WHAT COOKING EQUIPMENT TO BUY?

What to look for Ovens

Ovens take numerous forms, from the normal static variety (most typically incorporated within a range, complete with hob top)to convection ovens where the heated air is circulated inside the compartment by means of fans, achieving faster and more even heat-up.

Despite the appeal of the combi-steamer, convection ovens can still hold their own in dedicated applications such as baked potatoes, bake-off of frozen dough products and regeneration of ready-prepared meals. They typically cost 20-30 per cent less than a combi and can be easier to operate. They also come in a wider range of shapes and sizes, notably those related to standard baking trays (whereas virtually all combis are Gastronorm-based).

Many convection ovens are also fitted with built-in humidifiers or water injectors to deal with jobs requiring humidity. A comparative test of meat shrinkage rates indicated 21 per cent using a convection oven with humidifier - not much different to the 18 per cent obtained in a combi-steamer and better than the 34 per cent achieved in an ordinary range oven.

Other ovens suited to specific applications include:

Potato ovens: operationally similar to conventional static or convection ovens but usually with an extra warming chamber to hold the potatoes after baking. External styling typically features decorative metalwork and enamelling to convey a traditional "Victorian" look.

Slow roast ovens have extra heavy insulation to enable joints of meat to cook overnight for maximum yield and succulence. They often have a cook-and-hold facility where extra controls enable the cooked joint to be stored at a controlled temperature for several hours without further cooking.

Rotary ovens bake pies, poultry, etc, by constant rotation within a unit which is normally glass-fronted and illuminated to maximise point-of-sale impact.

Deck ovens comprise one or more shallow height compartments with top and bottom heat for baking bread, pizza and patisserie. Stone-base compartments suit the baking of pizzas directly on the deck base for more authentic results. Wood fired versions of pizza ovens can be obtained in the form of kits enabling building in situ.

Conveyor ovens cook pizza and other dishes by infra-red elements or forced air heating above and below the conveyor belt which holds the food.

Smoke ovens introduce smoke, typically by burning a small quantity of hickory chips, into the cooking process. Some models work under pressure.

Steamers

Water converted to steam transfers five to six times as much energy to food as plain boiling water. Contain that steam in a pressure steamer and you get very rapid results - which need careful timing - while preserving colour, taste, nutrient levels and texture. Pressure steaming is also excellent for bulk regeneration, taking frozen food through defrosting and cooking in one rapid, continuous sequence.

However, compartment sizes tend to be small. Pressureless steamers are somewhat slower but more generously sized and cost less. There are several other variations, such as variable pressure steamers and pressure/pressureless steamers. However, steamers generally face competition from the increasingly ubiquitous and cheaper combi-steamer.

Atmospheric steamers (sometimes known as "fog boxes") still have their fans, particularly kitchens which cook lots of puddings. Steam rises from a heated water well in the generously sized cavity or enters the compartment from an external steam source to provide a gentle wet heat.

Grills

Overhead grills, where a cast-metal brander plate cooks the underside of the food while the topside is cooked by radiant heat, are widely associated with steaks, chops and bacon grilling. Variable angle branders facilitate simultaneous rare, medium and well-done results. Grills can also provide finishing, gratinating and warming facilities.

Floating head salamander grills, with three open sides into which large platters can be easily inserted, suit many finishing tasks with heat intensity varied by raising or lowering the moveable head containing the heat source.

Simulated charcoal grills, usually known as char grills or broilers comprise a heat source (typically gas burners) beneath a an intermediate layer of lava stones which radiates intense heat upwards onto the food, with grease from the food being consumed by the hot stones. A similar set-up is found on most commercial barbecues, which typically operate on LPG (liquefied petroleum gas); the most appropriate units for function catering use are built for portability or have mobile bases.

Rotisseries have become an increasingly visible grilling format, with a series of gas or electric heating sources aligned vertically to subject rotating spits of meat to intense heat. The slowly turning food creates a sense of theatre which design of units reflects. From an energy-saving viewpoint, it is important to be able to operate spits and heat levels independently.

Griddles

Of equipment which cooks by contact rather than radiant heat, griddles suit a big range of tasks from breakfast fry-ups to hamburgers, steaks and pancakes. Compared to cast iron or stainless steel, chrome-plated griddles are generally considered to obtain optimum heat concentration while being much quicker to clean but surfaces incorporating Ceran glass, Teflon or with water sealed into a hollow surface are all claimed to offer enhanced performance, too.,

Clam-shell variants of flat griddles, which have a hot-plate hinged on a counterbalanced mechanism to fold down over the main plate, enable both sides of burgers and other meats to be cooked in half the time. This same method of cooking is also employed on contact or sandwich grills, which are basically scaled-down portable griddles for cooking 1-2 portions at a time.

