Best practice for barbecue specification

Best practice for barbecue specification

The appropriate specification will ensure public barbecue facilities’ public appeal, safe use, and ease of maintenance. Together with the Australian Institute of Landscape Architects (AILA), we recently conducted a CPD presentation highlighting the best practice for barbecue specification and deployment practices.

Critical considerations for your communal barbecue facility include:

 Access

  • Allow clear access to the cooktops for barbecue users and for cleaning and service staff to access the cabinet’s interior.
  • Ensure that all clearances and approach pathways meet or exceed minimum regulatory requirements
  • Ensure that barbecue controls face the user, especially when specifying wheelchair-accessible cabinets
  • Install barbecues in plain view to ensure that children are always visible and to reduce the possibility of antisocial behaviour.
  • Locate barbecue facilities in a well-ventilated area, away from flammable structures or materials.

Environment

  • Install barbecues underneath a shelter to protect users from the sun and rain.
  • A shelter will prolong the life expectancy of your asset by reducing exposure to the weather.
  • Barbecue facilities in wind-prone areas will use more energy and require more cleaning and maintenance.
  • Barbecues in corrosive locations, e.g. next to a surf beach, may require more frequent cleaning to remove contaminants.

Hygiene

  • Benchtops and cooking surfaces should be manufactured from non-porous materials such as stainless steel that are hygienic and easy to clean.
  • The cooktop should have large radius corners to allow for cleaning to the edge of the plate.
  • Cabinets should be cleaned regularly to encourage asset use.

Food Safety

  • The hotplate must be pressed from a single piece of material. Welded seams with crevices are difficult to clean and could harbour bacteria.
  • Most popular grades of stainless steel are poor heat conductors. Select alloys with good heat dispersal properties to avoid cold spots on the plate.
  • A sterilisation cycle with built-in failsafes will ensure that harmful organisms are destroyed before cooking, and that safe cooking temperatures are reached at all times.

User safety

  • The hotplate must be recessed at least 100mm from the outside edge of the benchtop so that children can’t reach it.
  • Remove all possible climbing aids, including water taps or meter boxes.
  • Benchtop corners must be rounded and preferably manufactured from nylon or similar material to reduce the likelihood of impact injury.

Know more about our barbecue cooktops and cabinets here.

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