Disposing of grease in a commercial kitchen can be challenging. It's best to try to minimize the amount of waste grease your kitchen operation produces to cut down your overhead costs and avoid pesky problems like drain and pipe clogs.

Unfortunately, a lot of commercial kitchen operations are carried out with processes that involve simple mistakes that unnecessarily increase grease production.

The following are five mistakes you can avoid in your commercial kitchen to minimize the amount of grease your grease trap catches and you need to dispose of.

1. Failing to take the time to clean off dishes before washing them

If you want to minimize the amount of grease in your grease trap, you should try to dispose of grease and greasy items in the trash before putting them down your drains. 

Train kitchen staff to brush and wipe plates and other eating utensils off into the garbage before giving them a more thorough cleaning in the sink. This can go along way in keeping grease out of your drains and bringing down the occurrence of clogs. 

2. Having too many fried recipes and not baking enough

Take a look at the menu you're offering at your establishment. If you don't have a lot of baked items on the menu, you might want to consider adding them.

Baking items don't produce as many large quantities of grease that you have to dispose of. Not only does baking food create less grease, but it could also be a healthy alternative on your menu because baked foods tend to be less fattening. 

3. Cleaning out your grease trap too infrequently

It's important to keep up with grease trap cleanings to avoid clogs and damage to your kitchen's plumbing fixtures. It's generally a good idea to have your grease trap cleaned on a weekly basis to manage grease production and keep equipment in good shape. 

4. Throwing away cooking oil that can be reused

For items that you do fry, you should make sure that you're getting the most out of cooking oil before disposing of it. You can reuse cooking oil as long as it remains clear and free of contaminants. 

5. Not having strainers in place over the sink

Sink strainers are important for keeping a variety of substances from getting down your drains and causing problems. Strainers can minimize the amount of fats and grease that get down into your pipes where they can potentially cause problems. 

For more information, contact a company like Mountain Valley Pumping.