Want to be the next Gordon Ramsay? What about Jamie Oliver? Do you yearn to have your own successful cooking show or ultra-popular cookbook? Well, it starts in your kitchen.

Whether you’re an amateur chef or you’re a professional cook, there is one thing you need to produce a great filet mignon, a scrumptious cordon bleu sandwich, or a divine chicken alfredo: cooking equipment.

Thanks to rise of food shows, independent YouTube channels, and the reigniting of culinary passions, many households are starting to cook more. Rather than going to a restaurant, people are deciding to stay home, spend intimate time with the family, and cook up a feast.

As more people use their cooking equipment to fry a steak or bake a vegetable pie, the pots and pans will be worn out quicker. That is, if you don’t take proper care of your equipment.

Here are five maintenance tips for keeping your cooking equipment in great shape:

1. What do the Manufacturers Say?

When you purchase a big box of kitchen supplies, the manufacturer will have an in-depth pamphlet of guidelines, recommendations, information, and contacts. These usually provide you with details on how to correctly maintain your cooking equipment. They will inform you of the materials to utilize to clean the pot, scrub the pan, and ensure the lids are dry.

Many people fail to adhere to the advice of the manufacturers. But they should!

2. Always Keep the Equipment Clean

Once you have cooked a six-course meal for 10 people, you will have a lot of mess on your hands. It can be overwhelming as soon as the festivities are complete. But there is something you need to get done: washing up.

Yes, most households do have a dishwasher, but many still do not. That said, one of the worst things that can happen to your cooking equipment is for you to delay your cleaning.

It is always best to wipe it down within a few hours after use.

3. Inspect Your Supplies Regularly

A thorough inspection of your cooking equipment is necessary, especially if you have invested hundreds or thousands of dollars. By adopting this practice, you can determine if the pieces remain in good condition, or if they need to be repaired or (gasp!) replaced (see below).

This should be done from the time you open up the box to the time you have used it for the 50th variation on your grandmother’s sweet potato pie classic.

4. Broken? Replace the Equipment

No matter how much glue you have used. No matter how many times you have tried to screw in the handle. No matter how you have tried to adapt to the situation. If it’s broken, replace it.

There is very little doubt that it can be heart-wrenching to replace cooking equipment that cost you a hefty penny. But, whether you own a restaurant or cook frequently at home, you need items that can correctly produce a meal without difficulty.

5. Staff or Family – Tell Others How to Maintain

You may the head honcho at your restaurant or in your home. But you’re unlikely to repeatedly clean the cooking equipment. This is why, particularly if you have produced a system, you need to inform others how you maintain the stuff. Otherwise, before you know it, the fabric of your system could break down, and then you’re left with unkempt, dirty, and unorganized equipment.

Cooking equipment is essential for both home and business. You need these items to craft a delicious meal that satisfies either patron or family. Sure, you can utilize a cheap aluminum pan, but it will inevitably falter, leaving you without a pot to boil frozen corn. Or, you can take the time and resources, purchase top-of-the-line cooking equipment, and enjoy superb meals.