D3. Tools & Equipment
Nine groups of equipment with sizes, quantities for a kitchen serving about 20 guests three meals a day, and what each item is for. Elder-friendly mealtime aids are listed separately; they make independent eating possible for guests with arthritis, tremor or swallowing difficulty.
Modified plates, non-slip mats, thick-handled, angled and weighted cutlery, and cups with handles or nose cut-outs help people who find it hard to feed themselves — but do not replace help from a carer. [18]
D3.1 Cooking vessels
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pressure cookers (stainless steel, inner-lid) | 3 L, 5 L, 10 L | 2 each | Dal, khichdi, rice; check gasket & safety valve weekly |
| Heavy-bottom stainless-steel patilas with lids | 5 L, 10 L, 15 L | 2 each | Milk, kheer, soups, bulk dal |
| Iron kadhai (seasoned) | 28 cm, 36 cm | 2 each | Sabzis — raises iron content of food; no sour dishes left standing |
| Cast-iron / iron tawa | 30 cm and 45 cm (phulka) | 2 each | Phulka, chilla, dosa; season with oil |
| Tin-lined (kalai) brass handi | 5 L | 1–2 | Kheer and dal; re-tin every 1–2 years; avoid sour dishes |
| Earthenware handi & matkas | 3–5 L pots; 10 L matka | 2 pots, 3 matkas | Slow-cooked dal, curd setting, room-temperature water |
| Idli steamer (multi-tier) | 4–6 plates (24–36 idlis) | 2 | Idli, dhokla, kozhukattai, steamed koftas |
| Dhokla / steaming thalis | 25 cm | 4 | Dhokla, khandvi, patra |
| Puttu maker | Steel, 2-cylinder | 1 | Kerala puttu |
| Idiyappam / sevai press | Brass or steel | 2 | String hoppers |
| Appam chatti | Cast iron / non-toxic coated | 2 | Appam |
| Milk boiler (double-walled) | 5 L | 2 | Boils milk without scorching or spilling over |
| Tadka pans with long handles | Small 12 cm | 4 | Tempering for each dish |
| Large ladles, slotted spoons, spatulas (steel, wood) | Assorted | 1 set per station | Wooden spatulas for kalai and iron vessels |
| Kettle / water urn | 20–30 L | 1 | Hot water for kadhas and drinks all day |
D3.2 Large equipment
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial gas range | 3–4 burner, high & low pressure | 1–2 | Main cooking line |
| Induction plates (backup) | 2 kW | 2 | Power backup and precise simmering |
| Steam cabinet / large steamer (optional) | 6–10 trays | 1 | Batch idli, dhokla, vegetables |
| Tilting bulk cooker / brat pan (optional for 50+) | 60–100 L | — | Only if numbers grow beyond 50 guests |
| Hot case / bain-marie | 4–6 GN pans | 1 | Holds food ≥ 63 °C during service |
| Refrigerator (upright, commercial) | 500–600 L | 1–2 | ≤ 5 °C; log twice daily (FSSAI Schedule 4) |
| Deep freezer | 200–300 L | 1 | ≤ −18 °C; frozen peas, stocks; log twice daily |
| Water purifier | RO + UV, 50 L/h | 1 | Drinking & cooking water; service every 6 months |
| Exhaust hood & chimney | Over cooking line | 1 | Smoke and heat removal |
| Chapati / roti warmer | Insulated casserole or electric | 2–3 | Keeps phulkas soft |
D3.3 Grinding & mixing
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wet grinder (tilting) | 2–3 L | 1 | Idli, dosa, adai batters; smoother than a mixer |
| Mixer-grinder (commercial) | 1,000 W, 3–4 jars | 2 | Chutneys, masalas, purées |
| Hand (immersion) blender | 500–800 W | 2 | Soups and texture-modified purées in the pot |
| Spice grinder (dry) | Small, dedicated | 1 | Fresh masalas; never used for wet items |
| Sil-batta / stone mortar & pestle | Medium | 1 each | Small batches of ginger, chutney; traditional flavour |
| Wooden churner (mathani) | Standard | 2 | Takra and chaas |
| Dough kneader (optional) | 5–10 kg | 1 | Only if making > 80 phulkas per meal |
D3.4 Preparation tools
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chef's & paring knives (stainless) | 8-inch, 4-inch | 4 + 4 | Sharpen weekly; separate fruit knife |
| Colour-coded cutting boards | Green (veg), yellow (fruit), white (dairy/bread) | 2 each | Prevents cross-contamination; replace when scored |
| Vegetable peelers & graters (box, fine) | Steel | 4 + 4 | Fine grater for ginger, nutmeg |
| Coconut scraper | Table-mounted | 1 | Fresh coconut daily |
| Sieves (fine mesh) & muslin cloth | Assorted | 4 + 2 m | Straining yusha, ghee, rasam, purées |
| Colanders & sabzi baskets | Large steel | 4 | Washing produce in salted water (monsoon) |
| Chakla–belan (rolling board & pins) | Steel/wood | 3 sets | Phulka, thepla, paratha |
| Mixing bowls (steel) | 1–10 L | 10 | Batters, dough, raitas |
| Dough scraper & bench knife | Steel | 2 | Portioning dough evenly (30 g phulka balls) |
