Case Studies

Showcase your surfaces at their best with CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:37:00 GMT

The public love to see showmanship in their chefs – as exemplified by the popularity of TV shows like Masterchef and Iron Chef. The growing awareness of this has led to the resurgence of the open plan restaurant kitchen, in which diners can watch the kitchen brigade at work, prepping, cooking and plating meals.

But while a birds-eye view into the kitchen may be good for business, it also necessitates that everything your customers can see evokes cleanliness and good hygiene at all times. And as we're all aware, some commercial surfaces are a challenge to keep clean.

Stainless steel is a case in point – it features heavily in many contemporary kitchen fitouts, and is frequently used on refrigerators and other essential equipment. Yet it is easily smeared by greasemarks, fingerprints, steam and general grime.

Executive Chef Luke Stepsys is only too well aware of the importance of keeping his restaurant's stainless steel surfaces looking pristine. For the past 17 months Luke has been working at Wildfire, a large restaurant located in the prime tourist spot of the Sydney Overseas Passenger Terminal at West Circular Quay.

Wildfire specialises in Brazilian style 'churrasco' barbecue cuisine, which required the installation of a state of the art kitchen with ovens by Beech along with custom-made grills and rotisseries. There are eighty large skewers that each hold three to four kilograms of meat, rotating above a huge charcoal pit. The meat is cooked within view of customers, then carved at the table.

Seafood also features prominently on Wildfire's menu, and the restaurant includes an open plan seafood preparation area where customers can see oysters being opened, prawns shelled and so on. "It's almost like a meat and seafood degustation," is how Luke describes Wildfire's menu. "This is Wildfire's 10th year and the open plan kitchen is a big drawcard. I think people like the theatre of it. From the first day I walked in I noticed the distinctive aroma that you get from having the kitchen open to the dining area – it's a very important contributor to the overall ambience. And of course our diners just love to see the chefs in action."

Wildfire's open plan area features a large amount of stainless steel on show. "The grill is a focal point," Luke explains. "It brings people's attention in – customers are always coming and taking photos, it's constantly on show so it's very important to ensure it always looks impressive. And of course, the kitchen must always look hygienically pristine – we are judged by its appearance."

To keep all this looking at its best, Luke uses CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes, which not only clean but also add a protective coating to guard against future markings from smears, smudges, fingerprints and dust. They're easy to use: just ensure the stainless steel is dry and free of excess grease, before wiping with the grain until clean. Finish off by buffing to a shiny, residue-free surface with a CHUX Superwipe.

"The CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes are excellent – they keep all our stainless steel smear and spot-free," Luke says. "The application is simple – just wipe then buff to a pristine finish. When you come into the kitchens here in the morning, it just looks spotless."

CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes have a non-toxic formulation to ensure they're kind to hands.

Hi-tech Glad ForceFlex Bags now available in Australia!

Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:03:00 GMT

Following their successful introduction to the US market, Glad ForceFlex garbage bags are now available to Australian food-service professionals.

"Glad ForceFlex bags were launched here in January and already they've proven very popular across the foodservice sector, which shows us that there is a genuine market demand for this innovative product," says Clorox Australia National Customer and Category Development Manager Ewen Litchfield.

Lauded by the US press as the "ultimate" in garbage bags, Glad ForceFlex bags feature a breakthrough "SELFing" patented technology which enables them to stretch around even awkwardly shaped and hard-to-manage garbage without puncturing or ripping.

The secret of their design lies in the bag's unique diamond texture, which is deep-embossed to increase elasticity. This diverts pressure from points of impact, allowing the bag to absorb force and stretch instead of breaking.

"Glad ForceFlex Bags are stronger, tear-resistant and can therefore hold more garbage," Ewen explains. "Their tough design makes them the ideal choice for the commercial kitchen."

Each bag is equipped with a drawstring to make it easy to open and close, and thanks to their durable structure, even the fullest bag is easy to lift and carry. The 75L bags come in a convenient dispenser pack of 25 bags.

