A burger with bacon and cheese

London’s Street-Food Craze: Powered By Calor Gas Bottles

As far as food trends go, 2017 has undoubtedly been the year of the street vendor. From Shoreditch to the West End, mobile eateries and pop-ups have consistently innovated this year, offering up pulled pork, Vietnamese fusion cuisine and everything in between to satisfy the needs of hungry Londoners on-the-go.

Street food stall-holders need the right tools to prepare their tasty snacks, and it should come as no surprise that most of the griddles, grills and fryers used to cook falafel, shish, jacket potatoes, noodles, curries and more are powered by – you guessed it – Calor gas bottles.

The tools of the street vendor

Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) is compact, portable and can be easily delivered direct to any commercial premises. Most street vendors value the convenience of gas bottles, and in this article, we’re going to take a look at the equipment London’s favourite food stalls use to prepare their menus:

1. Kebab grill

Any stallholder dishing up shish or doner will have one or more gas-powered kebab grills at their disposal. A high-quality, commercial kebab grill will feature a hermetically sealed base to prevent fat from running into the motor, a sturdy spit to accommodate large portions of meat and multiple heat zones for even cooking.

2. Cast-iron griddle

A griddle is perhaps the most versatile unit a mobile caterer can own. Suitable for cooking eggs, burgers and vegetables, most commercial griddles are capable of reaching heats of up to 300°C and feature multiple heat zones in order to enable vendors to keep food hot prior to serving without burning it.

3. Crepe maker

Mobile creperies are great because they can offer both sweet and savoury options. A heavy-duty crepe machine powered by a gas bottle can prepare crepes in just 60 seconds – perfect for when you need food, fast.

4. Twin tank fryer

From falafel to fish and chips, a twin-tank LPG fryer can prepare it all without taste contamination. Busy commercial street vendors use fryers which can prepare up to 20kg of chips per hour!

Connecting a Calor gas bottle

Bottled gas operates at a higher pressure than the natural gas supply we’re used to at home. As a result, LPG-powered units favoured by street vendors use small-nozzled gas hoses (typically three- quarters of an inch in diameter) to connect to a bottle of Calor gas.

If you’re in the market for LPG or butane gas bottles in London delivered direct to your door, simply head over to London Gases for help, advice and bottled gas at great rates.