| Salad spinner / drying racks | Large | 1 | Drying leafy greens and herbs |
D3.5 Measuring, timing & food-safety instruments
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital platform scale | 10–30 kg, 5 g accuracy | 1 | Receiving and batch weighing |
| Precision kitchen scale | 1 kg, 1 g accuracy | 2 | Spices, salt — the recipes' gram measures |
| Standard measuring cups & spoons | 240 ml cup, 15/5 ml spoons | 3 sets | Household measures in recipes |
| Portion ladles | 60 ml, 120 ml, 150 ml | 4 each | Consistent portions (dal 150–180 ml) |
| Probe thermometer | −50 to 300 °C | 2 | Hot-hold ≥ 63 °C, reheat ≥ 75 °C, serve 60–65 °C |
| Fridge & freezer thermometers | Dial/digital | 1 per unit | Twice-daily log |
| Kitchen timers | Multi-channel | 3 | Soaking, steaming, pressure-cooking |
| Standard katori & thali set | 150–180 ml katoris | as service | Visual portion control |
| Labels & date markers | Food-safe | — | Batch, date & time on every stored item |
D3.6 Storage
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airtight stainless-steel dabbas | 1–25 kg | 30–40 | Grains, pulses, flours (FIFO) |
| Food-grade bins with lids | 50 L | 6 | Bulk rice and atta |
| Glass jars (sterilisable) | 250 ml – 2 L | 20 | Ghee, murabba, chutneys, podis |
| Spice box (masala dabba) per station | 7-compartment | 3 | Daily spices |
| Steel racks (≥ 15 cm off floor) | 4–5 tier | 4 | Dry store; pest control |
| Vegetable crates (ventilated) | Plastic/wood | 10 | Roots in dark, cool corner; greens refrigerated |
| Copper water vessel (optional) | 5 L | 1 | Traditional for drinking water only; never for food or acidic drinks |
| Insulated casseroles | 2–5 L | 8 | Keep phulka and rice warm |
D3.7 Service ware
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steel thalis with compartments | 5–6 compartment | 30 | The Annapurna thali |
| Steel katoris (150–180 ml) | Standard | 100 | Dal, sabzi, curd, sweet |
| Kansa (bronze) or steel tumblers | 200 ml | 40 | Water & drinks (bronze is traditional) |
| Kulhads (earthen cups) | 100–150 ml | as needed | Phirni, lassi, chai — single use, eco-friendly |
| Serving spoons & ladles | Steel | 30 | One per dish at buffet |
| Thermal jugs / flasks | 1–2 L | 8 | Warm water, CCF tea, kadha at tables |
| Serving trays (non-slip) | Large | 10 | Room service for frail guests |
| Banana leaves | Fresh | festival days | Onam sadhya, Pongal |
| Cloth napkins & clothing protectors | Washable | 40 + 10 | Dignified support for guests who spill |
D3.8 Elder-friendly mealtime aids
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plates and bowls with a lip / plate guards | Steel or melamine-free | 10 | Easier to scoop food onto a spoon (one-handed eaters) |
| Non-slip table mats | Silicone | 15 | Stops plates sliding; tremor, weak grip |
| Built-up (thick-handled) spoons & forks | Foam or moulded handles | 10 | Arthritis, weak grip |
| Angled-neck spoons | Left/right | 6 | Limited wrist movement |
| Weighted cutlery | Steel | 6 | Hand tremor (e.g., Parkinson's) |
| Two-handled cups with lids | 200 ml | 10 | Weak grip, tremor; reduces spills |
| Cut-out ('nosey') cups | Plastic, food-grade | 6 | Drinking without tilting the head back (swallow safety) |
| Insulated mugs | 250 ml | 10 | Keep drinks warm for slow eaters |
| Contrasting-colour crockery | Dark rim / plain plate | 10 | Helps guests with low vision see food |
| Printed large-font menu cards | A5, 16-pt type | per table | Readable for older eyes; list texture/diet codes |
D3.9 Cleaning, hygiene & safety
| Item | Size / specification | Qty | Purpose & notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hand-wash station (soap, sanitiser, paper towels) | At kitchen entry | 1–2 | Mandatory before handling food |
| Food-grade sanitiser | As per label dilution | monthly stock | Surfaces before and after use |
| Colour-coded cloths & mops | Kitchen / service / toilet | sets | Never mix areas |
| Hairnets, aprons, gloves | Disposable/washable | daily stock | Personal hygiene (FSSAI Schedule 4) |
| Lidded, foot-operated bins | Wet / dry / compost | 3 | Waste segregation; compost to Annamaya garden |
| Pest-control contract & register | Monthly | 1 | Rodent stations, insect screens |
| Fire extinguisher & fire blanket | CO₂ / K-class | 1 each | Near the cooking line; staff trained |
| First-aid kit (burns & cuts) | Kitchen kit | 1 | Burn gel, blue plasters |
| Temperature & cleaning logs | Printed registers | — | Fridge/freezer twice daily; cleaning schedule; staff medical fitness annually |