Smart Ovens for Leaner Kitchens

Rational believes an advanced feature of its new iCombi Pro combi oven range called iProductionManager is already worth its weight in gold due to the impact that Covid-19 is having on the way operators run their kitchens.

Although the option of cooking different products at the same time in a combi steamer isn’t new, iProductionManager bids to take the concept to a higher level.

As well as telling you what products can be cooked together, it allows chefs to select whether they want all the food to be ready at the same time, or if they want it all to be cooked as quickly as possible, or if they want it cooked as energy efficiently as possible.

Depending on the choice, iProductionManager then automatically prepares the optimum schedule.

UK managing director Simon Lohse said it was clear that operators are looking for solutions that not only increase productivity but add enormous flexibility to production schedules.

“The new normal is already creating new challenges for chefs,” he said. “Consumers want more flexibility in terms of when they eat – all day eateries are going to be more common; many kitchens may have fewer staff; and every operator will have the overriding need to reduce running costs.”

He added: “More efficient management of the production process will provide solutions in all these areas – and iProductionManager delivers the most advanced, easy to use and practical technology available.”

The feature means that if a cooked breakfast is being produced, for example, everything will be ready at the same time.

The system will inform the chef when to load the eggs, the bacon, the tomatoes, and so on, staggering the start times so that the hash browns are perfectly cooked at exactly the same moment as the mushrooms – and all the other breakfast components.

On the other hand, chefs may want each food cooked as quickly as possible.

In this case, food is loaded onto the different shelves and iProductionManager simply lets staff know when each shelf’s load is ready.

As one shelf’s food is being taken out, iProductionManager automatically compensates for the loss of temperature due to the door opening, and recalculates the cooking times for food on all the other shelves.