In comparison tests involving overstuffing, dragging and dropping, as well as a general weight test, all conducted by the US' Real Simple magazine, the Glad ForceFlex bag was names the best performer. The magazine said it was "surprisingly hard for its size and weight".

Glad ForceFlex Bags have even been praised in the New York Times, which described them as "the Mercedes of trash bags".

"Glad ForceFlex is designed to deliver on strength – the number one requirement in the demanding foodservice environment," Ewen Litchfield points out.

"They were developed following extensive research into what is being put into garbage bags, how they are handled and how much weight they are typically expected to hold. You can overload them and still they keep stretching!"

Glad ForceFlex Bags are the latest addition to the extensive Glad product range from Clorox Commercial, which also includes such mainstays of the commercial kitchen as Glad Wrap, Glad Go-Between and Glad Bake.

Clorox Commercial is also home to some of Australia's best-known and most trusted hygiene, cleaning and food management products under the Chux, Oso, Astra and Perfex brands.

You can find more information about their products, along with foodservice recipes, chef's tips and other useful information, at www.cloroxcommercial.com.au. Check it out today!

Jeff's new business set to be a shining success!

Thu, 05 May 2011 23:33:00 GMT

Executive Chef Jeff Turnbull has had a busy few years – overseeing operations such as the stylish Aqua Restaurant at North Sydney Olympic Pool and the Ripples cafes at Chowder Bay, Milsons Point and Whale Beach.

Now Jeff's added yet another string to his bow, as owner and executive chef of High St Bistro in leafy Willoughby on Sydney's north shore.

"My wife and I live just a few streets away and over the years we've been popping in to the Bistro for coffee – so when my wife phoned to tell me the business was for sale, I could see the potential immediately," is how Jeff explains his decision to buy the bistro.

"We both love the area, it's got a fantastic community feel and the previous owners had built up a good rapport with customers so there was strong support for the business. So it was an easy decision to buy and we then started thinking about what we wanted to do with it."

Under Jeff's management, High St Bistro is open seven days for lunch and dinner with breakfasts on weekends. He describes the new menu as "contemporary bistro food with a French influence – we've got more seafood, lighter-style meals, a few more salads and healthy options on the menu. We've only been open for a fortnight so far so we've been really busy getting everything together!"

The venue seats 70 and is BYO and licensed, with mains at around $30 and entrees starting at about $15-$16.

Jeff and his team decided to keep the existing tables and chairs but gave the interior a makeover – "we've put on a fresh coat of paint and gone from yellow brass and lights to downlights, cloth-covered lights in the walls, and stained the wood dark black. It's changed the ambience to a bit more modern – soft white and black and chrome, a bit more sleek and clean. There's a cheery bistro feel, a bit of a buzz, which is the sort of mood we wanted."

The bistro's new décor has given Jeff an ideal opportunity to try the new CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes, which have been developed to keep the stainless steel surfaces found in modern commercial decor free of smears, smudges, fingerprints and dust.

These new wipes remove grease from stainless steel surfaces while adding a protective coating to prevent markings from any of the agents mentioned above.

"I'm already a dedicated user of other Clorox Commercial products such as CHUX Superwipes and GLAD Bake, so my Clorox rep knew I'd be interested in the new CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes and dropped in a pack for me to try," Jeff explains. "We had been using a protective spray on the stainless steel, but that's much more costly.

"The CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes have already proven their worth. They give great results – the steel comes up shiny, polishes easily. We have an open kitchen here, customers can see us working and the food being plated up, so it's very important that all the surfaces look pristine. There's also a lot of stainless steel in the bar area and we have a big stainless steel drinks fridge – these new CHUX Wipes give all the surfaces a fabulous gleam. It only takes about a minute to do a couple of panels."

New CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes have been developed to be easy to use: just ensure the stainless steel surface is dry before wiping with the grain until clean. Any surface residue can be wiped away with a CHUX Superwipe.

CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes have a non-toxic formulation to ensure they're kind to hands. They're soft and gentle so they won't scratch or mark – leaving a fantastic shine and streak-free finish – and they come with a 100 per cent satisfaction guarantee.