There is also a wide choice of grooved surface griddles which simulate the branding effects more typically associated with radiant grilling and also "half and half" griddles which are part-grooved and part-flat.

A further variation of the griddle for relatively low volume users and kitchens with limited space and/or budget is the drop-on griddle or fry-plate, a portable plate which is simply placed over the burners of a gas range-top when needed.

For specialised tasks like hot dog production, roller grills comprising a series of constantly moving heated rollers enable large numbers of sausages to be cooked and held on open display on the countertop.

Toasters

Options in heavy duty toasters range from pop-up models - with 2 to 12 slots for bread, bun halves, or both - to compact upright rotary machines and horizontal conveyor grills for continuous high throughput. Sandwich toasting machines are also available in various formats.

Ranges

The range in its many forms continues to be the basic workhorse of many traditional kitchens and may also incorporate many other appliances. Starter models typically comprises a four or six plate hob on an oven base, possibly with a griddle section alongside the hob and/or a built-in overhead grill. Hybrid oven-hob permutations are available eg for chefs who prefer electricity for roasting but gas for hob-cooking.

Levels of duty continue to be an area of debate with many suppliers making somewhat free use of the term "heavy duty". There are basically three levels:

l light duty ranges are typically employed in front-of-house situations in cafes and bars and comprise a wide range of interlocking items with a shallow front-to-back dimension of 500-600mm.

l medium duty or restaurant ranges are normally built to 700mm front-to-back depth and suit traditional hob-top cooking tasks, with ovens often fitted underneath for baking, roasting and warming.

l heavy duty ranges are generally made to larger overall size (900mm deep)with heavier materials and more robust components. Some series, especially French-made bespoke ranges, can be installed in island formats with pass-over tops and pass-through ovens for working on both sides.

Induction hobs, which can be built into ranges or operated on stands, add a new dimension to electric cooking by transferring energy electro-magnetically direct to the metal saucepan on the ceramic hob, greatly increasing speed and controllability while minimising energy consumption.

Latest induction hobs are more reliable, lower in price and available in various formats (portable table-top units, build-in units and within composite oven-ranges). Various other rapid transfer heat sources are also now available under one-piece vitro-ceramic glass tops, including halogen, infra-red and fully-enclosed gas burners. Energy saving is not quite as high as on induction but any kind of pan can be used.

Bratt pans and kettles

Among larger appliances, the bratt pan or tilting skillet is one of the most versatile. These big rectangular pans, mounted on a tilting mechanism, can be used for shallow frying, griddling, poaching, stewing, braising and boiling in bulk quantities. Pressurised versions, most associated with Elro, have a lid which seals shut, enabling cooking to be maintained at much reduced time and energy output.

Kettles, typically floor-mounted on a tilting mechanism, also suit volume production, particularly of soups, stocks and stews.

What to buy

COOKING EQUIPMENT - GENERAL

RANG= ranges; IND HOBS=induction hobs; conv=convection ovens; pot=potato baker; GRID=griddles; BRAT= bratt pans; KETT=kettles; CHAR=char-grills; OHED=overhead grills/salamanders; STEA=steamers; PzOv=pizza ovens; ROTIS= rotisserie ovens

SUPPLIER RANG IND OVENS GRID BRAT KETT GRILLS STM PzOv ROTI

HOBS conv -DLE PAN -LE char ohed

Allied Drink Sys l

Angelo Po l l l l l l l

BGL BarrtGray l l l l l l l

Bakers Pride l l l l

G.F.E.Bartlett l l l l l l

Blue Seal l l l l l l

Buttress l l l l l

Bonnet Cidelcem l l l l l l l l

Caterbake l l

Dawson l l l l l l l l

Electrolux l l l l

Elro l l l l l l

Euro Catering l l l l l l

Equip Line l l l l l l

Falcon l l l l l l l l

Frialator l l l l l l

Grundy l l l l l

Hickory Industries l l

Hobart l l l l l

Imperial Elite l l l l l

Induced Energy l

Lincat l l l l l l l

Malibu Corporation l l

MCS Tech Services l l l l

Parry Catering l l l l

Pickwick Ovens l

Roller Grill l l l l l l l l l

R.V.Rutland l l l l

Servequip l l

Taylor Company l

Trident Rotisseries l l

Valera l

Victorian Bak Ovens l

Viscount l l l l

Welbilt l l l l l l l l

Wolf l l l

Zanussi l l l l l l l l