CHICAGO — Earlier this week, the 2010 Kitchen Innovations (KI) Award winners were announced by the National Restaurant Association (NRA). Each year, KI winners are selected by an independent panel of experts, recognizing new and groundbreaking equipment on the worldwide foodservice market.
“Each panel member has the hands-on experience to recognize true innovation, which is what makes our KI program so exciting,” said Ira Cohn, convention chair for NRA Show 2010 and president of Aramark Business and Industry Group. “These products will make restaurants run faster, smoother and more efficiently, which will result in better customer service and higher quality food.”
All the KI award-winning products will be showcased in an interactive demonstration area at the 2010 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place, from May 22 to 25. For more information, visit the Show website here.
Until then, the 2010 Kitchen Innovations Award recipients are:
Activeion Cleaning Solutions, LLC – The ionator EXP
A handheld, on-demand power cleaner that converts tap water into ionized water — a powerful dirt-removing, bacteria-killing agent. When used as directed, the ionator kills 99.999 per cent of harmful bacteria without using toxic chemicals.
Alto-Shaam, Inc. – The Alto-Shaam CombiTouch
An intuitive pictorial and video graphic touch-screen control, the CombiTouch commands the basic and advanced cooking functions for 250 standard and customized recipes and training, without operators having to read text.
Champion Industries – E2series Flight with Quad Rinse
A unique link between the conveyor and the water-flow control conserves water and energy use, as hot water input is reduced proportionately, when the speed of the conveyor is slowed.
Champion Industries – Heat Recovery Unit with Temp-Sure System
This innovation eliminates the need to pre-heat the final rinse water, to conserve energy, while the temp-sure system continually monitors outlet temperature and adjusts airflow to maintain the proper rinse temperature.
Ecolab – Scrub-N-Go Cordless Floor Scrubber
This compact scrubber replaces the daily mop and bucket. It cleans, scrubs, vacuums and dries, all in one pass. With its rapid-recharge lithium battery, Scrub-N-Go scrubs at 1045 rpm and the powerful vacuum leaves floors virtually dry and safe.
Henny Penny Corporation – iControl for Evolution Elite
The Gas Evolution Elite Open Fryer now offers the new iControl, which monitors all fryer activity and provides the operator with data to improve oil usage, meet product quality standards and continuously optimize frying operations.
Hobart Corporation – Ventless AM Warewasher
The Hobart AM Ventless eliminates the need for purchase and installation of a hood. It’s the first ventless door-type that recaptures water vapour and condenses it to heat the incoming cold water inlet for the final rinse cycle.
Irinox USA, LLC – Multi Fresh Blast Chillers
Multi Fresh brings it all together — blast chill, shock freeze, rapid thaw and proofing — controlled by its Dynamic Fresh System, which allows you to cook, hold and serve optimal food freshness.
Manitowoc Beverage Systems/Manitowoc Foodservice – TRUfill Beverage Dispensing System
This unique system dispenses beverages, most notably draft beer, in 84 per cent less server time. It delivers the “perfect pour” via a nozzle that engages through a one-way resealable valve at the bottom of the cup.
Merrychef / Manitowoc Foodservice – eikon Accelerated Cooking Oven
The new eikon series of speed ovens offer an icon-driven touch-screen operation enabling instant menu management with archive capacity, ethernet updates, operator training and service maintenance instructions.
Middleby Corp. – Middleby Marshall Mini WOW Oven
This high-speed conveyer oven with the Middleby Marshall patented energy-eye and motor-sleep mode technology automatically powers down between uses and saves 30 per cent in energy versus previous models.
Middleby Corp. – Southbend Ultimate Range
The Ultimate Range is completely configurable to customers’s needs. Design your own range, using its dedicated website, offering an array of options like gas tops with electric ovens, front sauté burners with high-output backburners and many more.
Multiplex/Manitowoc Foodservice – Blend In Cup Smoothie Machine
This small footprint, refrigerated Blend-In-Cup machine produces a wide range of quality smoothies and dairy-based beverages. All ingredients are onboard, including the ice machine, and its touch-screen allows operators to manage inventory and operational procedures.
Oliver Packaging & Equipment Company – Mini Chip Slicer
This countertop slicer is designed to safely and efficiently create healthy snack chips. The blade-frame guard makes cleaning safe. Easily replace blade cartridge: no service call required.
Perfect Fry Company – Spin Fresh Centrifugal Fryer
Perfect Fry’s countertop fryer uses Spin Fresh technology with a built-in spinner basket. After cooking, it spins off the excess oil during a finishing convection cooking step, to provide reduced calories and enhanced taste experience.
Vegawatt – Vegawatt Cogeneration System
Vegawatt is a fully automated and work-flow integrated energy cogeneration (CHP) system that generates on-site electricity and hot water for foodservice operations by using the waste vegetable oil from their fryers as a fuel source.
