bakingbuyer - November 2011 - 56

EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY

Mini Ovens Provide Efficiency and Quality
Robin is to Batman as the oven is to the baker. If your Robin weighs two tons, requires you to do half of its work and takes up a large portion of your production space, then you might want to invest in a new sidekick. The mini rotating rack oven offers both versatility and efficiency and reduces the unnecessary use of labor, energy, and space. In addition, the mini rack oven can bake a superior quality product compared to a deck or convection oven. A deck oven relies on radiant heat, without the use of a fan. With the use of radiant heat, the machine will consume more energy than other ovens. On the other hand, a convection oven uses a heat source that is circulated by a fan in the oven. The circulation of the air helps evenly distribute the heat around the product. Even so, convection ovens are still subject to providing unbalanced heat. This means that if convection baked goods are not manually repositioned during the baking process, the products will have hot and cold spots. “When you go to a mini rack oven, we’re taking the best worlds of the convection oven, but now we’re turning those pans within the cavity to get a good even bake,” Tom Moore, director of sales and marketing at Baxter Manufacturing says, “They’re on a rack that’s going to make a 360 degree circle. And the air is hitting across that product giving it a very even bake.” A mini rack oven generally holds six to 12 pans and can fit a 4x4 foot space. On top of maximizing space and utility, it can also help communicate a sense of freshness and quality to customers. The mini rack oven caters well to bakeries that want the customers to see their products prepared
A mini rack oven is a great resource for bakers to show their production process.
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and eventually come right out of the oven. On-site baking can be a valuable marketing tool that implies the quality and authenticity of your brand. “We’re seeing more of the bakeries trying to get the quality of their product and the trademark of their particular operation expressed to the customer. And when they’re doing that, they’re going to be more hands-on with their product, so it’s going to be more of a true bakery on site,” Moore says, “I see more use for a mini-rack oven or the opportunities to do more on site.” The mini rack oven can also reduce unnecessary expenses. Not relying on a radiant heat, the oven is more energy efficient. Also, because the mini rack oven provides an unassisted even bake, employees are able to prioritize other tasks. “If you want to match the production of a mini rack oven with a deck oven, you would have to use multiple decks. By the time you put two or three decks together, you’re talking about a more expensive oven,” Moore says. Also, for small bakeries that rely on variety, like donut and cupcake shops, the mini rack oven supports production that embraces a large number of small volume batches. This means you can produce a large quantity of different flavors in a single bake.
TIMMY TRABON

bakingbuyer - November 2011

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