New product awards
The standard for the Hotelympia 2000 New Product Awards was so high that three panels of judges gathered from across the hospitality industry took a whole day to whittle the entry list of 180 companies down to the three dozen finalists.
Meeting strict criteria of originality, innovation and product benefit, 36 products launched on to the UK market since Hospitality Week in January 1999 made it through to the finals, to be judged on the first day of Hotelympia 2000, Monday 7 February.
The products fall into four categories: Catering Equipment & Services; Food & Drink; Premises, Facilities Management & Technology; and Furniture, Furnishings & Tableware. All those shortlisted will receive a showcard to display on their stands. For the final, a panel of judges will visit each exhibitor's stand to assess the products once again.
Gold and silver medals will be awarded in each category on merit and will be presented on the evening of 7 February at a gala dinner at the Inter-Continental hotel, Hyde Park, London.
Catering Equipment & Services
The Original Pass-Thro' Combi Oven from Bourgeois elicited the following comment from the judges: "It's an exciting concept which will contribute to hygiene control and food handling. Being a pass-through model will make it useful in banqueting." The double-door access allows chefs to work from prep area to oven, while serving staff can take the prepared food out through the door on the oven's opposite side. A fat segregation plate is built in and the oven's cooking capabilities means 30 12lb chickens are ready in about 30 minutes. Already available as a 6-grid or 10-grid model, a 20-grid 1/1 gastronorm version will be launched at the show.
Originality
Again praised for its potential hygiene benefits, as well as its originality, was the HACCP Handwash Supervisor 1100 from CH Europe. A new British design, which will be launched at the show, this requires employees to enter a personal ID code via a keypad before hand-washing. The machine will register a successful handwash only after the completion of a timed cycle using hot water and soap. The breaking of an infra-red beam will start a new cycle.
With a list price of £760, judges believed HMI Group‘s portable Bonnet Induc' Pat induction hob would make the "concept of induction more usable". The product's twin-coil induction hob with a maximum output of 3kW would also, they concluded, make the hob widely accessible. The first coil has a diameter of 180mm and operates for pans up to 220mm, while the second coil automatically switches on for pans up to 320mm.
Hubbard Refrigeration‘s Scotsman TC180 ice-maker, which produces small randomly shaped chunks of ice, is designed to be used either front or back of house. It was highly rated because it can produce 140kg of ice every 24 hours despite its small size - 388mm wide by 663mm deep and 874mm high.
"A whole new idea in griddle work," was how the judges described the AccuTemp Griddle from MCS TechnicalProducts, which won praise for being able to remain at a constant, even temperature of 190ºC over its entire surface by using a combination of steam and vacuum technology. When food hits the griddle surface, steam from the chamber condenses, adding heat to the food and heating the surface temperature of the griddle, thereby preventing variance in surface temperature.
"The power to cook good food faster" is the catch-phrase for the new Evolution combi-oven from Merrychef. And judges agreed that its speed flexibility was a new way of cooking. For instance, the oven will cook single- and multi-portions at temperatures up to 300ºC, and can be used both as a convection oven and microwave combination oven using up to 5,000kW of convected heat and 2,000kW of microwave energy.
A syringe-like food probe which controls the cooking process via a simple colour code table of browning levels is part of the IQT - Technology Cooking Process from Rational that impressed judges with its innovation. The probe is used in conjunction with the company's ClimaPlus combi-ovens. It is placed in the centre of a piece meat and controls the cooking time automatically, according to how the meat is to be cooked - there is sliding scale of one (pale brown) to seven (dark brown). The judges said it was a step forward in food safety because the probe doesn't have to be placed precisely in a joint centre. Once the food is ready the probe automatically halts the cooking process.
The TurboChef C3 - Countertop Model boasts cooking speeds up to seven times those of conventional ovens. For example, it can cook a rack of lamb in 160 seconds. It also features a high-velocity airflow with a convention oven of 6kW, microwave oven of 1kW and a microwave frequency of 2,450Hz. It stands 52.2cm high with a width of 68.5cm.
