Not so long ago you'd be able to walk into a commercial kitchen and see the same equipment lineup - 6 burner gas stove with an oven underneath - in European kitchens you'll probably see a target top, deep fryer - usually not the correct type for the establishment, flat grill & maybe a char grill if the venue required, bain marie and in more recent years you'll most certainly see a combi-oven.
We can see a huge change over the next 10 years and if you haven't heard the movement has already started ion hospitality kitchens. And interestingly in Australian kitchens at least, it will be propelled by necessity not just because of the next shiny chef toy, although we do love their easy to use, labour minimising, superior control features versus traditional cooking equipment - not to say that solid fuel hasn't made a comeback.
Here are 10 reasons why we're seeing an immediate uptake in these new technologies in Australian commercial restaurant & cafe kitchens:
- Labour cost savings in cafes & restaurants
- Increased production capacities thereby reducing 'make' frequencies, reducing overheads and increasing consistency
- Save on kitchen space by have multi function cooking equipment
- Bain maries are outdated with heated benches & sous vide.
- Rational & Combi-Ovens in general such as Unox are updated constantly with better faster technology, cheaper to operate & easier to clean
- Superior reliability & longer warranties: up to 5 years on SKOPE Refrigeration & 4 Years on Unox Combi-Ovens with internet connection to get ahead of any commercial kitchen equipment repairs that need to take place. Eliminating or greatly reducing downtime repairs and maintenance.
- Equipment is quicker & cheaper to service like SKOPE Activecore 2 technology with a cartridge compressor for most of their new units including the new line of Skope Pegasus Series in September 2019
- Energy efficiency - There are huge differences in operation cost such as electricity consumption from one piece of kitchen & bar equipment to the next currently refrigeration and combi-ovens are a great example we could talk much more about. The benefits of choosing the most energy efficient char grill on the market can see a reduction of your gas bill by 40-60% Synergy Grills have superior efficiency with compromising on flavour. See our Synergy blog here.
- Freezers are out, at least in some functions - Blast freezers are in. A little know fact is that traditional freezers aren't designed to 'pull down' temperature to -18. Commercial freezers are only designed to maintain temperature. Enter the Blast Freezer or also known as the Blast Chiller. It's not just about food safety, it's also about superior quality and how the ice crystals form during the freezing & regeneration process - therefore the quality & shelf life of the food product. Worth a look at is the Irinox blast chiller/freezer range - Totally superior functionality in the Irinox MF series or for simple operation look at the Irinox EF series.
- Holding cabinets. Both Hot & Cold holding technology like the Irinox CP One or NICE Cabinet is revolutionising the way we think about food preparation & serving for all venue types from cafes & restaurants to aged care to Fast Casual Dining & QSR. Unox Evereo - Service Temperature Food Preserving - is a new technology that has been designed to preserve food at the temperature at which it is served and eaten. Your able to cook the food and hot hold the cooked food without the need to chill down the food. This greatly reduced bacteria colonies & increases speed of service saving 11 minutes plus per meal on average. This is our pick for the biggest food technology development & will change commercial kitchens and home kitchens alike.
- Precise cooking giving better, cleaner & faster cooking such as induction cooking & in particular Polyscience Control Freak having great features
Combine all these reasons together and you'll see why we should all embrace technology in commercial kitchens - you'll be throwing cheaper, outdated & cooking equipment not fit for purpose (by comparison) straight into the fire - pun intended.
Industry Kitchens are always available to discuss your options further.
