Types of Aprons and Tips to Find the Best One for You

Cooking has become a popular hobby now. What’s more, it has become a popular profession too. Not only housewives and househusbands but also chefs from prestigious hotels take pride in cooking innovative dishes and showing off their culinary skills. But cooking also involves stains on clothes. No worries! Aprons have you ‘covered’!

Today aprons are available in such an amazing range including funny aprons and fashionable aprons that no chef – home or restaurant – has to look gawky while working. It’s wonderful to take a look at these different types of aprons. Whether you’re a restaurant owner looking for professional aprons for your staff or a housewife or househusband wishing to look crisp before your family or guests while cooking food for them, you’re sure to get what you want among this range of aprons.

Which Factors do Decide the Choice of Aprons?

The best apron/s for you or your business will depend on how you’re going to use them. The material, length and coverage are the factors that decide how you’d use the aprons.

Types of Apron Patterns

Bib Aprons

Bib aprons are traditional style aprons that tie around the backside of the waist and feature a loose neck loop. These aprons have pockets in which your staff can carry guest checks, order pads, thermometers or similar small kitchen tools close at hand.

Tuxedo Aprons

Tuxedo aprons feature a distinctive apron style and are considered a more fashionable version of a standard bib apron. By pairing it with a white button down shirt and bow tie, the wearer can have a chic look.

Cobbler Aprons

Cobbler aprons are also known as smock aprons and offer front as well as back coverage. They have adjustable side ties which enable the wearer to make the apron more tight or loose. They are perfect for keeping workers’ shirts clean underneath. However, they end around the waist or mid-thigh.

Bistro Aprons

Bistro aprons don’t cover upper body. They are long and offer more coverage for pants. Just like bib aprons, most of them have pockets in which your staff can store pens, checks, beverage straws, toothpicks etc. so as to access these objects easily.

Server Aprons and Waist Aprons

Just like bistro aprons, server aprons and waist aprons don’t cover the upper body. But they are not long like bistro aprons. They are short in length and hence they don’t cover pants. But their shorter length allows the servers to walk comfortably while serving through the restaurant. Another similarity they have with the bistro aprons is that most of them have pockets in which your staff can store pens, checks, beverage straws, toothpicks etc. so as to access these objects easily.

4-Way Aprons

4-way aprons are also waist aprons, but they have 4 layers and are ideal for workers who need to use their apron several times before they could wash it. If the uppermost layer is stained, the wearer can quickly switch it to the next clean layer. These aprons will save your laundering costs because your employees won’t have to change aprons time and again.

Dishwasher Aprons

Dishwasher aprons are waterproof. They are full-length aprons extending past the knees. They are especially useful for the dish room where your employees are more prone to bump into large splashes. Therefore they are made of water-resistant materials. Some are even fire resistant, heat retardant and cut resistant. Thus these aprons will be helpful in protecting skin and clothes when exposed to water splashes, equipment dirt, build-up on pots, and grease, debris and chemicals.

Disposable Aprons

If you’ve a facility where workers deal with fish and raw meat or slice deli products, clean with harsh chemicals or dishwashers or for your bussers, disposable aprons might be a perfect choice for you. They are made of water-resistant polypropylene or polyethylene materials. Your employees can simply throw these plastic aprons when they are done using them. Their prominent benefit is to prevent the risk of cross-contamination while reusing aprons for different errands.

Types of Apron Fabrics

Cotton Aprons

Cotton is known for its coolness and comfort which is very important while working in the kitchen when the wearer is in the contact with heat for most of the time. Cotton aprons are also easy to clean.

Polyester Aprons

Polyester aprons, though not very comfortable and heat-resistant, are wrinkle-resistant and offer a professional look to the wearer.

Poly-cotton Aprons

Bringing together the goodness of polyester and cotton, the poly-cotton aprons offer the wrinkle resistance of polyester as well as the coolness and comfort of cotton.

Denim Aprons

Denim is a material which is superior to cotton when it comes to comfort. Additionally it offers greater strength and wrinkle resistance too.

Neoprene Aprons

Neoprene aprons are extremely heavy-duty and offer great chemical resistance when compared to other materials.

Vinyl Aprons

Vinyl aprons are more heavy-duty than most other materials and are resistant to oils, greases and chemicals.

Waxed Canvas Aprons

Waxed canvas material is water resistant. Its specialty is that it wears beautifully over time, forming crease marks which offer the apron an authentic look.

Besides having a wide choice of patterns and materials, you also have a choice of personalizing your apron by getting your name or a message printed on it. Such stunning funny aprons will spice up your personality and work.

How to Tie an Apron?

It’s important that the apron stays tied all the time while the worker is working in the kitchen or before your guests. If it’s not tied properly, it may get undone which can cause accidents. Therefore it’s important for your employees to learn how to tie the apron properly. Here are some basics.

• Wear the apron and make sure the front layer is covering the front part of your body. Check where the apron falls and make desired adjustments.
• Now take the waist drawstrings behind your waist and tie a bow. If the strings are too long, cross them behind your back and take them in front and tie the bow.
• Make sure the knot is snug by pulling it and ensure the apron fits properly.

How to Clean an Apron?

Although aprons are meant to get stained and protect your clothes from stains, stained aprons don’t look very nice. So, it’s important to wash them regularly. Here are some tips.

You should machine wash bib aprons, tuxedo aprons, cobbler aprons, bistro aprons, server and waist aprons, and 4-way aprons with like colors in cold water, and then dry on a low-heat setting. To reduce the chances of bleeding and fading, it’s recommended to wash these aprons before the first use in cold water. If still the color bleeds, it’s better to wash the apron a few more times with items of like colors to reduce the chances of any color transfer.

Dishwasher aprons are made of vinyl or neoprene materials and hence they can be easily cleaned and maintained simply by wiping them off with a cloth.

An apron can be a good partner of your culinary mission. Use the above information to buy the most suitable one and stay well-dressed.