Equipment Trends: Induction & Rethermalization
Cutting-edge equipment and new cooking systems offer hotels greater opportunities in the kitchen.
By Derek Gale, Senior Editor -- Hotels, 12/31/2008 11:00:00 PM
Jean-Pierre Etcheberrigaray, vice president of food and beverage, the Americas, for IHG, says just as there are food trends, so too are there equipment trends.
“How to utilize cutting-edge equipment, modernize the cooking/energy system, green thinking—these are back-of-house, but sooner or later will pay off in the front of the house,” he says. “There is movement in utilizing cutting-edge equipment and new cooking systems.”
Etcheberrigaray mentions rethermalization, blast chilling and induction specifically.
“Induction is huge in Europe—in the U.S., I wish more culinary schools started to teach that. We need to switch to induction everywhere. That is the future—you don't use huge hoods and big energy-suckers. It is safer, better and saves money—that's why we need to do more. That requires changing the thinking of the kitchen consultant and equipment builders.”
“We have a heightened sensitivity to equipment that is more sustainable and makes a stronger green statement,” agrees Sue Morgan, vice president of franchise F&B for IHG. “We are always looking for better equipment configuration or functionality.”
But IHG is not the only example of this.
“We are looking at alternative cooking methods, whether that be induction cooking or things like griddle tops—almost like a front-of-house griddle press,” says Phil Beilke, senior director of brand management for Cambria Suites.
Beilke says going away from burners to induction cooktops is definitely a viable option, depending on menu constructs. And he agrees that there are definite benefits to induction cooking, including the fact that in many cases, jurisdictions will permit induction systems without requiring a hood.
“Induction is one of the options as we go through a review of our options and new menu item exploration in the first and second quarter of 2009,” he says. “We are focusing on our F&B program to see if we can take it to the next stage of evolution, and induction cooking is one of the things we will continue to look at and ask if this makes sense for us.”
Bielke says Cambria is going to beta test different things in 2009 to see how the brand can execute on menu items, and he mentions that magnetic induction buffet systems also are an attractive new development.
Hyatt Place, meanwhile, is effectively using rethermalizers in its kitchens, says Michael Koffler, vice president of corporate operations for Hyatt Select hotels. “[They] allow us to take specific products and bring them up to temperature—soups, sauces and chilis. And [they are] incredibly energy efficient. [They] also help us quite a bit with banquet menus, because we can buy products that are gallon units and drop them into the rethermalizer so we don't need stoves and stock pots and things like that.”
Such equipment helps Hyatt Place meet one of its key drivers for food production: Limited energy demand and substantial savings by using technology.
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