[spoons]

Hi,
Seeking some advice on commercial convections.
And your experiences.
This is for baking only. Lots of cakes. Is there a brand that you can shut off the convection, and it would be a conventional type? I guess what I want is both. I don't want all convection all the time. Or is it just the fan that I can turn off. What brands do you prefer?

 

[panini]

We prefer to bake cakes and cheesecakes in our deck ovens.
The better convection ovens do have 2 and 3 speed fans. This will help you. The only negetive thing I've heard about any oven is the spacesaver convestion, you put the pans in lenghwise, short side first. uneven heating. Also, if you go import, make sure the parts are interchangeable or available here in the US.

 

[spoons]

Any info on gas convection ovens?

 

[shaloop]

We prefer to bake cakes and cheesecakes in our deck ovens.
QUOTE]

Curious, do your cake pans sit on the floor of the oven or do you have racks? I was considering moving to a kitchen that had large deck oven used for baking pizza and I was wondering how you'd bake cakes in that.

 

[foodpump]

If you're serious, it's time to spend some time researching, check out all the major mnfctr's websites and start comparing. The biggest grief for all convections is the doors, they take alot of use and abuse. Which Mnfctr has the best warranty on the doors? Do all mnfctrs have an authorized dealer/repair in your area?

Convections are a good workhorse, but no oven is ideal. With deck ovens you can adjust the top and bottom heat and the intesity of the heat, with convections you get one temperature. They are a good workhorse, but sometimes you need a thoroughbred.

 

[sadie1]

I am curious as well. I have been researching ovens for a small bakery and have received conflicting opinions on convection vs. deck. These opinions come from both restaurant owners and equipment salesmen. I don't understand how one "expert" will tell me that I should ONLY use convection ovens for cakes and cheesecakes, while another will tell me to NEVER use a convection for these items. Can anyone clear this up? It's giving me a huge headache! Thanks!

 

[foodpump]

It's all personal preference. I remember baking frozen bake-off products in the army with a rigged-up mickey mouse oil barrel oven (well, actually a 55 gal banana puree barrel..) with decent results. I've baked almost everything in convections and deck, carousel-type and conveyor type. With a certain amount of "tweaking" of the recipie and a good understanding of the oven and it's peculiarities, good results can be had with almost any style.

As I've said in my previous post I prefer deck ovens because I can regulate the intensity of the bake on the top and bottom. This gives me quite alot of flexibility. I could only mimick this in convections with pizza stones, pre-baking crusts, layering up sheet pans and messing around with fan speeds.
Convections tend to blow the air around in one direction, so if you don't rotate the pans you'll get lop-sided muffins and cakes. To help combat this, setting the fan on "low" setting also helps. Mind you some of those new European wonder ovens (Rational brand, fr'instance) have a fan that blows in one direction for 2 mins, then stops and pauses, then reverses the airflow direction for two minutes and repeats. Of course the oven is around 25 Big ones...

 

[sadie1]

Thanks for the info foodpump. What I'm working on is a little scary for me and I want to make sure I get the right equipment, and I am a research nut. In my previous worklife I was a research analyst and old habits die hard. My husband says I research everything to death, and because I am the cheapest person in the world, when you combine the two you have someone who REALLY does NOT want to spend money on the wrong equipment. Have you ever worked with a Doyon Jet Air Oven? It is a convection oven that uses some "patented Jet Air System" in which the air flows in one direction 2.5 minutes, stops for 25 seconds, and moves the other way for 2.5 minutes, instead of one direction only. This sounds like the European model you mentioned, but at a lower price. They seem to be more expensive than your standard convection, but much less than what you mentioned...online price (I know it's always different when you talk to a supplier, but I'm using online pricing for research and comparison only) of about $5500 to $6000 for a 6 pan model, and $9500 to $11000 for a 12 pan. Anyone have any opinions on this brand/model??

 

[foodpump]

Haven't used that type of a Doyon yet. Doyon is located in Quebec, Lachine, I think, and a sneaking suspicion of mine is that it used to me the CDN mnfctring arm of "Baker's Pride" before they turned tail and ran out of Canada. Doyon makes MOST of thier own ovens and "Badge engineers" many other types of baking equipment. (Badge engineering means to buy other equipment and slap your own label/crest on it). They (Doyon) enjoy a hard-earned reputation of decent ovens.

The biggest issue with equipment is not the manufacturer, but the dealer you bought if from, and also the factory rep for the area you are in. You can buy it online, but if you ever need warranty work or other repairs, most dealers won't go near it. Check out the dealers in your area and see how much more they'll charge compared to online. Also visit Doyon's website and see who is the factory rep for your State/area. A factory rep CAN'T sell you it, but he can tell you what a fair price is, who are authorized dealers and who are authorized repair people. He can also help with warranty issues, and in the case of freight damaged goods, make things a whole lot smoother.

It's good that you do the research now, once the money's spent, it's spent.

 

[sadie1]

Thanks! I am not interested in buying online, I am just using the online prices as a guideline for my research. I have a couple of good dealers in my area, fortunately, and I have been picking their brains as well. I'm glad to hear that Doyon has a good rep! I'll continue checking into them...