Combi Ovens: Versatile Performers

I recently attended a full-day seminar that focused on the multiple uses for this astonishingly versatile piece of equipment. A question arose amongst the other attending consultants and operators: Why are so many end-users still reluctant to use this flexible piece of equipment? It appears in nearly every European kitchen! Do American chefs still feel that the technology robs them of creativity? Though relatively new in America, combi ovens have been workhorses in European kitchens for 50 years. I have seen some high-end restaurant kitchens in various European cities where a combi oven (or two) and two induction burners were the kitchen!

A recent meeting agenda of the Food Companion International Chefs Club’s Combi Oven Debate that occurred in Sydney, Australia, announced:

• Combis can benefit a chef's baking business; ideal for pastry chefs and chocolatiers
• Increase knowledge of the different usages of a combi - don't be afraid of using compination cooking modes mode more often
• Understand how to use a combi as a steamer
• Learn the differences between combis with a steam generator versus a steam injector
• Reduce food costs by making better usage of your combi (yes, you can cook overnight with it and it is safe)

Some operators may object, saying, “but they’re so expensive.” Consider, however, how many other pieces of equipment that are not needed if an operator learns how to use a combi to:

• Bake
• Roast and braise
• Steam
• Proof
• Rethermalize
• Cook products at high and low temperatures
• Sous vide
• Fry
• Grill (and then slow-cook foods to internal perfection)

Factor in the energy efficiency of combi units, the opportunity for reductions in labor (both time spent cooking and cleaning), space optimization in the kitchen, and simplification of design and food flow, and, hmmm, maybe they aren’t so expensive after all. In addition, combis can offer:

- Over 100 cooking programs

- A design that prevents transference of flavors with multiple items

- Consistent food production

- Product-shrinkage reductions

Before buying a combi, operators should consider the volume and types of food products to be cooked. Organize training upon purchase. And train again three months later (to correct bad habits – expand on experience–update information). Get your money’s worth and use as combi in as many ways as production and serving flow will allow.

At times, we don’t look closely or often enough at the big picture. Perhaps we only see trees; the forest eludes us. If we focus only on what might appear to be immediate cost savings for the equipment, failing to do a full cost-benefit analysis that brings the long-term benefits into focus, we miss operation-changing opportunities, not only to reduce operational costs, but also to contribute more responsibly to sustainable solutions for the industry. Given that professional kitchens consume 25-times more energy than any other part of a commercial building, it is incumbent on us as consultants and operators to seek out the information being offered by manufacturers – our industry partners – who are working as hard as we are to create solutions.