"This will push up the standards of food and hygiene control with its innovative design," said judges of the Houn's Challenger pass-through combination oven from Welbilt UK. The extra doors can be used for loading and unloading kitchen products from the oven between the servery or kitchen and for profiling "in store" by providing visual preparation in front of the customer. A 6-grid and 8-grid oven can also be housed as one, but controlled separately.
The Winterhalter Gastronom GS502 Series pass-through dishwasher features a hood type capable of washing about 1,080 plates an hour. For ease of use it has a colour-coded single operation button. When in use the button is blue (running), red (heating up) or green (ready for operation). An automatic self-clean system and self-drain system are built in, and entry height is 420mm. Judges praised it for its new technology and its energy efficiency.
Food & Drink
Judges felt that the range of organic pre-mixes launched under the new Country Oven label by Bakels Foodservice was an idea that was in tune with the future of the catering market. "They have come on to the market at the right time," said one. The range includes pre-mixes for white and wholemeal rolls, scones, Madeira cakes and muffins. All ingredients are approved by the Soil Association.
"Flexible for the middle-of-the-road caterer", as well as having an appeal for the wider market, was the judges' verdict on Crème à la Carte from Barry Callebaut. The chocolate- and cream-based product range of flavourings has a choice of five alcohol variants: basic (with neutral alcohol); Cointreau; Marc de Champagne; Amaretto, and Tia-Coffee, which can be used in confectionery, pastries and desserts. Although they are freshly made with white chocolate, cream and alcohol, the products can be stored at ambient temperatures for up to a year.
Medicinal benefits
The Stamp Collection Organic Wheat-free Spaghetti and Conchiglie from Buxton Foods was praised for its potential medicinal benefit and for being in line with current health issues. Being wheat-free, the judges said, the products allowed people with a wheat intolerance the chance to enjoy something as staple as pasta. The products are chilled with a 20-day shelf life and are suitable for freezing.
Cereal & Milk bars from Kellogg's were chosen because they let customers eat on the go. The use of some of the company's well-known brands (such as Coco Pops and Frosties) in bar form was described by one judge as "not only breakfast-on-the-go, but a space- and labour-saving food for the mass catering market - which won't have to worry about putting out bowls of cereal and milk." The bars are available in singles or multi-pack cases of singles holding 24 bars and multi-packs with 14 to a case.
Giving chefs the chance to offer flavours of the world conveniently packed into one selection of pastes was the Maggi World of Tastes paste range from Nestlé. The six flavours - Spicy Fajitas (Mexican-style), Red Cajun (New Orleans-style), Hot Chilli (Thai-style), Jamaican Spice (Caribbean-style), Lemon & Ginger (Shanghai-style), and Tikka Masala (Indian-style) - can be used straight in the pan, in stir-fries, curries, casseroles or as a marinade when mixed with water. Ambient after opening, the range has a shelf-life of 12 months and each pot yields up to 35 portions.
Two entries from Van den Bergh Foodservice‘s Garde D'Or brand showed true innovation. Both its six-variety range of herbs preserved in oil (basil, tarragon, dill, thyme, provence and garlic), and its seven-strong range of concentrate sauces (brown, tomato, cheese, white, hollandaise, curry and white roux) were deemed to be "quick and simple to use, fully user-friendly, allowing anyone to create a good sauce". The sauces can be added to boiling water to create a sauce, or used as a base for casseroles. Both come in resealable plastic bottles.
Lobster 2000 from Vin Sullivan Foods was thought by the judges to be excellent value for money at just under £6 for a 225g half portion. It is also distinguished from other frozen lobster products on the market by the fact that the head cavity of the Canadian-fished crustacean is removed and refilled with a mixture of lobster meat and roe. It comes flash frozen and after thawing can be served cold, or steamed, warmed or grilled.
