Grills galore

A grill is a grill is a grill: there's not much you can do to alter its style or performance. At least, that's what people have always assumed.

However, it seems things have changed. "Superficially, grilling is quite simple: putting a piece of food close to a direct heat source to cook it and brown the exterior," explains Jacki Walker, managing director of Equip Line. "However, modern technology has blurred the definition since the introduction of specialist conveyor grills, chargrills and rotisserie grills."

Some foods, according to Walker, such as whole chickens, knuckles of pork, or lamb, taste better when grilled but are more suitably cooked using specially engineered rotisserie grills that ensure even cooking.

"Other foods taste even better when chargrilled, which has a similar effect to barbecuing using charcoal or wood," she adds.

"The ability of conveyor grills to produce large volumes of grilled foods, such as burgers, steaks, chicken, fish fillets or seared vegetables - either in pans or directly on the belt, cooking both sides at the same time - gives speed of production, minimises food handling and takes away the guesswork over temperatures."

However, traditional overhead grills are still greatly in demand. Also known as salamanders, they are used for prime cooking or finishing, with the heat source coming from above the cooking grid on to the food.

"The benefits of grilling food are well understood in terms of product quality and healthy eating," says Eddie Corr, general manager and director of Fields & Pimblett. "The grilling process automatically reduces the fat content of raw meat and, in the case of fish, demands little or no fat to be added.

Corr says the demand for the traditional overhead grill in commercial kitchens remains strong. "The ever-increasing number of chain restaurants with menus featuring steaks is ensuring that the heavy-duty grill is probably the hardiest piece of equipment in the restaurant kitchen."

Falcon Catering Equipment is demonstrating its faith in this equipment with the launch of two new Steakhouse Plus Salamander Grills, which it claims have faster heat-up and recovery times than any grill it has ever produced.

The G1518 700mm model can reach 225ºC in 10 minutes, while the G1528 900mm rises to 280ºC in the same time. The secret is the surface combustion burners, with which both models are equipped, which distribute the heat evenly across the surface of the food.

Smooth operators Falcon's marketing manager, Derek Paterson, says: "We have also introduced the Brandmatic roller carriage [which enables the operator to move the brander around more easily] as an optional extra, to make chefs' lives easier."

But Wayne Cuomo, managing director of Charvet, is finding just as much demand for chargrills alongside the more traditional model. "There is a demand for both. Chargrills are used for ‘flaring up' dishes and are especially good for front-of-house display cooking."

With chargrills, the heat source is beneath the cooking grid, which is normally constructed of round or diamond-shaped bars open to the flame below.

Another possibility for grilling is a griddle, where the heat source is under the plates. They are made from solid steel or cast iron and do not generally give the flame access to the food.

Now that there is a choice of grilling equipment, the caterer needs to determine which will best suit the job. "It is important to size the grill to the operation and take into account the kind of applications the equipment will be used for," says Bruce Furness, director of Olympic Catering Equipment.

"Grills can be expensive to run, so it is vital to take into account fuel efficiency and heat-up times. More than one cooking zone means the equipment is easier to use and provides fuel savings.

"In general, Olympic recommends gas-fuelled grills for heavy-duty operations - meat cooking, in particular. Electric grills are more suitable for lighter cooking, such as toasting and gratin dishes.

"Shortage of space is a common problem. Staff considerations are therefore vital when choosing the location or type of grill and the amount of heat radiated must be taken into account."

Olympic's own recommendation for a back-bar installation that needs good ventilation is a Silex Contact grill, which cooks both sides at once. Where space is less restricted, a high-performance gas grill, such as the Falcon Steakhouse Plus with its Brandmatic roller carriage, is suggested.

Traditional models

In addition to specialist grills, conveyors or rotisseries, Equip Line also has a range of salamanders, either table- or wall-mounted versions.

Fields & Pimblett has two traditional grills, the heavy-duty FPGPG and the newer Warwick medium-duty model.

Charvet produces four models of salamander in gas or electric versions, gas and electric griddles and a series of lava rock griddles, which have been used extensively in France, particularly by the Buffalo Grill chain on the autoroutes.

Buttress also produces a chargrill, the Halcyon Hot Rock Grill, which it says can be fixed or supplied as a mobile unit for indoor or outdoor use. Its grill top features a series of overlapping sections that form pockets to capture fats and juices.

"All excess fat is collected in a special drip channel. Therefore, the food not only has greater flavour but also improved nutritional content," says managing director Steve Loughton. "With the excess fat removed, there are no longer any flames, which, while looking nice, leave the food unevenly cooked."

From France comes another range of chargrills, from Amassade de Bourgogne. It offers 400mm or 600mm units with either smooth or half-ridged surfaces, or a fully ridged cast-iron surface especially for meat. The larger units have 9.6kW burners with the two heating zones independently controlled, making it possible to cook meat on one side and vegetables on the other.

In the Silesia High Speed Grills, the heat source is in direct contact with the food from both above and below. The top cooking plate is hinged and pulls down on to the food, and its special hinges allow for lateral or vertical movement and so applies the correct pressure to the product being cooked. According to the manufacturer, this prevents shrinkage and seals the juices in the food.

The grills are thermostatically controlled and will cook a wide variety of items, including meats, fish, eggs, bacon, cràpes, pizza or oven chips.

Elro's salamander FR1/1 model has two independently controlled heating elements but is also height adjustable. It can be wall-mounted or table-top.

Mareno has a wide range of options, from its Backbar series for the budget-conscious operation, through a range of medium- and heavy-duty grills and griddles, to the more upmarket Ambach and Rorgue equipment. The Rorgue salamander is the only item in the Rorgue range that can be purchased as a single item.