CHUX Stainless Steel Wipes are available from foodservice and hospitality distributors, or register for your free sample now...

GLAD products – high achievers in the canteen

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 05:12:00 GMT

Manly West Primary School's co-canteen manager, Shona McKenzie (pictured above), is a keen user of GLAD products like GLAD Wrap, GLAD Bake, GLAD Foil and GLAD Go-Between.

Thanks to its premium quality and performance, GLAD Wrap seals in food freshness and flavour, so it's the ideal choice when you want to wrap food for longer-term storage. You can even use it in the microwave!

Each pack of GLAD Wrap features an easy-to-remove start of roll sticker, a wide opening for easy access and end-of-roll reminder so you won't run out. There's also the traditional blade cutter and Safe-T-Cutter that reduces risk of injury.

Shona also uses GLAD Bake, to line baking trays and prevent food from sticking. It eliminates the need to butter, flour or spray trays and is easy to peel off. Shona says, "The cutter on the edge of the box is great – it makes it really easy for us to line our trays quickly!"

And don't forget GLAD Foil – available in all-purpose grade ideal for covering pans and lining trays, as well as heavy duty grade for wrapping bulky goods and oven heating and cooking – and GLAD Go-Between, freezer film which prevents food from sticking and makes portion control easier. Just remove and defrost as much or as little as you need when you need it.

How Shona uses GLAD products:

GLAD Foil to wrap pre-cooked food for oven reheating
GLAD Bake to line trays for home-made pizza subs
GLAD Wrap to wrap cookies and muffins
GLAD Go-Between to freeze pineapple rings

Chef says quality sticks

Wed, 13 Apr 2011 01:39:00 GMT

"OSO Commercial Food Wrap is a great product which adheres well to stainless steel and plastic, it's one of the best in the market for reliability," Jeff says. "The perspex dispenser workstations are great – ordinarily the cardboard box deteriorates quickly," says Jeff Turnbull, Executive Chef, Aqua Dining.

"The workstation encompasses the box and keeps it clean, neat and tidy. It's also washable and reusable which are a big advantage."

Freshness and safety

"Glad Commercial Go-Between is another Clorox product we use a lot. It's one of the best products I've ever used for separating layers of meat and fish as opposed to greaseproof or silicon paper," Jeff Turnbull says.

"Glad Commercial Go-Between keeps food fresh and safe and it's affordable enough to use day in, day out. We use it mainly for refrigerated items but it's also great to lay atop meals ready to go out to keep the presentation intact until they are served."

Reliability and consistency

"I always stick with these products because of their reliability and consistency. In the past we have done trials of others for comparison purposes. The competitor to Glad Go-Between does not compare at all," Jeff says.

"And some food wraps are too thin which means you end up using twice as much. But Clorox Commercial products have maintained their quality standards throughout all the time we've used them."

Restaurant ‘steaks’ reputation on Clorox Commercial products

Thu, 05 May 2011 23:08:00 GMT

Robert Harto, Executive Chef & Purchaser, at Ribs and Rumps Grill & Seafood in Sydney seaside suburb Manly, couldn't be happier with Clorox Commercial products and the GLOBAL Cooks Knife he won in Clorox Commercial's "Cutting Edge" promotion.

"A well balanced knife with a good grip is very important to a chef," says Robert. "Clorox Commercial products and GLOBAL knives are a good match, they are both of a high quality and have a very good reputation, similar to Ribs and Rumps.

"One of the many Clorox Commercial products we use is OSO Food Wrap. It never splits and always clings to the container and seals in the freshness and flavour of whatever food you are wrapping. It is fantastic.

"We also use OSO General Purpose Foil, it's good quality and very affordable. We are extremely happy with it. I would recommend it to any chef, when I order I never go past Clorox Commercial products."

Ribs and Rumps Grill & Seafood traditions

Over the past twelve years owners David and Sharon Diamond have established some popular traditions at their Ribs and Rumps Grill & Seafood restaurant with tribal art from Africa and memorabilia from international and local sports stars, creating a special atmosphere.

