Current economy demands flexibleE cooking equipment

Modular cooking with optimum flexibility

Creating optimum guest satisfaction requires the ability to adapt quickly to consumer tastes. This also places high demands on cooking equipment in hotel kitchens. "Whether you need to prepare couscous or a tender steak, these days it should all be possible with the same equipment. A modular cooking line from Zanussi Professional is the perfect option for this," says commercial manager Eric Harsta of Emmeloord-based Hakvoort Professional, a specialist in catering equipment and large-scale kitchen design.

Apart from gas cookers and induction hobs, cook-through hobs are also in high demand in the hotel industry.

For years, Zanussi Professional has been known for its wide range of cooking appliances in both gas and electric; these combine excellent performance with low energy consumption. However, what is equally important today is the interchangeability of cooking appliances. "Today's economy demands equipment that is as flexible as the market itself," says Harsta. "Suppose a hotel changes the entire menu or culinary concept, the deep fryer, for example, is very easy to replace with a pasta or vegetable cooker. This easy interchangeability actually applies to all equipment in Zanussi Professional's EVO700 and EVO900 series; this series combines the look of a customised cooker with the flexibility of separate equipment. So any cooking line can be quickly adapted; for example, a griddle can easily be replaced by a grill, or a gas hob by an induction hob. In this way, any new culinary trend can be adequately addressed and easily integrated into any large-scale kitchen. Moreover, the equipment is maintenance-friendly, as it is rounded with smooth, rounded corners to simplify cleaning."

Energy saving

At a time when gas prices are still skyrocketing, energy saving is a hot topic. According to Harsta, Hakvoort Professional's cooking appliances are also very progressive in this respect. "For example, the burners of our gas cookers are equipped with Flower Flame: a technology that allows the flame to be regulated both horizontally and vertically, so that it can be adapted to pan bases of different sizes. The perfect temperature is thus reached faster, while heat dispersion is minimal." 

No mixing of flavours

Apart from gas cookers and induction hobs, the hotel industry is also in high demand for cook-through hobs - on which you can put many pans at once - and fry tops. Harsta: "The chrome-plated fry top is particularly popular, because it can handle much higher temperatures without mixing flavours. This makes it possible, for example, to cook sweet and savoury at the same time. By preparing different dishes at the same time, you save time and energy."

Shorter preparation time

In a commercial kitchen, where work is often carried out under great time pressure, reliable and efficient cooking equipment is a prerequisite. A good example is the High Performance (HP) grill that Zanussi Professional supplies in both gas and electric. "Thanks to its extremely efficient operation, where the desired temperature is reached at record speed, cooking time is significantly reduced," Harsta clarifies. "And in the gas version, a radiant heating system ensures high efficiency. Via the heat reflectors, heat descends onto the grid, heating it evenly, resulting in perfect grilling results over the entire cooking surface."

V-shaped frying pan

In the modern commercial kitchen, even the traditional deep fryer is now 'high end', continues the commercial manager. "One of our showpieces is an automated fryer with a specially designed 7- or 15-litre V-shaped frying pan with external infrared heating elements, ideal for quickly bringing oil to the perfect frying temperature." 

If an appliance unexpectedly reaches the end of its useful life, its modularity makes it a breeze to replace it with the latest and most energy-efficient model. "Instead of expensive and cumbersome grinding and welding work in a custom-made kitchen island or set-up, it suffices to unscrew just a few bolts." Sustainability has also been thought of, Harsta finally stresses, "Because all Zanussi Professional equipment is 98 per cent recyclable.