These days it’s not enough to be an extremely talented chef with a great business mind to succeed in the catering industry. From Michelin starred restaurants and catering businesses servicing schools or hospitals, to service stations, cafes and convenience stores, the only way to stay ahead is not to work harder but to work smarter.
A high speed oven is one smart appliance you can rely on to get you across the line on time. High speed ovens are the holy grail appliance in a commercial kitchen due to their superfast combination cooking capabilities within a compact sized unit. The ovens are ideal for busy catering businesses that need to cook food quickly but, more importantly, efficiently.
Here, we discuss the best high speed commercial ovens, highlighting their features to ensure you can purchase the best machine for your budget and commercial needs.
What is a High Speed Oven?
A high speed or rapid cook oven refers to cooking equipment with accelerated functionality. Specifically, an oven with more than two heat transfer methods reduces the traditional cooking time by 50%. Using a combination of convection, microwave, impingement or radiant technology to prepare food faster than traditional ovens without sacrificing the quality or taste is what makes a high-speed oven smart.
The nature of high speed ovens or accelerated cooking equipment is perfect for commercial kitchens that need to provide excellent quality products quickly and cost effectively, taking advantage of modern technology to take the guesswork out of food preparation.
Why Are High-Speed Ovens So Popular in Commercial Kitchens?
High speed ovens are popular in commercial kitchens because of their speedy results, but that’s only half the story. The accelerated cooking capabilities are important, but it's the compact size excites caterers.
Some high speed oven designs can cook food up to 15 times faster than a traditional oven when using specific cooking methods. The combination effect means food cooks evenly and retains moisture. With a small footprint taking up less surface area, high speed ovens take up less space in the kitchen. Less space but way more power, saving time and money in the process.
What Can I Cook in a High-Speed Commercial Oven?
It’s not what you can cook in a high speed commercial oven that’s the problem; it’s what you can’t. A high speed commercial oven can tackle the most complicated cooking procedures. Soufflés, no problem, fish, a breeze, cakes are easy. Sunday roast and all the trimmings, simple. The only thing your high speed oven won’t do is make the tea!
High speed or rapid cook commercial ovens are designed to cope with various food, pizza, bread, and pastries; the list is endless. These ovens suit any busy kitchen that needs to produce food quickly and efficiently in a limited kitchen space.
Which Is The Best High-Speed Oven?
Several high-speed ovens are on the market, but the Lincat Cibo, Lincat Cibo+, Merrychef, Falcon Xpress, and Turbochef high speed or rapid cook models are among the best. These oven manufacturers make ovens for commercial use; each manufacturer has considered the needs of modern catering businesses and designed a compact rapid cook oven to suit even the most complicated needs.
Need a countertop model? The Lincat CIBO Counter-Top High Speed Oven has a drop down door for easy access and offers a wide range of temperatures, 30°C to 290°C, making this Lincat high speed oven a small but mighty food producing machine. Perfectly cooking food in less than 3 minutes, the Cibo uses 3 different heat sources - convection, grill and a heated base making it suitable for a wide range of foods including sandwiches and pizzas. Taking the place of a panini grill, toaster, convection oven and grill, the Cibo range combines multiple pieces of equipment into one high speed solution, and its ventless cooking eliminates the need for external extraction.
The Cibo+ also from Lincat signifies the next generation of high speed ovens, using unique tri-heat technology to cook foods faster than ever before without compromising on taste and quality. Also using ventless technology, the Lincat Cibo+ High Speed Oven re-circulates hot cooking air through a heater and a catalytic converter before redirecting it back into the oven chamber for exceptional performance and energy savings.
Both the Cibo and CiboPlus are available in a choice of rich colours, bringing a new edge and style to commercial ovens.
The Merrychef eikon range of high-speed ovens are a popular choice for commercial kitchens. They are designed for fast-food restaurants and cafes that need to prepare food quickly. Merrychef are ultra-high performing machines with unbeatable results due to the uniquely designed cooking combination that offers excellent results up to 20x faster than a regular commercial oven.
The Falcon Xpress and Turbochef models are also popular high-speed ovens. The Turbochef i3-TS Touchscreen High Speed Oven can be programmed via a USB to access up to 200 recipes. The Falcon Xpress MRX High Speed Oven not only delivers rapid cooking results but also boasts features such as 7" touchscreen controls with customisable images and rapid cooling systems. All Falcon and Turbchef commercial ovens are easy to use and maintain, offering outstanding results every time, which makes them a popular choice for commercial kitchens.
Ultimately, the best high speed oven for you is the one that fits seamlessly into your kitchen and never lets you down. With so many outstanding models and options available, finding the perfect new addition to your kitchen is easy.