Baxter, recognized for superior, durable baking and cooking equipment, featured a completely new kind of oven, the VersaOven. Providing a unique level of versatility, speed and simplification for busy kitchens, the VersaOven combines the best features of convection, rotisserie and combi ovens into an easy-to-use, all-in-one, self-cleaning oven that can save kitchens time, money, space and headaches.
Alto-Shaam showcased its full-size and countertop Vector Multi-Cook Ovens. With a single oven, Alto-Shaam chefs prepared items like cinnamon rolls, breakfast sandwiches, pizza and more in a single oven.
“As kitchen equipment does get smaller, it can make the back of the house smaller. This favors multi-function players,” says Bill Davis, sales manager at Edward Don & Company, a leading distributor of foodservice equipment, who spoke at the 2018 National Restaurant Association Show.
TurboChef rapid cook ovens feature a combination of two or more heat transfer mechanisms (air impingement, microwave, convection), which decrease cook times by more than 80 percent without compromising quality. TurboChef ventless ovens have internal systems for eliminating grease-laden vapor prior to the grease escaping the oven. The Panini model is a great fit for making grilled focaccia bread and toasted sandwiches, while the Bullet model is perfect for 8-inch toasted subs and 14-inch pizzas.
“They help with inexperienced cooks because they’re programmed; you can program the oven on a pad and hit ‘pizza,’” Davis says. “I really like the concepts like Blaze Pizza and MOD Pizza. They cook pizzas in 3½ minutes while customers are going through the line. It is old-school technology combined with bright young minds.”
Built to offer the cooking advantages of rotisseries, rack ovens and combi ovens in one convenient and consolidated package, Baxter’s VersaOven features a rotating interior oven rack for even cooking results, and a 95,000 BTU/hour in-shot burner system. The VersaOven is also built with a patented, self-contained steam system that generates more steam than a standard mini-rack oven. Designed to handle the daily cooking demands of the busiest delis, grocery stores and retail kitchens, the VersaOven has the capacity to fit 10 18-inch by 26-inch sheet pans.
Vector Multi-Cook Ovens from Alto-Shaam offer up to four ovens in one. Users can control temperature, fan speed, and time in each individual oven chamber. Unmatched evenness in cooking is possible thanks to exclusive Structured Air Technology, which delivers high-velocity, vertical upward and downward airflow. This optimized, focused heat delivers faster, more even cooking without rotating pans.
