FOODSERVICE EQUIPMENT TRENDS: <br />New Lines Lead With Innovation, Cost-Effective, Eco-Conscious

Manufacturers of foodservice equipment are keeping pace with the growth of dining away from home and the increasing takeout segment by producing products that allow operators to prepare food faster, more efficiently, cheaper and with an increasing commitment to the environment.

Among recent foodservice equipment introductions:

The Electrolux Pressure Braising Pan, which cooks under the pressure of saturated steam rather than water. Pressure-cooking is a fast and gentle way of preparing a variety of foods. Cooking times are reduced, on average, by 50 percent or more, and this method prevents any alterations to the food’s form while cooking, improving the final quality of the meal.

The Electrolux Pressure Braising Pan ensures that vitamins, nutrients, flavors and food color remain intact. It prevents burning by cooking with steam and doesn’t need stirring, saving time and labor in the kitchen.

As an Electrolux Professional Green Spirit product, the Pressure Braising Pan also saves in gas and electricity consumption. The Green Spirit product range is part of Electrolux Professional’s commitment to environmental issues at every stage of the product life cycle, from design to manufacturing, and from product usage to disposal.

Another benefit is the Pressure Braising Pan’s ability to increase yields when cooking meat products by over 15 percent by cooking in saturated steam. The relatively pure water vapor used in the process prevents any taste transfer and makes it possible to cook several components of a meal in the same load simultaneously.

With the pan’s steaming capabilities, the appliance is cleaned independently and is immediately ready for the next cooking. Since the cooking occurs in an airtight environment, pressure-cooking ensures ideal hygienic conditions. The tightly sealed cooking compartment, along with shorter cooking times, also allows the unit to achieve significant energy savings, even during heat-up, while cooking in saturated steam saves up to 70 percent water consumption.

Its versatility allows the braising pan to be also used as a griddle, kettle, steamer and pressure steamer, reducing clutter in busy kitchens.

The Electrolux Pressure Braising Pan is available for gas or electric cooking in 24- and 40-gallon sizes. As part of its Certified Chef Program, Electrolux Professional sends a certified professional to train operators on the equipment on-site. A two-year warranty includes start-up after installation and a 32-point performance check after one year of operation.

Master-Bilt, manufacturer of a full line of premier commercial refrigeration systems for over 70 years, has introduced its newly redesigned Fusion bottom mount solid door refrigerators and freezers, offering foodservice operators a full line of affordable reach-ins. The new Fusion Series will be on display at the National Restaurant Association Show, May 22-25, at Chicago’s McCormick Place, booth 3863.

The new series includes three freezer models (MBF) and three refrigerator models (MBR) in one-, two- and three-door versions. With capacities of 23, 49 and 72 cubic feet, each model comes standard with three adjustable, heavy-duty epoxy-coated wire shelves per door. All models also feature reversible door swing.

A curved corner design creates a stylish appearance and reduces chances of slip-and-fall injury. All cabinets are constructed of stainless steel interior and exterior on front, sides, and doors, with a galvanized steel interior top, bottom, and back.

Cabinet walls are 2-inches thick and foamed-in-place with green-friendly, efficient polyurethane insulation. The series comes standard with an electronic control that digitally displays inside temperature, and allows users to monitor and adjust temperature set point within normal temperature range. A visual and audible alarm alerts when doors are left open.

“The new Fusions series offers operators a variety of reach-in configurations to meet the needs of their busy foodservice areas,” noted Bill Huffman, Master-Bilt’s VP of sales and marketing.

Simple Tube LED replacement lamps capable of replacing inefficient T-8 fluorescent tubes in large-scale retail refrigerators and freezers have been announced by American Bright Lighting, Inc. The Improved series offers up to 79 percent power savings over the commonly used fluorescent tube ballast combinations, and, due to lower heat emissions, reduces strain and demand on refrigeration compressors and controls.

Additional benefits of the second-generation Simple Tube lamps are longer lifetimes, lower maintenance costs, a comprehensive five-year warranty and significantly better lumen maintenance over the service life.

Independent laboratory testing performed to LM79 confirms an efficacy of up to 61 lumens per watt. The total efficacy of the Simple Tube is nearly twice that of other solid state lighting products commercially available for similar applications. Simple Tubes are UL listed, and are offered in ANSI color bins. The color quality and consistency enhances product appearance and won’t degrade appreciably over the 50,000-plus-hour projected life of the product. The Simple Tube is available with a number of output angles and lens options, both clear and frosted.

American Bright Lighting has also introduced a THD (total harmonic distortion) correction version that complies with emerging regulations and proposed Department of Energy (DOE) specifications. This patent-pending feature assures end users of compliance with existing and future regulations regarding the use of AC-based LED systems, which eliminate the need for AC to DC power conversion and secondary driver systems that historically are the “weak link” in other solid state lighting solutions.

Unlike fluorescent lamps, which contain significant amounts of mercury and which in certain areas must be disposed of as hazardous waste via a fluorescent recycling firm, Simple Tube lamps are 100 percent RoHS compliant, meeting the most stringent global standards for toxin-free materials and manufacturing processes. The toxin-free nature of solid state lamps also makes accidental breakage concerns a thing of the past.

“With average power prices to grocery stores rising in cost by as much as a factor of 6.7, many grocers are looking for other ways to cut costs while still meeting customer expectations,” said George Lee, president of American Bright Lighting. “Utility costs can amount o as much as 13 percent of a retail location’s overall operating expenses. The Second-Generation Simple Tube addresses not only the environmental concerns that fluorescent tubes create, but also the bottom line of rising energy costs.”

A white paper that contains relevant details and quoted sources on the retail lighting market, energy costs/savings, light output of competitive models, as well as useful formulas for calculating ROI, is available from American Bright Lighting toll-free at 800-866-533-5588 or online at www.ab-lighting.com.

The Hi-Yield 16-5000 Saw for fresh and frozen meat, poultry, fish and vegetable products from Hollymatic is a competitively priced, high-speed, high-yield saw that offers significant safety features, including a Quick Stop Brake that stops the blade within one second of shut-off to dramatically reduce risk of injury, as well as safety interlocked doors and double flanged wheels.

Additional features of Hollymatic’s Hi-Yield 16-50000 Saw are:

1.     A 3-speed selector switch for low, medium and high operation speeds up to 5,000 BFM on a variety of products at different temperatures
2.     A soft start, no-brake motor that reaches full speed in three seconds for less wear and tear on drive components and maintenance-free braking
3.    Rugged stainless steel and energy-efficient design
4.    State-of-the-art control optimize energy usage
5.    Enclosed motor and swing-away blades for easy wash-down cleaning and blade changing


For more information, including a video demonstration, visit www.hiyield16.info or contact Hollymatic at 708-579-3700 or www.hollymatic.com.
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