When it comes to craft services, a production can either hire a company to take care of it or they can hire an individual. We all know how important craft services are on a set and that the job needs to be taken seriously. In the case of individuals that work independently as a craft services person; here is a list of tools to have on hand to make your craft services a little extra special.
Craft Services Tools
Sandwich Press: Hot, gooey, cheesy sandwiches are always a favorite, not only on set but in life. Making grilled cheese, grilled chicken or grilled anything is almost always guaranteed to be a success. If you are feeding a large crew, I recommend having more than one sandwich press on hand. Sandwich Presses can be found at Amazon.com
Coffee Maker: This one goes without saying but fresh coffee really is one of the most important things to have at craft services. I personally like to have a fresh pot of brewed coffee always ready to go and then I like to have an individual cup maker that people can use at anytime, this is a little more of an expense but it is great if someone needs a coffee and a fresh pot hasn’t brewed yet. Coffee Makers can be found on Amazon.com
Kettle: Not everyone drinks coffee, as important as it is to have coffee there are a lot of people that drink tea, I happen to be one of them and therefore I fight pretty hard for a kettle. Having a variety of tea to go with it is always nice too. Also be sure to have cream AND milk, I hate to be picky but cream in tea is pretty gross! You can find a number of different Kettles at Amazon.com
Magic Bullet: You don’t have to have a Magic Bullet, you can use a normal blender if you prefer it but the Magic Bullet has multiple functions and is more compact. You never know when a blending option will help you out and fruit smoothies in the morning are always a nice option. You can find the Magic Bullet on Amazon.com
Electric Frying Pan: You can cook a multitude of things in an electric frying pan, chili, stew, eggs etc. An electric frying pan is great for craft services and making hot subs for the crew. Again if you are feeding a large crew it is good to have more than one pan going at a time, they can both have different things in them as well to be more efficient. You can find Electric Frying Pans on Amazon.com
Crock Pot: It is great to have a crock pot on the craft services table with hot food in it all day so that people can help themselves as they want it. You can throw meatballs, soup or anything you like in the pot in the morning and top it up as people eat it. Crock Pots are available from Amazon.com
Apple Slicer: This is for convenience, having a slicer and pitter is great for quickly preparing apple slices to throw on a fruit tray. They have slicers for all kinds of fruit and I’m sure the apple slicer will work on more than just apples. Find the apple slicer that works for you from Amazon.com
4 Slice Toaster: This is a pretty simple tool to have, I say have a 4 slice toaster because you can get more done at once. You can leave the toaster on the craft services table and let people take care of themselves or you can toast for them. Either way it is better to toast 4 slices at a time over 2. Four Slice Toasters are available at Amazon.com
Toaster Oven: A toaster oven has multiple functions, it is great for toasting bread and bagels if your other toaster is being used and it is also great for reheating food or defrosting food and is generally less bulky than a microwave. Find the perfect toaster oven on Amazon.com
Bagel Slicer: Simple and fast, a bagel slicer will get through a bag of bagels in no time, I prefer to put a bagel slicer on a craft services table over knives. If you are dealing with only a small crew then this isn’t necessary but when the crew numbers are high this will help get through things much quicker. Make life easier with a bagel slicer from Amazon.com
Tupperware: Any kind of resealable container is good to have on hand, there is no sense in wasting food, having containers to save leftovers in is a cost saving and efficient way to use all of the food you purchase. You can find all kinds of food storage containers at Amazon.com
Multiple Utensils: Always have knives, spoons, forks, serving spoons, tongs and any other utensil that will help make your job easier. Remember that you don’t want to have vegetarian items cross contaminated with meat options, having enough serving utensils to give each dish its own spoon. You can find every utensil that you might need at Amazon.com
Can Opener: Cans need to be opened and can openers are such a small simple tool that are often forgotten. I suggest having two on hand because inevitably one will go missing. You can find as many can openers as you think you might need, from Amazon.com
Cutting Boards: Be sure to have cutting boards on hand at all times, you never know where you might be preparing food, cutting boards are good for protecting surfaces and also work as serving trays too. Cutting boards are available at Amazon.com
These are some great appliances and gadgets to have on hand when you are responsible for craft services. Craft services doesn’t just mean putting food on a table, you should be making sure the cast and crew are fed and fed well. A well fed crew is a happy and hard working crew!
