Labor, Space, and Cost Savings NAFEM 2009 Noteworthy Products and Vendors
ALTO-SHAAM Lifetime warranty on Halo Heat cables.
At the Alto-Shaam booth, we discovered the debut of a lifetime warranty on heating cables for newly purchased Cook and Hold ovens. “It's a big step for us,” said Alto-Shaam’s William Groleau. “We originally had a five-year warranty, but we have units out there that are 20 to 30 years old, and we really believe in our technology wholeheartedly.” Also being developed at Alto-Shaam is a hands-free SmartClean system for its Combitherm ovens, which uses recirculated scrubbing jets of water in a one-step process.
An elephant never forgets, and neither does the new KitchenTec blender from Blendtec. Designed for back-of-the-house durability, chefs can program specific settings for sauces and marinades into the KitchenTec, so any cook can replicate a recipe. “This machine is made with the chef in mind. You push a memory button to store exactly what you've done and repeat it all day long,” said Blendtec’s George Wright, adding that the KitchenTec has the full spectrum of speed, from high to ultra-low power.
We stopped by the BUNN booth to see their AutoPOD machine, which, in addition to brewing a cup of coffee in less than a minute, also holds up to 25 used pods, saving time and eliminating the mess of continuous single pod disposal. “The machine is designed to work with different manufacturers of pods,” said BUNN’s Jennifer Lucas. The AutoPOD brews pods of tea and hot chocolate as well as coffee and can be purchased with an optional BUNN Brew Station, which displays the AutoPOD, dispenses pods, and holds cups.
CAMBRO Nothing square about new dish caddies and plate covers.
One reason many properties don’t use stylish square plates for large events is that they’re incompatible with existing back-of-the-house inventory, usually circular plate covers and dish caddies. Cambro has bridged the gap with its new Versa Dish caddies and Versa Camcovers, which are based on six of the most popular square plates, ranging from 8.5 to 12.5 inches. Speaking of inventory, Cambro’s new high-density mobile Camshelving rolls on a raised track, increasing storage up to 40 percent.
CARTER-HOFFMANN A no-door policy when it comes to holding cabinets.
Crisp and moist foods aren’t usually stored together because the moisture inside a sealed holding cabinet will soften a crust. Carter-Hoffman has made it possible though, with their new DF Series doorless holding cabinets. “There's a removable lid for each shelf that can seal moisture in a pan or allow air in to maintain a crispy product,” said Carter-Hoffmann’s Michelle Fronsee. The cabinets also have a pass-through design allowing access from either side and take up less space because there’s no door to open.
ELECTROLUX Portfolio offers performance for all budgets.
Betsy Earle, marketing communications manager, said that several of their air-o-steam combi ovens were recently installed at a Sheraton property where they debuted by serving up 3,000 meals in 37 minutes with the help of 9 servers! We also looked at the air-o-convect convection oven steamer. It’s not as fast as some models, but it injects moisture into foods, is great for proofing and baking, and gives operators more sophistication in terms of cooking and programming ability, all at roughly half the price of higher performance models.
Another development is the TRK45. It’s an all-in-one vegetable slicer, dicer, and food processor with four speeds. That’s important for versatility—use it with all kinds of vegetables, even soft ones like tomatoes. The unit tilts forward when cutting so the pieces emerge perfectly. When finished, move the machine to the straight position and it becomes a food processor.
LAKESIDE Re-designed Queen Mary sets sail for back-of-the-house efficiency.
A Queen Mary is an essential tool at any property for transporting large amounts of food, as well as dirty dishes and glasses. Their ergonomics have often been in question, however, especially when loading and unloading glass racks. Lakeside Food Service recognized this and brought a solution to NAFEM in the form of a re-designed Queen Mary, called the Soiled Dish Breakdown Cart, which features a tilted top shelf and a drainage tube for excess liquid. “It's usually very hard labor getting all the racks in and out and sorting glasses without liquid pooling and spilling. In our new cart, any water left on the shelf gets drained,” said Lakeside’s Gary Knop.
MANITOWOC FOODSERVICE Focus on kitchen analysis for higher productivity.
Manitowoc Foodservice Group (MFS, formerly Enodis) is offering a value-added consultation service that addresses everything from analyzing kitchens to creating a wooden mock-ups of kitchen flow so employees can use and tweak it before final installation. Mark Williamson took us through an impressive presentation called Kitchenology, which is the company’s new High-Performance Kitchen initiative. He showed how they analyze the kitchen by sales and profitability of certain items and complexity. For example, as menus and staffing change over time, kitchens begin to force-fit pieces of equipment together, which can snarl and slow operations. The company aims to reduce this level of complexity by analyzing everything: bottlenecks, energy savings, menus, equipment, kitchen usage, labor requirements, and much more. The goal in hotels is bring together operations and F&B to look at the kitchen holistically. It’s a very brainy approach to bringing new efficiencies into hotel kitchens.
