Hypermarkets as well as shopping malls are integrating food service more and more into their activities. That’s why technological developments for these companies are very interesting. To use space optimally, to simplify processes, to make mobile cooking easier, to cut down on re-sources; these are some of the topics in the following article.
From the many innovations that have been developed for professional cooks, food retail could also profit. For instance, one of the specialists for combi-steamers has combined the technology of this device with that of in-store baking ovens. In this way, meals in a hypermarket can be cooked for guests and baked goods can be baked. Another example is of equipment, which can be used in the smallest space. For instance the manufacturers of combi-steamers or dishwashers have developed products, which have a required floor space of less than a square meter. In spite of this “miniaturization”, they offer the basic functions of the larger ones. Regardless of the size of consumer markets or shopping malls, the proprietors attach a lot of importance to an efficient use of space. Equipment that offers innovative solutions for this arouses a marked interest. The same goes for cooking and heating processes, which clearly speed up work routines at serving stations. Whereby, one of the main technologies is the induction. For some time now, it is not only used for the cooking process or regeneration, but also used for such like keeping food warm.
Innovation/Optimization – a broad subject
Innovations often need several years until they have gained acceptance on the market. That’s why we don’t only present entirely new products, but also those that have already made some progress in their acceptance. Some decision makers first consider a product when it has reached this stage. Then manufacturers have often already implemented the first product improvements. Innovations don’t only apply to equipment, but also to the service that is connected with it. That’s why we are also presenting an innovative system by which the customers of a manufacturer can order spare parts online without a problem. But we are beginning with the hardware.
Innovative, Flexible, and Mobile Kitchen Systems
Quite a few head chefs have already thought: “How wonderful it would be, if I could just stick my kitchen block under my arm and cook on the unit of my nursing home or at our summer party in the park just like in my own kitchen”. Many manufacturers offer innovative solutions for these wishes. We will present some of them to our readers.
Rieber – is specialized in solving complex cooking processes with innovative, small and mobile equipment that can be combined, if necessary, with an efficient composite construction that has a large capacity. In order to meet these demands, it isn’t enough to manufacture the appropriate piece of equipment; one also needs the attachments for it, which can be used in a multi functional way. The company is located with some of its subsidiaries in Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux countries, and Great Britain and is represented in all of the other European countries by partner-ships.
High-Tech Composite Material
An innovative example for this is the thermal plates, a cooking utensil in gastro-norm format; they are manufactured from the recyclable composite material, Swiss ply. One of the many advantages of this material with regard to the use in professional kitchens is that it can endure heat very well, passes it on particularly steady and gently, is light and corrosion resistant, and can also be used on cooking plates with induction. Rieber offers different types of sets like for the preparation of pasta or fish, for steam cooking etc.
Vacuum-Packed Without Transferring Products from One Container to Another
Even with a comparably simple product like a lid for a gastro-norm container, innovative ideas can be implemented as the following example shows. To store meals under vacuum has, amongst other things, the advantage that one can store it longer without freezer burn. Besides that, during the storage neither odorous substances nor flavor additives can be transferred. Before the vacuuming process, an employee has to transfer the food into a special container and put it into a chamber or sealing machine. This takes time. Most of the time, some of the goods also get loss with this procedure. Rieber solves the problem without transferring goods from one container to another, namely with special lids; the so called vaculids. Containers with different sizes can be closed with these. A vacuum pump is put on the vaculid, which pulls out the oxygen that is in the container problem-free.
Cooking and Baking in the Smallest Space
On the one hand, many retailers have little space, but on the other hand they would like to offer their customers some warm meals. Even in food courts, one has to be often very stingy with each square meter of space. In spite of that, the range of goods should be very broad in order to be able to attract the largest possible number of guests. In both cases, solutions for the efficient use of space for cooking and/or baking are in demand.
The hybrid kitchen from Rieber is connected to an outlet with 230V and can be used as a stationary or mobile cooking, respectively cooling unit. On about 0.6 m², the operator can cook, bake, or regenerate and at request even with steam and with different temperatures in five chambers of the cooking unit. Cooling plates transform the piece of equipment into a cooling unit. With a filling volume of 78 liters (8 x 1/1 GN, 65 mm or 4 x 1/1 GN -100+ 1 GN – 150 mm), up to 60 people can be provided for with one piece of equipment. By cooking time of about 120 minutes, it uses 6.8 kW electricity, i.e.0.11 kW per portion.
Manitowoc – Merrychef is engaged in entirely different areas of the international food service business with different brands like Merrychef (fast cooking system), Frymaster (high performance fryers), Cleveland (steam cooking kettles, steamers) Lincoln (Impinger conveyor ovens, or Garland (seller of systems, amongst other things, for multi-chain restaurants).
Fast Cooking in the Smallest Space
With the oven e2, Merrychef offers a compact piece of equipment with easy touch screen technology for companies with little floor space – 0.4m² is enough. In the combi steamer, meals and snacks can be prepared in a continual high quality. Planar Plums, the patented heat transfer, provides for a fast cooking process and homogenous browning. Cooking with the rapid cooking technology runs up to ten times faster than that with the conventional procedure. There is often even a noticeable decline in the energy consumption.
