Choosing the Perfect Lincoln Impinger Oven

Understanding Lincoln Impingers

Lincoln impinger ovens are hugely popular in pizza establishments due to the speed and finish they provide, but what exactly is an impinger? When is an impinger oven better than other options? And why is Lincoln the primary brand in this category? For those who have heard of Lincoln impinger ovens but aren't sure if they're the right choice for your kitchen, we'll do a deep dive into this powerful product line so you can make the most informed decision possible.

What Does a Lincoln Impinger Oven Do Differently?

Before adding any commercial cooking equipment to the kitchen, operators should know any unit's new and valuable benefits. Investing in new equipment must promise a return on that investment to be worthwhile: So what does a Lincoln impinger oven do to make it worth adding?

Impinger ovens use hot air to cook, much the same as a regular oven, but the impingement process forces this hot air through small holes and down onto the food. This creates jets of hot air which break through the cold halo that surrounds food and leads to faster cook times. This makes Lincoln impinger ovens a great choice for high-volume establishments in need of a conveyor oven.

What is the cold halo?

Product placed in an oven will be colder than the oven's interior. This cold food makes the air around it colder than the rest of the oven, until the food eventually reaches the oven's temperature. That blanket of colder air often is referred to as the cold halo. Impinger ovens force hot air down into direct contact with the food, meaning they transfer heat faster and more efficiently than letting the cold air around the food warm up first.

Why Choose Lincoln?

Lincoln introduced the impinger oven to American markets, essentially inventing the equipment as we use it today. With more than 30 years of experience, Lincoln's manufacturers make some of the most reliable, efficient pieces of cooking equipment on the market, and now they're backed by Welbilt brands to give operators another layer of reassurance of the quality of their new piece.

Lincoln doesn't pack its impinger ovens with loads of unnecessary features; in fact, Lincoln prides itself on simplicity. In every aspect, from the control scheme to cleaning the machinery, Lincoln impinger ovens are made to be easy to use and hard to break. Without complex functions to worry about, even an inexperienced employee can operate one of these impinger ovens, which saves time on training.

Additionally, simple construction means fewer components that can break. Lincoln ovens are reliable partially for this reason; they don't have a whole bunch of functions, but they do what they are intended to do very well and for a long time. Check the product specifications page of the piece you're considering to determine which warranty Lincoln offers on that model of impingement oven.

Which Lincoln Impinger Oven Should I Choose?

All Lincoln impinger ovens are conveyor ovens, but there are several different styles that may be better in certain establishments. The three main factors you should consider before choosing an impingement oven are volume, placement, and utility.

Volume

Before purchasing, you'll need an estimate of how much cooking power you need. With impingement conveyor ovens, one of the main determinants of volume is the size of the baking chamber and the width of the conveyor belt. The larger the machine is, the more food you can cook at a time. Lincoln FastBake™ technology provides one of the quickest bake times in the industry.1 Depending on the size of the menu items you want to offer, you may lean towards a countertop or freestanding impinger oven.

Countertop or freestanding?

The larger your impingement conveyor oven, the larger the items you cook can be; plus, you can cook more at a time. Countertop impingement ovens are the easiest to install in an already crowded kitchen, as all you need is a utility connection and a bit of counterspace. However, freestanding models provide significantly more cooking power and speed, so if you hope to use the Lincoln impinger oven as one of your main cooking pieces, consider choosing a large freestanding unit.

Gas or electric?

Lincoln impinger ovens come in models made to use natural gas, electricity, or propane. Propane is used exclusively by mobile operations or in brick-and-mortar locations that lack the appropriate gas or electric utility to power impinger ovens. For most commercial businesses, natural gas or electricity is the best choice. While many chefs prefer natural gas, electric ovens can perform the same job; after all, hot air is cooking your food, not direct contact with gas flames or electric radiants. Choose whichever utility is more cost effective in your area.

How Do You Adjust the Temperature on a Lincoln Pizza Oven?

Press and hold both the TIME and TEMP buttons for five seconds to enter programming mode. Then, press TEMP to access temperature programming. Use the up and down buttons to adjust the displayed temperature, and after five seconds with no input, the machine will remember the new temperature and you can resume operation.2

You can adjust the time it takes for food to pass through the conveyor in the same way. After holding TIME and TEMP until entering programming mode, hit TIME again to enter time programming. Use the adjustment arrows as before to change the time. Lower times mean faster movement. Once you've got the speed you want, simply wait and the machine will return to normal operations with its new speed.

References

  1. FastBake Case Study. LincolnFP. Accessed July 2021.
  2. Lincoln Impinger Documents. LincolnFP. Accessed August 2023.