Strictly controlled ageing of free range King Island Beef for tenderness and depth of taste is one proud tradition at Ribs and Rumps Grill & Seafood.

But the most intriguing Ribs and Rumps Grill & Seafood tradition of all is the rack of special steak knives for regular patrons whose names are engraved on their blades. Regulars love the extra attention of having their own knife brought to their table.

CHUX and GLAD "must haves" for Ripples

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:33:00 GMT

Executive Chef, Jeff Turnbull, says he "relishes the challenge of building up a new cafe restaurant from scratch. And what a spectacular and historic location to do it from.

Ripples Chowder Bay is a cafe restaurant www.ripplescafe.com.au with a truly strategic location where mines were made and strung across Sydney Harbour in 1894 as a defense system.

Chowder Bay got its name from American whalers in the 1800s who would drop anchor and make chowder from the pippies and oysters there.

Jeff's cuisine has a more Italian flavour. "We make our own focaccia, danishes, sugar brioche and pastas, from scratch," Jeff says. "We're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days, we serve a great handmade gnocchi."

Ripples Chowder Bay opened on 1 August 2007 and seats 140 outside with the AquaMine lounge bar inside and private function rooms for twelve to sixty guests.

Jeff was closely involved in the interior design and fit-out which he describes as "lots of clean lines with a modern, slick look." Since opening CHUX Superwipes have had an essential role in keeping cooking and serving surfaces clean and hygienic.

"We use CHUX Superwipes in all our venues – in the bar to wipe up spills and ensure surfaces are clean, and extensively in back of house," Jeff says. "We can't do without them."

CHUX Superwipes are also used by Ripples' baristas to wipe off the milk frother on the espresso machines. Kitchen staff use CHUX Superwipes under chopping boards to stop them slipping.

GLAD Bake is another "must have" for Jeff Turnbull. "Before GLAD Bake came along we used silicon baking sheets," Jeff says. "But GLAD Bake is a vast improvement, it's just the right size for our baking trays, so there's no need to measure and cut it to size.

"We just roll it out, tear it off and use it. It's a great product because there's no wastage.

"GLAD Bake is ideal for baking fish as well as all our pastry work, from sugar brioches to panettone. It saves on labour because we don't have to grease trays and it makes everything non-stick.

"For reliability and ease of use GLAD Bake is definitely a winner."

Chux Superwipes keeping hygiene standards high

Thu, 05 May 2011 23:07:00 GMT

Chris Barry, Head Chef at The Australian Heritage Hotel in Sydney's historic Rocks region endorses Chux Superwipes.

Since 1913, the Australian Heritage Hotel's famous yellow facade has been a feature of Cumberland Street. It's popularity shows no signs of slowing down as it was recently awarded the NSW Australian Hotels Association's winner of the Heritage Hotel of the Year Award in 2007 and Best Pub in Time Out Sydney Bar Awards.

No wonder Chris Barry jumped at the opportunity to become Head Chef. "My Wife's family lives in Sydney, so it was a good opportunity for us to move here," Chris explains. "It's a prime location in the heart of the CBD – what better spot for a pub than 100 metres from the Harbour Bridge?"

The Australian is famous for its pizza selections which include Pepper Kangaroo, BBQ Emu and Saltwater Crocodile pizza. These are a hit with tourists looking for that Outback experience. Chris has added to the pizza menu, and supplemented the selection with six plated mains.

"The six new dishes are selling well – particularly the Braised Lamb Shanks," Chris says. As the weather heats up, the crowds flock to enjoy the barbecue menu on the rooftop dining area, "We're booked out every Friday, you can't move in here."

Given the comparatively small kitchen (room for six workers in total), the demand during peak periods means everyone has to work at top efficiency. That extends also to keeping hygiene standard high at all times, and here Chris finds CHUX Superwipes an indispensable aid.

"For an operation like ours, CHUX Superwipes are definately the best option, hands down," Chris affirms. "We don't use tea towels at all – as the bulk of our meals are pizzas and cleaning up spillages can get messy. CHUX Superwipes are terrific – you can just grab them, use them a few times and throw them away. The hygiene aspect, coupled with their superior absorbency and durability, makes CHUX Superwipes the obvious choice."

