Baking Care of Business: Commercial Cook and Hold Ovens

Picture this: your kitchen staff spends hours cooking delicious and tender roasted beef that falls off the bone. Hours later, the roast has cooled down too much and dropped into a temperature danger zone, but reheating it will overcook it. 

Enter the cook and hold oven! This workhorse appliance is made to cook food at lower temperatures for longer times and then hold the food at a safe serving temperature for extended periods.

This slow, low-heat, "set it and forget it" cooking style has tons of advantages for your commercial kitchen, including better energy efficiency, the ability to cook large quantities of food ahead of time without worrying about reheating, less shrinkage, and more! 

A Perfect Warm: Key Features of Cook and Hold Ovens

Believe It or Hot: Time is Energy…And Money!

Sustaining low-temperature ovens for a long time saves a lot of energy compared to running ovens at high temperatures and turning them off and on between uses. This reduced energy usage translates to more savings for you and less wear and tear on your equipment. And because cook and hold ovens are electric-powered, many models are even Energy Star certified!

Cook and hold ovens are also cheaper to buy, install, and maintain than conventional ovens. So, even if your commercial kitchen is equipped with conventional ovens, including a cook and hold oven in your layout can open up a lot of extra options for your ready-to-serve and reheating menu options.

Better Food that Hits the Hot

With cook and hold ovens, you can forever say goodbye to dried-out and overcooked dishes! Because of the unique humidity-retaining cook and hold cabinet, gentle convection heat distribution, and low-temperature cooking techniques, a cook-and-hold oven will help reduce meat shrinkage from 25% in a traditional oven down to as low as 7-10%. This means your meats will come out much juicier and more tender. Plus, there will be that much more of it to serve. And you know what they say: more juice is more flavor! 

The cook and hold oven shelves are wire racks to promote better heat circulation, but you can fit full-sized food pans on those racks with no problem. They can also easily be fitted with sheet pans that make it easy to slide each shelf in and out whenever you need to.

The real beauty is that these babies can be used for more than just meat. High-quality cook & hold ovens can hold anywhere from 100 to 300 pounds of food at a time and evenly cook at a wide range of temperatures to accommodate roasts, casseroles, bread, and any other food product you want. 

The Calm Before the Warm: Transforming Kitchen Workflow

The cook and hold oven's long cook times mean that chefs can start the cooking process hours ahead of time (or use it for overnight cooking), which frees up time and space before and during service, especially during rush hours. With one or more menu items prepared ahead of time, the time between orders being called and plates hitting the window goes down, as does the need for high-stress, real-time cooking. 

Think about it: fewer things to prep at once, less stress, more organization, better food quality, and happier chefs! 

Baking Ends Heat: Temperature Control and Food Safety

Ensuring that all the food you serve is kept in ideal internal temperature ranges to prevent bacterial growth is essential for any food service operation. Local and national health codes are very strict with their food safety guidelines, and failure to follow them correctly could result in foodborne illnesses and very sick customers!

Freshly cooked food can rapidly cool down and end up in the temperature "danger zone" within minutes, which is why maintaining a quick and efficient kitchen workflow is so important. 

Fortunately, using a cook and hold oven can go a long way to eliminating your food poisoning worries! Cook and hold ovens are specially designed to keep your cooked food (or reheat your prepared food) at the proper temperatures that kill bacteria without compromising the cook and quality of your food. Phew!

Heat and Greet: Catering and Food Trucks

Because the ovens hold food at perfect serving temperatures in a gently humid environment, you'll be serving consistently perfect food that tastes fresh without having to cook each individual plate. Since most cook and hold ovens don't require ventilation, they can be installed anywhere, including outdoor spaces, food trucks, and small operations with limited kitchen space or resources. They are perfect for catering events, banquets, or any other situations when food needs to be prepared ahead of time and held for a while before serving. 

Don’t Get Mad, Get Oven: Cook and Hold Ovens at Eleven36

A Sun in the Oven: Rethermalization Ovens

Retherm ovens operate on the same principles as other cook-and-hold ovens, except that they are designed to reheat pre-prepared foods quickly to eliminate bacterial growth and keep them at safe holding temperatures without sacrificing food quality.

Retherm ovens can be used to heat pre-cooked foods or for slow roasting. The gentle air circulation seals in natural juices just like other cook and hold ovens, making them perfect for batch cooking as well.

Take a look at this retherm oven: Outlet Winston Industries RTV5-05UV 28" CVAP Retherm Oven - 208V, 1Ph 

This model can cook and hold or reheat and hold. The air-tight interior with a wide range of temperatures and settings means you'll cook with less temperature fluctuation for consistent results every time. You'll be able to use this puppy for everything from proofing bread doughs to cooking or reheating large batches of meats, casseroles, veggies, or anything else.

In the Bakeground: Undercounter Cook and Hold Ovens at Eleven36

Undercounter cook-and-hold ovens range from 31" to 34" tall and can perfectly fit beneath your commercial kitchen's existing counters and prep spaces. The advantage here is that you don't sacrifice floor space to use them. If installed on casters, they can be moved easily to accommodate any different kitchen arrangement and for cleaning. 

Despite their compact design, undercounter models can cook and hold up to 100 lb. of food at a time, making them perfect for small to mid-sized kitchens and outdoor/portable spaces.

No Holds Barred: Full-Size Cook and Hold Ovens

On the other hand, full-size ovens like the Alto-Shaam 1000-TH can cook and hold up to 300 lb. of food between two separate sections, which can each cook or hold with their own settings and timers. More space for slow cooking allows you to expand your menu and try new and unique items to see what customers might like!

Because the sections are stacked, full-size ovens don't take up any more floor space than under-counter units and range in height from 73" to 82". Remember, knowing what you can fit in your kitchen before purchasing is essential!

Hold Comfort: Alto-Shaam Cook and Hold Ovens

Eleven36 prides itself on providing long-term solutions that save our customers money. We only carry the highest quality commercial kitchen equipment in our online store. That's why we're proud to carry Alto-Shaam cook and hold ovens in our inventory!

Alto-Shaam has a long track record of manufacturing high-quality pieces of equipment for your commercial kitchen. Their ovens use their signature radiant Halo Heat® technology that surrounds your food with gentle, radiant heat without the use of added humidity, harsh heating elements, or fans. You really can't go wrong with any of their products, but here are our best recommendations:

• This full-height unit: Alto-Shaam 1000-TH/I Cook & Hold Oven Right Hinged solid door 208-240V 1PH Stainless Steel 23.94"W 
• And this undercounter unit: Alto-Shaam 750-TH/II Cook & Hold Oven Right Hinged solid door 208-240V 1PH Stainless Steel 26.63"W

Top-of-the-Line Equipment from Eleven36

Few commercial appliances rival cook-and-hold ovens, giving you incredible versatility with minimal effort. Whether you’re looking to prep large batches of food or save your kitchen staff some of the headaches of rush service, a cook and hold oven will transform your workflow and keep your customers coming back for more!

Here at Eleven36, we offer long-term solutions for your kitchen needs. Remember, investing in quality cookware is an investment in your establishment’s success. So, if you're ready to invest in your own kitchen's success, head over to Eleven36 for a high-quality cook and hold oven now!