By Denise Deveau
As restaurateurs continue to face labour, supply and inflationary challenges, a growing number of them are looking for equipment that can take care of several aspects of kitchen operations. With that in mind, combi oven and accelerated-cooking technologies are rapidly gaining traction in their quest to reduce staff shortages, food shrinkage, and footprint.
Speed (and size) matters
Accelerated-cooking innovation is gaining a bigger foothold in cafe and quick-service environments, says Christopher Knight, senior management and business development consultant, The Fifteen Group in Toronto. “There are ovens that combine convection, microwave and infrared that can cook high-quality food items in just a few minutes. We’re seeing a lot of them entering gas-station operations.”
“The combination of convection and microwave in models such as Merrychef and TurboChef allows for the heat penetration as well as the roasting and browning capabilities you can’t get with microwave alone,” says Les Richenhaller, restaurant consultant and concept developer, Good Eats Consulting in Ottawa.
Rapid-cook technologies such as the ACP XpressChef high-speed oven are ideal for multi-cooking needs, notes Ibrahim Tams, executive chef consultant, Ontario for Foodservice Solutions in Milton, Ont. “You can use them for sandwiches, retherming, steaming and baking, and it’s all ventless.”
New smaller-footprint entries include the Angelo Pro PRACTICO combi that takes up less than 52 cm of space. “QSR operators that are tight for space are looking at these types of systems because they can be mounted on a wall or on a shelf. Everyone wants mini combis now,” says Granett Douglas, vice-president of Foodservice at GBS Foodservice Equipment Inc. in Oakville, Ont.
Another popular option is the Lainox Oracle, a new system that marries combi wave and high-speed cooking in a single countertop-size unit without the need for ventilation or water-supply connections.
Combis taking the workload
Combi technology has come so far in the last couple of years, says Knight. “Systems that can cook multiple items at the same are highly efficient, and very quick. We are recommending them a lot more.”
With the ongoing labour shortages, operators are looking for easy-to-use functional equipment they can organize their entire workflow around, whether it’s a small chain, senior-living facility, or high-volume catering operation, says Louis Philippe Audette, president Rational Canada based in Mississauga, Ont. “The two trigger words in kitchen are safety and efficiency. These are the two biggest benefits technology can bring to the kitchen.”
When Kevin Young, owner of Benny’s Breakfast Bar in Calgary opened his restaurant in December 2016, he was managing the output for the ‘50s-style diner using two deep fryers, two big flat tops, an open-flame grill, six burners and an oven.
As business grew, he was unable to keep up, so in 2021 he dispensed with the old equipment and installed Rational combi ovens. Today he has a collection of two small, two half-pan, and one half-pan 10-rack models to handle all the cooking functions, as well as an iVario for wet and contact cooking such as sauces and omelettes for a total investment of about $150,000. “As far as I know, I’m the only single operator that has gone this far with combis,” says Young.
He estimates 90 to 95 per cent of the food his restaurant serves is produced with the Rationals. “We even used them to poach the eggs and cook hash browns. They can do so many different things. One oven is set to steam and can poach 24 eggs at a time in four-and-a-half minutes.”
As a smaller operation (the restaurant seats 88 and the patio another 40) it was essential to provide efficient service. “We eliminated a lot of thinking that goes into service because the ovens are doing the work for the crew,” he says. “We can even build sandwiches and then put them in the oven for toasting and melting.”
The biggest consideration for Young was the speed factor. “Over the weekend, we get 500 covers a day and can keep the bill time (from the time the order is rung in to when the food hits the window) to under 15 minutes. We can operate with five servers taking orders on their tablets.”
Thomas Chang, co-founder of the Prepshop in Aurora, Ont. is another convert to full-scale combi operations. Prepshop produces about 3,000 prepared meals a week out of its recently acquired 3,000-sq.-ft. facility. “For the first three years we used a convection oven,” he says. “As we grew, we changed to the Combistar by Angelo Pro combi ovens to handle all our output.”
The two Combistar units cost a little more than $30,000. “Because the combi can cook with moisture, it eventually pays for itself because it not only reduces cooking time, but also shrinkage,” says Chang. “That’s something that can’t be understated. The pressurized steaming chamber is very cool and very quick. We use that for parboiling potatoes and sometimes for fish. We only have two combis now, but we will be adding more.”
Consider the finer points
Douglas notes that while people often talk about the many things that combis can do, “They can gloss over the physical construction, which can be the most problematic piece of water-related equipment.”
He suggests operators look beyond the bells and whistles and consider the construction and material used in making the equipment. “A lot of people are wowed by the demos, but don’t sweat the same details around the construction, how the steam is created and the serviceability. These are all indicative of the quality of the unit.”
He adds that water quality is another important consideration. “Think about how hard the water is in the municipality and the grade of the stainless steel in the oven you are purchasing and water treatment options. It’s not exciting, but it’s important.”
“These days operators have to maximize whatever they can,” says Richenhaller. “Efficient cooking equipment is how they can do it.”
