Cooking Equipment Reviews Find out what equipment best suits your needs. Share your experiences with various kitchen equipment products, gadgets, and more.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 10-19-2009, 01:28 PM
bkelly Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Owner/Operator
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 1
Default Convection Ovens

Hi Everyone! I am opening a new dessert shop and need to purchase a convection oven. I would like to get feedback on the brand most liked and most reliable. Any input is greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Beth
Reply With Quote


  #2  
Old 10-20-2009, 09:44 AM
foodpump Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Posts: 1,529
Default

Think of convection ovens as workhorses, every caterer and restaurant needs them. A Bakery needs a thoroughbred, however.

Yes, convections do save a bit on baking time and energy, but for this you trade off on certain other finer points.

Consider a deck oven--NOT A PIZZA OVEN, but a deck oven.

With a deck, you get separate top and bottom heat controls, and intestity.

With convections you have no control, one temp only, difficlut to get crisp bottoms or golden brown tops. You may or may not get lop-sided muffins or cakes. Every time you open the doors, you get a blast of forced hot air warming up your kitchen....



If you're set on getting a convection, consider the following:

Warranty: A good one should have atleat one year on arts and labour and a really good one should have an extra 3-5 years warranty on the doors. It is the doors that get the most abuse, and usually the first thing to fail on convections.

Gas or electric? Depends. If you have a commercial hood and ventialtion system, go for gas, if not, go for electric. (when you burn gas in an oven, you produce CO2, just like a car, you need to vent this out)

Double speed fan, slow and fast, if only one speed, you'll get lop-sided muffins and cake tops.


Controls. Get the simplist style of controls--no electronic mother board and extra electronic doo-dads. These typ of controls are always one of the first things to break down. Get the simplist controls possible.

Hope this helps
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 10-20-2009, 09:58 AM
DuckFat's Avatar
DuckFat Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 348
Default

Blodgett convection ovens are popular and have served me well in many kitchens. They do offer a bakery depth version if that's a factor for you.
__________________
A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart, who looks at her watch.
James Beard
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 10-20-2009, 07:19 PM
Hotchpotch Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Can't Boil Water
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: AZ, PA, WA
Posts: 19
Default

Beth,

As my attorney son would say your question is vague and ambiguous.

No one can suggest a oven until we know what you are planning to do with it.

Desserts: what type, what volume, what batch sizes.

Are you only using dry heat, do you need steam for some, what about height of oven is that important? A friend in CA needs a 6’ tall one for her productions, we simply need more information to help.

Without knowing what your needs are recommending an oven is like saying a doctor prescribing XYZ drug without knowing the symptoms.

Cheers
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Convection Ovens Spoons Cooking Equipment Reviews 9 01-05-2008 05:26 PM
convection ovens hks25 Professional Pastry Chefs Forum 1 05-17-2007 02:37 AM
Convection Ovens scntillatedseed Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion 11 02-17-2006 09:54 AM
Convection Ovens Spoons Cooking Equipment Reviews 7 10-14-2002 10:04 PM
convection ovens wegs424 Food & Cooking Questions and Discussion 1 03-27-2000 01:49 AM