School equipment

[fan-of-fans]

I remember my junior high I went to had a Southbend 2 burner solid burner range, Blodgett Mark V or Zephaire double oven, some kind of tilting kettle, and a Keating fryer with basket lifts and a separate warming station with heat lamps. Also a Cleveland steaming cabinet. All electric. There were Alto-Shaam Halo Heat warming cabinets, and I think the serving line was Shelleyglas by Delfield units. The really old units were yellow and had a sun and snow flake logo so maybe another brand. Most were beige Shelleyglas though.

My high school cafeteria, had a Blodgett single stack oven, a Blodgett Zephaire double stack oven. Not sure if they were gas or electric, they had vents below the doors but the trim where the knobs are was red if that means anything. There was a Blodgett tilting skillet as well, and I'm pretty sure the range was a 6 burner solid element one but I only got a glimpse once through the back door. The range was behind a half wall so I couldn't really see the equipment behind there from the lunch line. There were 3 Keating fryers with basket lifts, all electric. I think there were Cleveland steamer cabinets. Also Alto Shaam Halo Heat holding cabinets and one Cres Cor holding cabinet. The serving lines were all Shelleyglas by Delfield, but now they have all Galleyline serving lines and pass through McCall warmers and refrigerators. I'm not sure what the refrigerators in the kitchen were, but the walk in freezer was a Vulcan.

I cannot recall the equipment in the elementary school.

 

[circlew]

All I can remember about the HS cafeteria is that they had a Thurmaduke serving line, and a Hobart mixer. There were no fryers, as fries, shrimp, etc. was baked.

The elementary building had a GE commercial range and a Hobart mixer.

I don't remember anything about the refrigeration equipment at the schools.

 

[superocd]

My grade school had a Garland range, a pair of Blodgett stacked convection ovens, a Hobart passthrough dishwasher, two McCall fridges with the digital Kol-Gard temp readout and two Koch freezers. This was in the early 2000s. I think that everything but the pair of Koch refrigerators was bought new in the mid to late 80's (Koch fridges were no longer being made since the late '70s, they evolved into Hobart fridges). Next to the oven and Garland range was a Hobart floor mixer. I remember listening to it while I sat in the cafeteria on cold winter mornings before school started.

In the cafeteria part there was a single-section True fridge and a Beverage-Air chest cooler for the milk.

My middle school had a Groen steam kettle, two Vulcan ranges, four of the same Blodgett convection ovens as my grade school, a Lang electric deck oven (probably the oldest piece of equipment in there, I'd guess 1950s even though the school was built in the early '80s, obviously it was taken from the old MS before it was torn down. It was made of a dark-green hammertone sheetmetal), a Kysor walk in, two or three Victory fridges/freezers, a Hobart C-line conveyor dishwasher and a pair of Traulsen warming cabinets.

The HS I went to had a Jackson conveyor dishwasher (used to have a Stero flight machine with a cool revolving carousel when I was in MS until the HS was renovated), a Blodgett combi oven, a walk in fridge and freezer (no reach ins that I could see), a no-name Hobart lookalike floor mixer. Don't know what kind of ranges they used, my guess is U.S. Range or something such. They had a long line of Cres-Cor holding cabinets. Everything was brand new, digital and had EnergyStar stickers just like you'd find on home appliances -- not as interesting as the older stuff. The high school the next town over had about four or five older McCall passthrough holding cabinets with the faux woodgrain diffuser at the front (ca. 1970s-early 80s) and they had a built-in appearance. They were installed around the dividing partition between the serving line and the kitchen. Even had a custom stainless escutcheon or casing around each of the cabinets to finish off the built in look. Absolutely beautiful.

 

[whirlykenmore78]

School Kitchen equipment:

Elementary school(Catholic school) Vulcan Double Gas Convection Oven, Vulcan 6 Burner Range, Groen tilt braiser, Hobart mixer, Hobart VCM, Vulcan pass through dishmachine and ISE garbage disposal. I don't remember the coolers and freezers.

Middle school (Private School) Vulcan Convection oven, Wells 2 burner cooktop, Hobart Mixer, Raetone refrigeration, Blakeslee undercounter dishmachine.

High School/Culinary school (Same building)

Cafeteria Kitchen: Market Forge convection ovens and steamers, Vulcan ranges and bake ovens, Hobart mixers, Reach ins, slicer and buffalo chopper, Keating fryer, APW Steamtables, Curtis twin tank coffee urn, Kolpak walk ins, Wolf Flattop grill, TEC Broiler, Champion carousel dishmachine with 36" prewash, Several ISE Garbage disposals around the kitchen and a 3Hp Red Goat disposal in the dishroom.

I'll make a thread about the culinary classrooms later.

WK78

 

[abcomatic]

I am retired from teaching, but still go back and occasionally sub. In the kitchen at the elementary school are: two Garland stoves that have been there since 1951 when the building was built. They have 4 huge ovens, six burners and 2 cast iron plates per stove that cover the burners. A Hobart dishwasher and garbage disposer.
The 'fridge and freezer are walk in built in units.
There is also a huge Hobart stand mixer that doesn't get much of a workout any more do to the laws regarding healthful food.
Gone are the the days of home baked rolls and spaghetti. Pies and cakes that they made there, and huge cinnamon rolls for us. Don't get me started on all of this! The dumbing down of America. More gov't. control and less local control.

 

[norgeway]

Lower Creek Elementary School in Lenoir NC

Had as good a food as I ever ate anywhere, they had Hotpoint electric ranges with the solid slab tops, a old convection oven and a Hobart 60 qt mixer and dishwasher and Hotpoint deep fryers, all from 51 when the school was built, The yeast rolls have never to my mind been duplicated, Those old ladies could cOOK!

 

[fan-of-fans]

In addition, to the equipment in the cafeteria I can remember the appliances in the culinary class. Mostly drop in ranges that I seem to think were Whirlpool with coil burners. There was also an electric convection, I'm thinking it was a Hobart or GE.

Another classroom at that school of home ec, had also a Whirlpool drop in range with hood and a Whirlpool side by side with ice and water.

I can vaguely remember going into a classroom at my elementary school and it had a small kitchen with Kenmore appliances. There was a washer and dryer as well as fridge and range.

More recently I went into the cafeteria kitchen at one of the local elementary schools. I don't remember there being a lot of equipment in that kitchen compared to the schools I listed before. I just remember there was a double Blodgett oven, a Cleveland steamer and a Crescor warmer. I really don't recall seeing anything else, but that's the equipment the lady there pointed out to me. I do remember the serving line being shorter than usual, for the younger kids to reach.

Also, my high school kitchen had a Whirlpool washer and dryer ser in the back storage room, I caught a glimpse of the consoles once when I was in the lunch line.

 

[circlew]

The HS home-ec room had GE laundry equipment, along with a GE built-in cooktop, hood and wall oven. The ranges were Frigidaire, in both 30" & 40" sizes, as were the refrigerators. Sinks & counters were Elkay stainless steel.

A new HS was built in 2003, and the old one was turned into the middle school. I can't remember what the old home-ec room became, but the interior of the building was totally changed when it was renovated.