One of the growing trends in the culinary world is Combi cooking. This cooking takes several styles of cooking to create a dish. In the commercial industry, from K-12 kitchens to catering and banquet services by large hotels, the benefits of this equipment and cooking style is proving to be significant for maintaining quality and efficiency. Below are the basics behind Combi cooking and how it benefits commercial kitchens in several industries.
What cooking styles are used?
Combi cooking is short for combination cooking and refers to the different methods used in a single appliance.
- Convection
- Steam
- Combination of steam and convection
The standard convection takes advantage of dry heat to cook food in a traditional sense. Since this heat is predetermined, in most cases, the dish is cooked at a faster rate.
Steam cooking takes advantage of the opposite and uses heated moisture to cook softer items such as vegetables and fish. This cooking technique can take a bit longer than the convection oven, but the food can maintain its moisture and stay juicy.
The combination of both cooking styles combined is where combi cooking comes into popular demand: the integration of both convection and steam cooking into food at one time thanks to the design of the combi oven. With the integration of these two techniques, food can cook at a faster rate while being infused with moisturized heat that keeps it from drying out.
How is a combi oven different?
The combi oven is different because it has the option to include steam and combination style cooking within the same appliance. Because the two cooking styles are intertwined together, manipulating the amount of moisture in the food is at the discretion of the cook. From 0-100 percent, cooks can utilize humidity in their oven and not risk the potential of burning, which can often occur with a traditional convection oven.
What are the benefits of Combi cooking?
For large commercial kitchens looking to feed hundreds in one sitting, choosing combi cooking elevates traditional dishes and displays several benefits that are not found with other styles.
- Minimizes labor
- Saves time
- Food consistency
Labor to prep and cook the food in a K-12 cafeteria or a banquet hosted in a hotel requires extensive labor and time to prepare the food. Both of these are cut short since the combi oven can cook twice as much food at once, and minimizes the cooking time by having the steamer built-in. With this ability to cook commercial-sized portions of food, food consistency is not an issue and those enjoying the food are receiving equal quality and flavor. These are the reasons that many commercial kitchens in several industries have decided to purchase combi ovens during renovations or make the investment.
These ovens prove their benefit with all food services, from breakfast and brunch to lunch and dinner. Many of these commercial kitchens are finding that these ovens are also energy efficient, so the benefits of the oven exceed the cooking events. Saving costs for kitchens of this caliber is an essential factor to consider when seeking out appliances.
Is it time to upgrade?
If you are looking to install a commercial kitchen or upgrade your current appliances, consider investing in combi cooking. The technology that is designed in these ovens is allowing chefs across the globe to easily develop new dishes and supply the dishes that they want to serve in an efficient manner. Striving to serve your best dish to hundreds of customers at once requires strategy, consistency, and quality, all of which can be food in combi cooking. Choosing an appliance that has multiple capabilities and is energy-efficient can also be a significant financial investment in the future.
NSB Restaurant Equipment provides chefs with foodservice equipment and supplies across Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. You can stop by our showroom and speak to our experts, or you can shop with us online. If you have any questions or inquiries, please contact us.