The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Best Cook and Hold Oven
Cook-and-hold ovens are designed to cook food slowly at low temperatures, often with added humidity to keep ingredients juicy and tender. This kind of oven cooks the food until it reaches the desired cook time or temperature, then switches to a holding mode to keep the food warm and fresh until it's served. This method can save a great deal on labor, equipping kitchens to prepare many of their popular dishes ahead of the rush and keep them hot until they're ready to finish or serve. It's also a fantastic way to prepare items that need to cook for long periods at lower temperatures because they can be left in the oven overnight without overcooking and held at safe temperatures for hours.
Determine What Oven Size You Need
It's always important to measure the space where you'll be installing your cook-and-hold oven and buy a model that fits those dimensions. When it comes to choosing the size of your new cook-and-hold oven, though, there's more to it than just measuring tape.
Cook-and-hold ovens come in four options: full size, half size, undercounter, and countertop. Below, we'll cover the benefits of each type to help you make a decision.
Full-size models accommodate full-size sheet pans or hotel pans, enabling users to produce a high volume of food with each cooking cycle. These cook-and-hold ovens can have one or two chambers and may stand on legs or casters. Choosing one of these models enables your staff to turn out a higher volume of food each day than a more compact option such as a half-size or undercounter unit.
Some full-size models are even designed so users can roll a filled pan rack straight into the oven, eliminating the need for loading and unloading individual pans of food. Full-size cook-and-hold ovens are great for cooking food in a high-volume location, and models with dual cavities enable greater recipe flexibility because users can cook two recipes at once.
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Half-size ovens are great for producing a medium volume of food in commercial food venues without much room available for equipment. These ovens take up less space and typically cost less than a full-size model, while still accommodating several pans of food.
Just like full-size options, half-size ovens may come with varied pan slides built into the cooking cavity, giving users control over how pans are arranged within. Most units come with legs or casters installed for easy setup. Some models can be stacked on other equipment or installed atop an equipment stand, providing extra storage space beneath the unit for ingredients and cooking tools.
SHOPUndercounter cook-and-hold ovens are designed to fit small spaces while producing a significant amount of product. These compact units are designed to be installed beneath a counter or other work surface to conserve space and streamline workflows. Undercounter cooking equipment, such as these cook-and-hold ovens, let users set up prep stations or worktop counters above the equipment to prepare and cook ingredients in one footprint. For venues serving a low to medium volume of food without much space to spare, an undercounter model can be the perfect fit.
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Countertop units are the smallest of all the size options. As the name implies, these models are designed to be placed on top of a counter within easy reach. These units make a good option for kitchenettes and food trucks due to their small size and powerful, versatile cooking ability. Most countertop units can accommodate a couple of full-size pans, making them a good fit for relatively low-volume cooking needs such as preparing food at a small bowling alley, cafe, convenience store, or bar.
SHOPCook-and-hold ovens come in several sizes, each of which is best for different applications. Compare full-size, half-size, undercounter, and countertop models to determine which size is best for you.
Decide on a Number of Cavities
Depending on their size, cook-and-hold ovens may have one or two cavities. Models with one cavity are often smaller and simpler to operate than dual chamber models but can only cook one recipe at a time. One-cavity units are also simpler to build and maintain, so they usually sell for lower prices than dual cavity ovens.
Most half-size, undercounter, and countertop models only come in one-cavity options, so if you need more space, you'll have to upgrade to a full-size unit.
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Full-size cook-and-hold ovens come in one cavity and two cavity options. Single cavity models are often more economically priced, and may even feature a roll-in design compatible with mobile food racks for quick product loading and unloading.
Models with two cavities can cook two recipes at once, as each chamber can be set to a different temperature and time. Because each chamber has its own door, operators can open one cavity to check the food without accidentally cooling off food cooking in the neighboring chamber. At some locations where known allergens such as shrimp are served, operators will reduce the change of cross-contamination between food by using separate cavities to cook allergenic and non-allergenic recipes.
Any busy operator needing to turn out multiple recipes quickly should consider a two cavity oven to keep up with output needs.
SHOPOne-cavity ovens tend to be more economically priced, but two-cavity ovens can hold more food and cook dual recipes simultaneously. Think about the type and volume of food you sell to determine which one you need.
Evaluate Special Features
Many cook-and-hold ovens include special features to streamline cooking processes in commercial kitchens and add functionality to the unit.
Probe ovens work with a temperature probe that chefs can place directly in large cuts of meat or pans of food to ensure precise food temperature readings. In kitchens where food is cooked to exact specifications, using a probe oven can help.
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Cold smoking ovens have a space where operators can add wood chips, producing fragrant smoke at a controlled temperature. This feature is excellent for adding a smoky flavor to delicate products that would burn or melt in a traditional hot smoker.
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Some traditional smoking ovens are capable of cook-and-hold versatility, so they appear in the cook-and-hold oven category and provide dual functionality. A smoker oven makes it easy to smoke a variety of meats, making it a great choice for barbecue joints or charcuterie kitchens.
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Programmable models can store and recall recipes once they're programmed, meaning a chef can set a number of recipes in the oven and other users can choose and run those exact recipes with the push of a button. Programmable cook-and-hold ovens streamline workflow by reducing necessary employee training and preventing under- or overcooking product.
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Roll-in models are designed to fit rolling pan racks and are excellent for high-volume production. In busy kitchens, the time spent loading and unloading pans from the oven adds up, and so does the strain on the user's back. With a roll-in model, cooks can easily transport a dozen or more filled pans to the oven and load them in one quick trip.
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Some roll-in models feature pass-thru doors on two sides, enabling workers to load the oven from one side and unload it from the other. This feature makes it easy for kitchen workers from two separate areas to access the oven and pass food along to be finished or plated straight from the oven.
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- Determine the oven size you need. Cook-and-hold ovens come in full-size, half-size, undercounter, and countertop options, each of which may fit a certain application better than another.
- Choose a number of cavities. One-cavity models are typically small or simpler to operate, while two-cavity models can cook dual recipes simultaneously at varied temperatures.
- Evaluate special features. Cook-and-hold oven features can range from programmable controls and temperature probes to smoking capabilities and pass-thru designs.
- Buy an oven. Once you've determined what size, number of cavities, and special features you need, choose a model that fits your kitchen and your budget and buy it.
