Bring Food Court Fun to Your School Nutrition Program

Kids these days! They’re more accustomed to dining out and having access to a greater variety of foods than any prior generation. Although many are more open to trying new foods than ever before, they still want what they want, and they like it served in a way that doesn’t feel like they’re at school.

Lucky for them, they have you. You’re working day in, day out to make your students’ meals nutritious, appealing, and fun. And you take pride in it. Why shouldn’t it be fun for you and your staff, too?

Here are some cool, commercial-grade tools and supplies that will help you tap into your team’s creativity as you provide an appealing, healthy, and great-tasting experience for your students.

Get fresh meals prepped chop-chop.

There’s nothing quite like a crinkle cut to up the appeal of a vegetable! 

Add instant pizzazz to carrots, potatoes, zucchini, squash, and more with the Single Blade Crinkle Cutter from TableCraft. This precision chopping tool speeds up prep time and reduces the need for skilled labor while producing a gorgeous, consistent cut every time. The perfect size (7.5" x .875" x 5") for crinkle-cutting foods of varied shapes and sizes, this dishwasher safe tool’s ergonomic design makes it fast and safe use.

For cutting and chopping the fresh foods today’s students often prefer, look to the comfort, safety, and reliability of the Millennia Series by Mercer Culinary. 

These sharp, quality knives have color-coded handles for dedicated-use applications such as produce, poultry, or meats, to reduce risk of cross-contamination. 

Valuable components of any HACCP food safety system, these budget-friendly knives are easy for employees to use.  

Cut resistant gloves offer an additional layer of cutting safety for kitchen staff, which is always a good idea. Millenia Colors Cut Resistant Gloves by Mercer Culinary are made of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene knit that provides ANSI level A4 cut protection while maintaining dexterity and comfort. 

Heavier duty cut gloves are also available. Washable and bleach-safe, all styles are machine washable and made of FDA approved material for food contact.

TableCraft Grippy Cutting Boards are color-coded to reduce the risk of cross contamination. They also brighten up your prep area! 

Boards have an integrated handle and are made of heat, chemical, and warp-resistant, dishwasher safe polypropylene. Corner grips help hold each board in place for enhanced safety. 

Grippy Cutting Boards are available in 18" x 12" and 15" x 20" sizes in multi-color variety packs of 4 or 6. They’re also sold separately in white, green, red, yellow, blue, and brown.

Add some awesome sauce.

Sauce adds color, flavor, and a touch of restaurant flair, so why not make your own signature sauce? The XM-12 Immersion Blender by Sammic can help you do it in a flash. The ultimate multi-tasker, the XM-12 saves prep and clean-up time and reduces waste while helping you quickly create sauces, dressings, purees, and batters to make your students’ favorite menu items.

For volumes up to 10 quarts, the XM-12 provides maximum motor power in a compact size for easy handling and portability. Its non-slip ergonomic grip reduces fatigue, while a click-on arm detaches with a quick twist for washing by hand or in the dishwasher. 

To learn more, watch the Sammic XM-12 video.

Pour on the awesome sauce with solid spoonouts from TableCraft. Spoonouts allow staff to easily identify and use the correct size for each job, preventing waste and saving money. A sturdy handle with capacity marking provides great comfort and control, allowing you to serve food with expert precision. Made from sturdy polycarbonate, TableCraft “spoodles” are dishwasher safe and heat safe up to 212°F.

When a little sauce can go a long way, a good squeeze bottle for sauces brings out the creativity in almost anyone, while making it easier to apply just the right amount to each portion. 

TableCraft InvertaTop Squeeze Bottles with color coded end caps help staff quickly identify and dispense the correct condiment, sauce, or dressing. TableCraft offers a variety of sizes of timesaving InvertaTop bottles and 6 different colors of end caps. Holders and well templates help keep them organized and easy to access.

Use devilishly resilient tools.

You’re in the kitchen because you can take the heat. Can your tools, or are you constantly replacing them? 

The Hell’s Handle Collection by Mercer Culinary includes a broad variety of durable utensils including scrapers, forks, and solid, perforated, and slotted turners. 

Hell’s Handle is built for comfort and control with a high heat-resistant handle that stays cool to the touch by absorbing 50% less heat. A dual-textured finish gives it extra grip and slip resistance. 

Serve in color.

TableCraft Plastic Serving Baskets make even simple meals feel special. A fun, yet practical way to serve student favorites such as sandwiches, turkey burgers, tacos, burritos, veggie sticks, and more, these classic plastic baskets are dishwasher safe for hygiene. 

Available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, they stack for space-saving storage.

Perfect for helping students carry a la carte items or a full reimbursable meal, Cambro Fast Food Trays have a durable, dishwasher-safe design that provides years of hygienic use. 

Made with an attractive, textured surface to resist scratches, the fast food tray is an economical choice for use with prepackaged foods, paper trays, plastic serving baskets, or reusable dinnerware. 

Cambro offers Fast Food Trays in 14 colors, from neutral to bold, to help you promote school spirit with a touch of restaurant style.

School Compartment Trays by Cambro have a utensil slot and five compartments to keep foods neatly separated and appealing to growing students. 

They’re offered in a variety of colors and a choice of three materials to suit your budget. 

Cut tray washing time and labor in half with Cambro 2 x 2 School Compartment Trays. 

They also have five compartments and a utensil slot, but they were designed specifically to fit two across in a dish rack for faster washing.

Whatever your program’s goals, we can help you support them and have fun while you’re at it. Contact us!