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Food Equipment NAFEM Feb 9 2013

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F o o d E q u i p m e n t N e w s S a t u r d a y, F e b r u a r y 9 , 2 0 1 3 4 6 GROEN VERSATILE STEAMERS MAKE PERFECT RISOTTO FOR BUSY CHEFS Steven D'Angelo, Corporate Chef for Unified Brands, recently spoke with Food Equipment News about one kitchen challenge that can be met handily by the Groen line of steamers. FEN: What can you share with us today about how the Groen steamers can help solve a common kitchen prob- lem—preparing risotto? SD: Recently in our test kitchen we have been experimenting to see if we could produce quality risotto in a steamer. But first, let's briefly chat about risotto. It is a dish made with Arborio rice and is notorious for being very time-consuming and labor-inten- sive to prepare, with lots of opportuni- ty for mistakes. There are a lot of restaurants that stay away from the dish for that reason. FEN: Why does the dish have that stigma? SD: The preparation takes multiple pots on a busy stovetop range to make the dish, one for a stock and one to cook the rice. You must have a cook stirring the pot while he ladles in the hot stock over an hour or more to avoid scorching the rice. If the rice scorches it will completely ruin the dish and the cook must start over, and trust me, that is not fun! The entire process can be very costly in labor and space. FEN: How does a Groen steamer help? SD: Put simply, it takes the hard work out of making this dish! It saves labor dollars, stove space, and can give the chef the opportunity to use risotto on the menu even for large events because Groen steamers can cook multiple hotel pans at a time, and the steamers can cook the dish in 30 minutes with the powerful internal convection fan which promotes even energy distribution throughout the cooking cavity. That is what makes it work to me, and unlike just boiling Arborio, the intense steam releases the starches and produces a better-flavored risotto. FEN: How is the risotto cooked using the Groen steamers? SD: The process is easy, with just the following three basic steps. First you need to reduce by half [simmering over a medium heat] some white wine and shallot. Once you have this reduction, simply mix together in a hotel pan by volume—55 percent stock (usually chicken), 40 percent Arborio rice and five per- cent white wine reduction. Then add salt and white pepper to taste. Now it's time to place the mixture in the steamer and cook for thirty minutes to have a dish that is ready to be fin- ished with a good hard cheese like Parmesan or Romano and butter. You may even have some sautéed mush- rooms or fresh herbs ready to be mixed in. The risotto can then be set on a buf- fet line, complete and ready for serv- ice. Next, all you have to do is stand back and wait for the rave reviews. Problem solved! Groen offers a complete line of steam- ers designed to meet the challenges of the most demanding kitchen. For more information, visit unifiedbrands.net, call the company at 888-994-7636, or visit NAFEM booth #1022 and the demo kitchen booth #1232. SPACE-SAVING ALL-IN-ONE GAS APPLIANCES FROM COMSTOCK-CASTLE A conventional restaurant range fea- tures oven(s) and two cooktop options; open flame burners for sautéing and simmering and the versatile flat top griddle for dry or moist product grill- frying. Typically you won't find a char-broiler built into restaurant ranges. Instead, char-broilers tend to be standalone appliances. Recognizing an opportunity to save consumers kitchen space and investment capital, Comstock-Castle, America's oldest stove company, developed a restaurant range that does it all. With the high cost of real estate and corresponding "foot-prints," a key back of the house appliance, such as a range that can do it all and save space at the same time, can be a genuine asset to any foodser- vice operation that has char-broiling on their menu. "Even if the foodservice operator can't fit all of their char-broiler requirements into the range cooktop, they can supplement the range char- broiler portion with an additional char- broiler next to the range," said Curtis Spake, Vice President of Comstock- Castle. "The point is that valuable foot-print and hood space will be saved even if only a portion of their char-broiler needs are built into the range cooktop, likely saving the opera- tor thousands of dollars or freeing up precious space for other kitchen prod- uct needs." Also typical of restaurant ranges is the universal sizing of 12-inch frame width increments, with most brands building ranges from 24 inches to 60 inches in width, with some brands making 72-inch wide models as well. Generally, the open flame burners come in pairs of two aligned from front to back in 12-inch width increments, for sets of two, four, six, eight, 10 and up to 12 open burners. Flat-top griddles, when used, typically fill in the balance of the range cooktop in 12-inch incre- ments, less the open burner sets. Castle offers the same 12-inch increments for their range char-broilers while having also developed a greater flexibility of choice when combining char-broilers with griddles paired together in 6-inch increments. "Ultimately, if you combine an 18- inch griddle with an 18-inch char- broiler, you end up with 36 inches that replaces 6 open burners," Spake said. "Another popular 6-inch incremental combination is combining 30 inches with 18 inches for a total of 48 inches that replaces 8 open burners." Comstock also builds these same combinations into their tabletop cook line. Unlike ranges that finish in 12-inch incre- mental widths due to the ovens, their tabletop line can be built to finish in 6-inch incremental widths like 30-inch, 42-inch, 54-inch and 66- inch, as well as common 24-inch, 36- inch, 48-inch, 60-inch and 72-inch widths. This can be a great benefit for maximizing spacing when common space increments are disrupted. To learn more, visit booth #2635 at NAFEM. After the show, visit www.castlestove.com, call 217-223- 5070 or email sales@castlestove.com for more information. DESIGN THE ULTIMATE SNEEZE GUARDS WITH ENGLISH MFG. By Adam Whitcomb, Estimator, English Mfg. Before I joined English Mfg., when I thought of key aspects of a successful foodservice construction project, sneeze guards didn't immediately come to mind. They are necessary, reg- ulated and can be burdensome. Looming in the front of the house, always in the public view, they share their ominous warnings of food safety. With the right planning and knowl- edge, these permanent fixtures really can become an easy, integral and func- tional part of a cohesive design, not simply a requirement. We do everything at English Mfg. – plan, design, consult, coordinate, build and ship, all with the highest level of professionalism. Our customers are routinely blown away by our accom- modation and willing to take every necessary step to ensure a successful project. Standard designs, custom designs, every imaginable finish, accessory and function is easy to accomplish with the right people on the job – don't ever think that you are limited in your sneeze guard selection. Everyone at English Mfg. enjoys their work and welcomes any opportunity and challenge. I started at English Mfg. with the hopes of gaining some industry skills and found myself in a different type of workplace. From family ownership to laborer, the motivation and skill set among any given employee is impres- sive, unlike anywhere else I had expe- rienced, fueling the success of this company. I embraced the contagious ambition and joined the effort to pro- mote an actual design accessory ... yes, I'm talking about sneeze guards. Sneeze guards are no longer bulky requirements of the health department – they are hassle-free, highly function- al, tasteful additions to any type of project. So here I am, three years later, part of an industry revolution, thriving in the healthiest and most positive work environment I could have imagined. English Mfg. is constantly growing and extending its reach to new cus- tomers; the word is spreading. Not only have I gained some industry skills and knowledge, I've also learned how an extremely positive work environ- ment can affect the actual service and end product, which can be applied to any industry, anywhere. Call us and see for yourself. See English Mfg. and all of their inno- vative sneeze guards at booth #878. After the show, visit www.englishmfg.com or call 800-651- 2711 for more information.

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