At the same time, the budget for kitchen equipment is usually very tight and it is tempting to buy cheaper alternatives. This can be a false economy. There are a number of very good reasons for spending more on quality when purchasing culinary equipment.
Performance
Professional cooking equipment is designed for larger, commercial-sized batches of food which is especially important for motorised equipment like food processors and mixers. This not only extends the usable life of the equipment but also produces a more consistent result because the equipment is never pushed beyond its operating limits as is often the case with domestic machines.
Durability
Professional quality culinary equipment is always designed for durable performance. This holds true across the kitchen battery from professional quality knives that hold their cutting edge for extended periods to large industrial mixers and food processors that are engineered to handle bulk recipes. Most commercial culinary items like crockery is also designed to handle a bit of rough treatment much better than the domestic equivalent.
Maintenance
Quality equipment is designed for regular maintenance and, in the event that it does break down, it can usually be repaired at a fraction of the cost of replacement. This naturally extends the usable life of the equipment while simultaneously maximising its overall cost efficiency.
Efficiency
The superior performance of professional quality kitchen equipment makes it more efficient to operate over the longer term. Because it is designed to work with commercial-sized batches and usually performs tasks more quickly than cheaper domestic alternatives, top-range equipment allows food to be processed more efficiently, reducing labour costs.
Diversity
Professional culinary equipment is often designed to perform a wide range of common kitchen jobs. Standard equipment like professional grade food processors are usually made to handle diverse jobs from blending and pureeing to slicing and chopping. Commercial mixers often include a variety of attachments for mincing meat or rolling pasta and pastry that extends their usability and reduces the number of different types of machines purchased by the kitchen overall.
Economy
Every kitchen has a drawer full of broken tongs and blunt knives or a collection of broken stick blenders, and all of that unusable equipment costs money. While good quality equipment does cost more initially, its durability and efficiency make it a more economical choice in the long term and the initial outlay is often less than the cost of replacing equipment with cheaper alternatives time and time again.
Purchasing equipment that performs and lasts is a solid investment in the value of the house overall, and an important part of developing efficient food handling processes. While it can be practical to economise on some of the smaller pieces of equipment for the kitchen, the reliability and consistency of using professional grade tools contributes to the quality of the food produced.