The Alliance Online Catering Equipment Blog

Rational Combi-Oven

The combi-oven is the most versatile piece of catering equipment any professional kitchen can have. Their name is derived from the fact they can ‘combine’ several cooking functions in one kitchen appliance. They can steam, bake, roast and “dry-fry” chips, breaded and battered frozen products using the residual fat in the coating. As many different foods and cooking processes can be used in a single day, their versatility can also lead to problems. Here are some useful care tips to help avoid any issues.

• Keep the oven clean – This may be an obvious tip but different flavours and smells used in the oven throughout the day can transfer across meals. Keep your combi oven clean between dishes to avoid this.
• Don’t slam the doors – Combi-oven doors need to kept firmly shut but slamming the doors can lead to unnecessary damage and require servicing and seals to be replaced prematurely. Train kitchen staff to keep the oven doors closed but not to slam.
• Don’t overload the oven – Aside from affecting the ovens performance it can also lead to a build up of food debris in seals and the fat drains.
• Use with care – Combination ovens use a mixture of water, heat, electricity and computer circuitry in one cooking machine. Sounds like a recipe for disaster but simple common sense when operating the combi-oven will avoid accidents and an early visit from the service engineer.

Combi-Ovens – Buy Online

Ingredients

• 100g (4oz) plain flour
• 1 egg
• 300ml (1/2 pint) milk
• oil for frying

Instructions

To make the pancake batter, add the milk, egg and then the flour and blend using an electric blender or food processor. Or if a blender is not available, sift the flour and salt into a bowl. Add the egg and beat well. Then add the milk gradually and beat to make a smooth batter.

Heat a little oil in a large frying pan until hot and then pour enough batter to thinly coat the base of the pan. Cook for a couple of minutes each side.

I’ve just asked around the Alliance Online office to find out some of the team’s favourite toppings…

Emma – Grilled bananas and Nutella

Mike – Lemon and Sugar

Viki – Maple syrup and sugar

Mark – Blueberries and Ice Cream

Tanya – Honey and crushed almonds

Rachael – Stewed Apples

Feel free to leave a comment with your favourite pancake topping.

Image by sonicwalker

The Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) begins in April this year and marks a new chapter in the effort to make the catering industry much “greener”.

Catering equipment manufacturers everywhere are working on products to help reduce the carbon footprint, a few of which are mentioned below. Remember though, the solution isn’t always to simply buy new models. Saving energy can be as easy as keeping doors shut on ovens, fridges and other kitchen appliances. Regularly servicing your ranges, fryers or combination ovens is another way to help maintain energy efficiency.

• Falcon are unveiling a new induction range as an extension to boiling table launched in 2009. Falcon say the range with fan assisted oven fits within a 900mm footprint and offers 90% more efficiency “compared to no more than 60% with a gas burner”.
• Charvet has launched what it describes as “the gas alternative to induction”. When a pan is placed on an open burner, the microswitch is depressed and the gas lights immediately; as the pan is removed, the supply of gas stops. The company claims this can save caterers more than £1600 a year, meaning the machine pays for itself.
• Toasters are often left on because once switched off they can take a long time to regain temperature. Hatco are developing a power-saving version of it’s Toast-Qwik conveyor toaster which “switches the toaster automatically to ‘power save’ after 30 mins of inactivity.

Image by Tuxtable

We’ve tried to make catering for this event a little easier by putting together a special list of products on the website. With everything from rice bowls and woks to bamboo steamers and oriental food boxes – hopefully you will find everything to help celebrate this occasion in traditional style.