VITA-MIX XL labor savings with a 1.5-gallon blender.
Vita-Mix’s Anthony Ciepiel was excited to show us their latest blender, which he says was made specifically for large hotel and catering operations. “If you're limited to a smaller blender, you may not be able to prepare certain things on the menu that you can do otherwise. Now, this opens it up,” said Ciepiel, who added that there’s a 3-to-1 labor savings when using the Vita-Mix XL. Also debuting at the Vita-Mix booth was their new Advance container, which has three sides instead of four, creating a vortex that facilitates faster and more accurate pours.
Master-Bilt has unveiled the Endura™ line of heated roll-thru and pass-thru cabinets; refrigerated, heated, and dual temperature reach-ins, refrigerated roll-ins, roll-thrus and pass-thrus; top mounted glass or solid door reach-ins and a series of prep tables and undercounter/worktable cabinets, many of which are Energy Star and California Energy Commission certified. “Endura is a very versatile line of cabinets that complements our existing foodservice walk-ins, step-ins and refrigeration systems,” said Bill Huffman, vice president of sales and marketing for Master-Bilt. “Master-Bilt is always looking for ways to provide our customers with a more complete line, while making our products as energy efficient as possible.”
NEW AGE INDUSTRIAL Space-saving racks fold to only six inches wide.
New Age Industrial featured their Caterer’s Bun Pan Rack (Model #98678), ideal for hotels, resorts, and casinos. The rack is designed for setup and preparation using sheet pans. When the event is over, simply fold it up and store it. The rack takes up little space when folded, maximizing storage space. The rack will fold from 21 3/8 inches wide down to a width of only six inches, making it well-suited for offsite and non-traditional locations.
The NE-3280 and NE-2180 Sonic Steamers from Panasonic blend quick, powerful, and economical operation with spacious design to bring you commercial steaming at its finest. Sonic Steamers feature a stainless steel interior and exterior plus a Grab and Go door handle with no moving parts. Its design is compact, yet spacious and economical.
COO David Mouck says Robot Coupe is currently promoting their CL50 Gourmet food prep machine. The company makes several size machines, the main difference being the size of the motor. They’re promoting the Gourmet because “it’ll work great in any foodservice operation” and—very importantly in the current environment—it’s a lot cheaper. For example, the CL50 is approximately $1,800, whereas the XL costs about $6,000, and the CL60 is around $18,000. We saw the ROI breakout, detailing all the cost savings. The analysis was based on a four-foot salad bar, with an astounding savings of $17,626 per year.
According to Ron Cook at SaniServ, most standard ice cream makers use a gravity-based system that pulls the liquid mix through a freezing cylinder. Sometimes this process doesn’t allow enough air to be distributed throughout the mix, leading to an uneven batch. SaniServ’s solution was to replace the gravity tube with a pressurized air pump in its Model 914 soft serve machine, which consistently forces air into the ice cream, leading to higher yields and accumulated cost savings. Cook says the machine also has a small footprint.
UNIFIED BRANDS Special FX maintains precise temperature holding.
Whether it’s frozen meat that need to be thawed safely or food that has to stay at exact temperatures for long periods, Unified Brands covers it all in its Randell FX Series of refrigerated holding drawers. “Our customers are saving money by getting a better yield out of their food because the temperatures are always consistent,” said Randell’s Art DeLorenzo. New to NAFEM was the addition of three new sizes—a 27-inch under-counter model, a 37-inch space-saving unit, and a 46-inch work top unit.
Forschner by Victorinox Professional Cutlery has adopted the name of its parent company and sister brands, Victorinox. The brand will now be known as Victorinox Cutlery. On display at the show was the Precise Slice Knife. With its adjustable slicing size, the Precise Slice Knife lives up to its name by providing even cuts every time. With right hand and left hand orientations, even a novice user can slice and carve with exactness of a professional. Precision and ease are paramount with this unique piece of cutlery from Victorinox.
WINSTON INDUSTRIES Classic cooking capabilities from one unit.
For years, CVap technology has played a major roll in foodservice through high-precision holding cabinets. Now Winston Industries has expanded its CVap product line into the field of precision cooking. The CVap cook and hold brings versatility to the kitchen, giving operators the freedom to recreate classical cooking techniques such as proofing, poaching, baking, braising, and roasting in a single piece of equipment. Innovative techniques like low-temperature cooking and sous vide applications are made easy in a CVap cook and hold.
