New tender documents reveal the difficulties kitchen staff at Government House and Admiralty House have endured while still delivering delicate hors d'oeuvres, tasty afternoon teas and banquets to thousands of esteemed guests every year.

The Governor-General of Australia's lifestyle may appear regal, but a cook's tour of the kitchens would soon uncover ageing machinery that keeps breaking down.  A spokeswoman for Government House confirmed the kitchens were first built in 1927 and renovated once, in 1993.

"The current tender for new equipment seeks to address [workplace heath and safety] requirements and improve the efficiency of kitchen operations," she said.

The office of the Governor-General also sought advice from professional kitchen consultants, she added.

The Governor-General's chef has released a wishlist of new appliances including four stick blenders, two food processors, a Thermomix, a KitchenAid mixer, an upright freezer, deep fryer and a pasta machine. The chef manages catering for events at both residences and last year catered for 87 events in Canberra and 24 in Sydney.

The existing oven at Admiralty House is too small and "does not cope with size of functions required ... causing excessive double handling" while the heavy duty 10 litre mixer was "at end of life - leaking oil into bowl and repair costs exceed value of unit". The electric fryer has no temperature control, making it difficult to fry tasty morsels evenly and consistently.

And at Government House in Yarralumla, ACT, there have been problems with "cross flavouring" in crowded freezers. The existing pastry freezer has broken down so many times the chef wants to switch it off and use it as a cupboard. The oven in Canberra keeps dropping temperature and is "not effective. Not repairable".

A benchtop pasta machine, mixers and blenders would all "save on staff costs and preparation time" suggesting the kitchen has been lacking modern appliances for some time or the existing equipment has worn out.

"Each year, more than 25,000 guests visit Government House and Admiralty House. Guests include visiting heads of state, foreign officials, community leaders, representatives of the many organisations of which the Governor-General and Lady Cosgrove are patron, school students and members of the public during scheduled open days. The kitchen supports a large number of these activities," the spokeswoman said.

The winner of MasterChef in 2010, Adam Liaw, cooked at Government House during the competition. He said it was a nice spacious kitchen and he found the tools he needed - a pastry cutter, plate warmer and combi oven - all in good working order.

"It did not seem an out of date kitchen to me, but at that stage I had not cooked in many commercial kitchens," Mr Liaw said.

He added that having the right equipment in working order was very important for commercial chefs.

"If you are cooking for the Governor-General, I think you want everything in its place."