Chris and his staff take advantage of the CHUX Colour Coding System to ensure there's no cross-contamination of surfaces – using blue Superwipes in the kitchen and green in the bar area. "CHUX Superwipes are easily the best cleaning cloths on the market."

The Australian Heritage Hotel is located at 100 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, Sydney 2000.

CHUX Superwipes helps maintain hygiene quality at iconic beachfront club

Fri, 06 May 2011 00:14:00 GMT

Mooloolaba Surf Club on Queensland's spectacular sunshine coast is one of the oldest surf lifesaving clubs in Australia. Since 1922 its members have patrolled the local beach, with many of them going on to become world class champions.

With such a proud heritage, it comes as no surprise to learn that the club is a cherished part of the local community. And when the original building was destroyed in a fire in 1979, it gave the club patrons a unique opportunity to create a new, world-class venue.

Today's Mooloolaba Surf Club is an iconic part of the beachfront landscape – and boasts a steady stream of customers to its dining facilities.

Head Chef Peter Brown oversees the operations of the club's Boathouse Restaurant, which is open for lunch and dinner seven days and on Sundays offers a breakfast buffet that's extremely popular, serving up between three and five hundred meals.

"On a Saturday night we'll do about six to seven hundred people at the Boathouse," Peter says. "Everything we use is fresh – we bring in fresh fish every day, and a local beef provider gives us great cuts of meat.

"My focus has been to try to ensure a real family appeal – we cater to all ages so there's something for everyone. We'll have four or five steaks, fresh fish of the day, risottos, curries and of course the carvery – chef stands out front and carves in front of the customers, which creates a nice sense of theatre. We often do up to 300 roasts a night."

In addition to the Boathouse, Peter and his team also serve café-style food at the club's On The Deck which offers coffees, cakes and biscuits from 10am followed by lunch and dinner.

To assist him maintain hygiene and cleanliness in both front and back of house, Peter uses CHUX Superwipes which he says are the best quality wipes on the market.

"I've used the cheaper brands and they just don't have the same level of absorbency," he says. "CHUX Superwipes offer superior durability too. The cheaper wipes wear out fast, but once the CHUX Superwipes have been laundered we can use them over and over again."

CHUX Superwipes offers a complete range of cloths for all cleaning applications. All have been designed to soak up all liquids including grease, fats, oils and inks. The double-action holes trap dirt, absorb spillages and then rinse out clean.

Unlike wiping cloths made from rags, CHUX Superwipes are of consistent quality – made from soft, non-woven viscose rayon fibres that are tough and durable.

CHUX Superwipes are available in both Regular and Heavy Duty varieties, with the CHUX logo clearly printed on the fabric so you and your customers know it's the genuine product, not a lower quality generic substitute.

CHUX Superwipes come in five different colours to protect against cross-contamination. This HACCP Australia-approved Colour Coding System allows you to use different-coloured wipes for specific applications – such as cleaning food preparation areas, toilets, general purpose use and so on. You can choose your own colours to match your requirements – and a wallchart system is provided listing your choices to make your staff familiar with the system.

Peter uses blue CHUX Superwipes as a general purpose cleaning cloth – wiping down tables and soaking up spills – and Chux Espresso Café to clean the espresso equipment and surrounding benchspace.

He's also a keen user of other Clorox Australia products like GLAD Wrap and GLAD Bake – which he says have the same consistent quality and reliability as CHUX Superwipes.

"GLAD Wrap is an essential component in the kitchen," Peter says. "We use it to cover everything that's in a container without a lid – our steaks once they've been portioned up, our burgers, our fish of the day – and of course everything that goes into the fridge at the end of the day.

"And GLAD Baking Paper is ideal as a baking dish liner in the oven, especially for cakes. We also use it to line our fish and chip bowls for serving.

"All these products make life a lot easier – and when you use CHUX and GLAD, you know the quality is always going to be tops!"