The Caterer – Prime Cooking Equipment

It’s no secret that kitchens are getting smaller and smaller all the time. As a result, manufacturers have done a huge amount of development work aimed at making prime cooking equipment as small as possible whilst not compromising on key criteria such as power and output. This decreasing amount of space inevitably means chefs are asking more and more of their prime cooking equipment. So much so that looking forward to the kitchen of the future it is my opinion that with the continual development of catering equipment multifunctional appliances – i.e. equipment that is essentially two appliances in one – will become the “norm”.

But, returning to the present, what are chefs buying now? They still see certain pieces of equipment as “stalwarts” of their operation and these would include traditional items such as a combi oven; high output / quick recovery Fryer and blast chiller. The most recent additions to this list would be a high power, energy efficient induction hob (to replace high power gas burners), a Plancha Plate, Technical equipment for tasks such as sous vide (water Bath, Circulator, vacuum pack machine) and a chargrill/charcoal oven unit. The introduction of most of these ‘newer’ items can be attributed to a combination of high food and energy prices which means that chefs need to have equipment that maximises both their yield and energy consumption. I think it is also fair to say that chefs are now much more open to new ideas and concepts for cooking than they were a few years ago. There is now much greater interest in cooking amongst the general public and so the chefs are constantly exploring new ways to stay ahead of the field.

In terms of current innovation in the field of prime cooking equipment Grande Cuisine can offer a number. Adventys induction planchas that heat up super-fast, hold temperature accurately and are easy to use/clean. Plasma bratt pans from Capic which are ideal for large volumes and, like the induction planchas, heat up super-fast and hold temperature extremely accurately.

Looking forward, Adventys will very soon be offering a smart plate dressing table called ‘InducArt’ which is aimed at the fine dining sector and will replace the traditional hot pass. The concept of this is that the base and centre of the plate will be heated to the desired temperature while the plate is dressed without the surrounding surface getting too hot to touch. This will mean better control of food holding/no more food that has dried out on the pass because it is too hot and no need for waiting staff to say to customers “please be careful as the plate will burn you!”

For further information on products in the Grande Cuisine portfolio, which includes equipment from Athanor, Adventys, and Capic, please call 01908 745540 or visit www.grandecuisine.co.uk.