July 20, 2011 - 11:45am
Looking for a better oven
Hello guys! Currently we are supplying bread to a local Filipino restaurant which we deliver every Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Our current kitchen oven is just not enough to handle the workload. We've tried using all 3 trays at once but the bread does not bake evenly on all 3 trays. Thus using only 1 tray at a time is so time consuming. Does using a convection oven eliminate the uneven baking of a regular home kitchen oven?
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The convection helps, but I still flip my pans around and swap levels as well.
My home kitchen convection oven also has microwave capability, so the platform which hold the rack(s) rotates. Combined with the air flow, this seems to bake my loaves evenly without my havnig to shuffle them around. The downside is that it is not very big in terms of cooking bread for a restaurant.
I have a feeling that we might be expanding soon to another local Filipino Asian store as well (which is still in the works) so an oven that can definitely handle a larger workload would be needed. We have 6 dough mixers already and our kitchen oven seems to be the bottle neck. Each batch of bread takes 15mins to bake so if we can have an oven that can take 4-5 racks instead of 1 would really cut down the time needed.
What convection oven would you guys recommend? Any certain brand to look into?
I have a feeling that we might be expanding soon to another local Filipino Asian store as well (which is still in the works) so an oven that can definitely handle a larger workload would be needed. We have 6 dough mixers already and our kitchen oven seems to be the bottle neck. Each batch of bread takes 15mins to bake so if we can have an oven that can take 4-5 racks instead of 1 would really cut down the time needed.
What convection oven would you guys recommend? Any certain brand to look into?
One home oven has no hope of handling the output of 6 mixers, even if they are just 5 qt home style ones. (if so, they will probably be breaking pretty soon) You might want to consider going to a 30 qt or more commercial mixer as well.
I've seen proofer / oven combos that may be what you need. Then again, used deck ovens can be had for relatively very little money.
Check with a local restaurant equipment dealer. Ovens and mixers last "forever", so you might want to go with used stuff. Find a reputable dealer.
Cheers
Right now, we don't plan to go commercial as we are only baking to provide bread on our own time. We are not pressured to provide bread on a given time frame. But as far as I know, a lot of our time is wasted just waiting for a batch of bread to finish while the rest of the finished dough just sits there. It sometimes takes 4-5 hrs just completing a small batch of orders for the day. 1 batch (pan) of bread takes 15 minutes, if we can bake 4 pans of bread at 1 time, that would cut down our baking time to maybe 2 hours for the same amount of bread that took 5 hrs to prepare.
What do you guys think about this model oven?
http://kitchenheavenrestaurantequipment.com/American-Range-MSD-1-Convection-Oven-MSD-1.htm
When I suggested you "go commercial" I didn't mean you should open a shop etc. I meant you should look at commercial ovens. The one you gave a link for is a gas unit and will likely need venting.
In your place, I may be more inclined to look at deck ovens rather than convection.
The suggestion of finding a church with little used equipment and cuttin a deal with them sounds very good as well.
Cheers
if you go commercial you will probably have to upgrade electrical service to your house to accomodate commercial equipment. Look for a church or someplace that has a commercial kitchen only used sporadically that you could rent. May be cheaper than upgrading equipment.
I bought a commercial style home range years ago from a well know manufacturer and did quite a bit of research at that time. It turned out the commercial style range designed for the home was much more expensive than a regular commercial oven. Although I thought that was just do to markup, I did find out that a home oven has much more insulation and consumer safety features than the commercial oven . For example, most home ranges can be installed right up against wood cabinets and the drywall back wall ( zero clearance ) while the commercial range must has a setback from combustible surfaces - which is why you normally see some fire retardent material behind a commercial range such as tile. So the long explanation is I would suggest against putting a commercial oven or range in your house without making sure it is fire safe. I went to the American website and found the following on that oven which means it must be 12 inches from any combustible material, like cabinets, on each side, and at least 4 inches from any rear wall - unless it is noncombustible.
ClEARANCES
For use only on non-combustible floors. Legs or casters are required, or 2” (51mm) overhang
is required when curb mounted. Clearance from non-combustible walls is 0”. When unit is
placed next to combustible walls, clearances must exceed 12” (305mm) on sides, and 4”
(102mm) from rear. Radiant broilers for non-combustible locations only! American Range
is a quality manufacturer of commercial cooking equipment. Due to continuing product
improvements, these specifications are subject to change without prior notice
I am wresling with the same issue. Want more capacity and looking for commercial equipment. Leading candidate is:
http://www.webstaurantstore.com/vollrath-40702-proton-full-size-convection-oven-220v-anvil-coa8005/120COA8005%20%20220.html
Wondering though if I would be better off wi th a used blodgett full size convection.
At the moment my dream machine is a combi oven that combines steam and convection as it sounds incredibly versatile. Anyone use one?
Dan