Deep Fat Fryer – Oil Savings: 40%
To consume less oil and energy with the same frying capacity, the product developers of the frying station OCF 30 series from Frymaster set this goal. They are able to implement this with the fat filter system “Fool Print Pro” and the oil control system “Oil Attendant”. The last product not only filters out used oil but also supplies the system with fresh oil. Therefore, the oil controller holds the ratio between both oils constant and makes a first-class performance at a qualitative high level possible. At the same time it lowers the use of oil down to 40% and that of energy down to 10%. The fully automatic electronic control “Smart4you 3000” controls the oil management, records it, and offers 20 frying programs. Trainees can handle the unit without a problem. Frymaster offers a two-lever electrical process with 14 and 17 kW as well as a gas operation.
Keeping Food Hot
Keeping food warm, transporting and serving – these have been Scholl’s core competence areas for over 60 years. Whereby technically speaking, an important priority is on the induction. For everything that is to be kept warm, Scholl has developed the R: T: C: S (real time temperature control system). Thus, the users can set the temperature to keep their meals warm exactly from 50 to 100° and keep the temperature permanently. This has the big advantage that the energy supply in the bottoms of the pans, pots, and GN containers can be exactly adjusted to the qualities of the meals.
Mobile Problem Solution for Exit Air
Whoever cooks right in front of the eyes of the guests is advised to think about how he can bring exit air under control, because a little bit of unpleasant smell can very well drive the guests away permanently. Quite a few years ago, Blanko brought out an innovative and very effective system on the market called “Blanko Cook”. In the meantime, other manufacturers have also followed up with compact, mobile units.
Ubert is one of these. In its mobile front cooking system “CleanAirMobile”, the medium-size company has integrated an exhaust system that is only 300mm high, which draws off the exit air in front of the kitchen equipment. A maintenance-free active carbon filter cleans it. The system can be expanded flexibly to the left side as well as to the right. But the suction device can also be combined with equipment from other manufacturers.
Rieber equips a unit by request with an exhaust system that fulfills similar functions.
Stationary Problem Solutions for Exit Air
If the exit air cannot be cleaned enough and by this and, for example, unpleasant odors arise, a subsequent treatment is necessary. Units that produce ozone with pipes or spotlights, solve this task very effectively. But it is not enough only to kill microorganisms. In order to remove them, an oxidation process has to be initiated. For this, the wave lengths of the UV-C rays have to be less than 200 nm (nanometers, 10-9 m). Only then, that specific organic connection can come into being, which keeps the ventilation system free from fat and smells. By the way, the ozone that is produced by the UV rays in these units is not a problem for the environment. It is different from the other ozone, which arises through an electrical charge like lightening or burning processes in autos. Because of the high energy, nitrogen oxides arise, which is very problematic in connection with this ozone, for instance, with regard to smog. So, UV-C units are very effective, but can only be installed, if the channel of the ventilation system has a specific length. This is compulsory so that the medium can unfold its effectiveness. With the contact time of the gases from 2.7 to 3.0 seconds and a flow rate of the air with 6 m/s, a distance of c. 18 m is necessary. UV-C is a technology that different manufacturers like for instance, Rentschler-Reven, Systair, or Bäro GmbH offer. If UV-C units cannot be installed, the operator has to examine other solutions like the installation of plasma equipment.
Backups and Product Documentation in Online Access
Eloma belongs to the Italian Ali group, which offers presumably the largest multi-brand equipment program for the out of home market all over the world. Eloma looks for a solution to speed up the maintenance and repair of its combi-steamers and baking ovens. That’s why management has had a documentation of spare parts as well as technological documents developed, which is supported by a data bank. In the file ECDT (Eloma Complete Documentation Tool), it offers their customer the fastest possible up-to-date online access for finding numbers of spare parts, serial numbers, article numbers or terms. Detailed explosion hazards of the different building groups and a magnifying glass function support the search.
Rapid Cooling/Blast Freezing
Hygiene plays a big roll in rapid cooling. Some manufacturers require that food has to be covered during the rapid chilling process so that no microorganisms collect on the food. Nevertheless, these safety measures result in the extension of the rapid chilling time. Sanigen is an innovative, patented hygiene safety system from Irinox. It keeps each area of the interior room permanently sterile, therefore ventilators, evaporators, or core temperature sensors too. It eliminates odorous substances and prevents the transference of a food’s condiment and flavoring agents from one to the other. Because air is circulated even with equipment that is not used, it is guaranteed that even during the “stationary state” it is hygienically safe. Since the sixth generation that Irinox was brought out on the market a few years ago, the company equips all of its equipment with the innovative “Sanigen”.
There will also be very interesting innovations in professional kitchen technology in the future. The optimization of required space will remain a topic just as cutting down on resources. New technologies like the nanotechnology will develop new areas of use. Some manufacturers attach a great deal of importance to attractive design. The times in which kitchen technical equipment only has to fulfill a function are over. Form and color are becoming more and more important. Because food retailers with large space integrate more and more food service into their activities, all of these technological developments in the market of the dining out industry are extremely relevant.