You have loved to cook ever since you were young and now you have decided to follow your dreams, take the plunge, and open up that restaurant that you've been thinking about for years. One of the first things you'll need to think about is what kind of equipment you'll need in your kitchen. Here are four types of kitchen equipment you'll need when opening a restaurant.

Commercial Freezer and Refrigerator

It's going to be important to keep all of your food at the proper temperatures. A commercial freezer and refrigerator will ensure all of the food that you prepare and serve is safe for your customers to eat. There are generally two types of freezers and refrigerators you'll have to choose between: walk-in or reach-in units. If your restaurant is small, you may not need a walk-in unit. They are typically large, so you may be better off with smaller reach-in style appliances.

Range and Oven

If you're going to be cooking food over an open flame, you'll need a range. Commercial units can either be gas or electric, whichever you prefer or have experience cooking with. Most ranges come with an oven. When it comes to using heat to cook food, you might also need to invest in a grill and/or a deep fat fryer. This largely depends on what kind of food your restaurant will specialize in. No matter what kind of equipment you need to cook or bake, you'll also need appropriate ventilation equipment and a fire hood, or some sort of fire suppression system. Places like Survive All Hood can help you get the unit that's best for your facility.

Food Processor

This piece of kitchen equipment comes in very handy. Instead of taking all day to chop up all your food, you can just throw it into your food processor. There are four types of food processors including:

• Batch bowl processors - bowls are made with either plastic or stainless steel and it collects food as it is being processed
• Continuous feed food processors - processed food gets dispensed in a separate container so you can constantly add food to the unit
• Buffalo choppers - these heavy duty processors can chop the smallest of vegetables to the toughest of meats
• Combination processors - works like batch bowl processors and continuous feed processors combined

You may not need all of these types of food processors, but chances are you'll need at least one of them.

Sinks

This essential piece of equipment will help in the food preparation process as well as keep dishes clean and provide running water. Your local health authority may require your commercial kitchen to have a triple-sink wash station along with a dishwasher.