything you need to know should be on the control box or the canister. [And if it isn t, or if your contact does not know that okay too! But you need to specify this on Commercial Cooking Form and in your Commercial Narrative.] Is the Name of they System located here too? Yes it should be! How about the name of the Servicing Company and how often they service the unit? Yes this should be located here too! And you can always ask your contact who should know! Should I take a picture of the nozzles as well as count them and describe the angle? Yes this verifies your information (and let s us check your work!) Is the UL Sticker and all that info located on the Control Box too? Yes it should be! And for those that are interested, the difference between UL100 & UL 300 is the type/size of the mist that is used when the AES is activated. A heavier mist could splash any grease form the DFF across the kitchen area. This could spread and not extinguish the fire. A finer mist does not do this. And again, if the UL Sticker is not there just state so! I should be able to easily determine if the hood is vented and screened, but how can I tell if there is a grease build-up? Grease is yellow. And your photos will help us confirm that. This, along with the cleaning information you provided, will tell the story! 3
Housekeeping These are straightforward questions. We use pull-down boxes on the Template Form to help you with the possible answers. And we default these boxes to indicate that there isn t any noted problem. Take a photo to show the Commercial Cooking Area and this will confirm this information. 4
Specific Questions Restaurants range from full-scale service with shows, weddings, live entertainment, etc to small Mom & Pop type establishments like your local Pizza Palace or Chinese Take-out. These questions will help you describe the extent of the operation and the possible liabilities present for the underwriter. The underwriter will be easily able to determine if the restaurant you ve inspected meets their criteria. [You needn t worry what each company s criteria may be just tell what is there in your report.] These specific questions apply to a restaurant and should be answered in your Commercial narrative as well. Remember to state the seating capacity of the restaurant and if it only operates seasonally! 5
Examples & Photos A Standard Kitchen Pizza Ovens No AES Above (not needed) Hood & Vent are Clean Three (3) Nozzles Approx 90 degrees 6
Control Box & Canister for AES A closer view 7
Deep Fat Fryer DFF There is NO Baffle between the DFF and the open flames on the burners located to the left. Here there is a Baffle! These are Permanent Deep Fat Fryers DFF 8
These are Portable Deep Fat Fryers DFF Portable Tabletop Tablehop 9