How Do They Work

Instead of having a industrial stove and oven for your kitchen, commercial combi ovens use a combination of dry heat and steam for most of their functions. The operator can select from three modes:

  • Steam Mode: When in steam mode, the oven uses steam to create moist heat to keep the products juicy during cooking. This mode is best for poaching and steaming seafood and vegetables.
  • Convection Mode: Like the typical oven, convection mode uses hot air to cook food. This process is best for baking, oven frying and roasting as it removes all the moisture and browns the food.
  • Combination Mode: Combination mode is a combination of the conventional mode and steam mode to cook food without drying it. It is the best choice when you want to have the conventional oven's browning effect without losing moisture. Combination mode is best for stewing because the veggies and meat come out juicy and with the browning. You can also use this method to bake some bread if you want it to have a hard crust.

Considerations When Buying a Combi Oven

Since buying a Commercial combi oven is a capital investment, you must ensure that your purchases are a perfect match for all aspects. Below are the most important factors to consider when purchasing a combination oven.

  • Size: The size of the oven you choose should be guided by the intended use. Busy establishments need larger ovens because they have a higher capacity. However, you should check the dimensions to ensure that it fits your kitchen.
  • Power Supply: Since varying combi ovens use different sources of power like electricity and LPG, you should choose depending on the power source's availability. For example, you should not purchase a three-phase version if your premises' power supply is single phase.
  • Control: Users have different tastes when it comes to controls: some prefer the hands-on feel of manual control , while others love the programmable ovens' ease of use. Experienced cooks can choose the manual ovens, but it would be better to purchase a programmable version if you have newbie cooks.

Combination Oven Sizes

A Combination oven can be a huge industrial cooker or a compact oven for a small hotel.

  • Mini: These are pint-size ovens with not more than six shelves and accommodate a maximum of five pans.
  • Tabletop: This industrial cooker is perfect for quick-service restaurants as they have 6-12shelves that can accommodate both half-size sheet pans and full-size hotel pans.
  • Floor Modes: This is a commercial combi oven with at least 20 shelves that can hold 40 hotel pans or 20 full-size sheet pans .