Salamander Kitchen Appliances
Salamander ovens use intense heat to crisp, melt, glaze, toast, brown, and broil food, ensuring optimal texture and enjoyable mouthfeel for every dish. They're useful for quickly reheating and finishing par-cooked items, such as macaroni and cheese, au gratin casseroles, and much more. More
Electric salamanders connect to 208/240 circuits and provide efficient heat. They'll keep your kitchen cooler than gas equipment.
Gas-powered salamander broilers heat quickly, but produce more ambient heat than electric units. These come in NG and LP versions.
Salamander Broilers: What You Need to Know
Salamander ovens make quick work of finishing dishes before they're served, using intense heat to quickly cook just the top layer of food in a dish or pan. This kind of equipment isn't good for cooking food from raw, but it's excellent for toasting, glazing, and broiling foods just before they're served. Using a salamander to speedily finish off dishes saves prep time, shortens customer wait times, and frees up commercial ovens for other purposes.
Common Questions About Salamander Ovens
What's the difference between a broiler, an oven, and a salamander?
A salamander oven is a type of broiler. Smaller than an upright broiler, a salamander is most commonly found mounted above a range or oven, although countertop models also exist. This piece of equipment generates very high temperatures only from above, directing intense heat downward onto pans and dishes of food to broil the top. Salamander kitchen equipment can often reach temperatures as high as 800 degrees Fahrenheit, quickly browning and crisping the upper layer of food.
Many commercial salamander broilers have adjustable racks that can be moved up and down to accommodate different foods, and they're often built with a removable grease trap or spillage pan. Some offer multiple heat zones, enabling users to simultaneously finish dishes at different temperatures.
On the other hand, an oven is much larger than a restaurant salamander and typically generates heat from above and below to cook food from all sides simultaneously at a slower rate.
What can I cook in a salamander?
Salamander restaurant equipment is generally used for putting the final touches on food before it's sent out to the customer. Useful for crisping casserole toppings, toasting creme brulee, adding a final broil to steaks, caramelizing glazes, and melting cheese, salamanders are popular in restaurants of all types.
Although a salamander broiler can perform the same function as a cheesemelter, the two are not interchangeable. Since cheesemelters typically operate at a less intense temperature, they can be used to keep a plate of food warm without burning it, but they aren't great for browning, broiling, or caramelizing food.
A salamander also shouldn't be used for baking; for this application, operators should choose a standard oven.