WebstaurantStore / Food Service Resources / Cooking Equipment / Conveyor Oven Buying Guide

Conveyor Oven Buying Guide

Conveyor ovens move food products through a heated chamber at a constant speed. Conveyor belt speeds and temperatures are adjustable for consistent cooking of a high volume of similar products. The food is cooked using forced air impingement, radiant heat, or infrared heat.

Advantages of a Conveyor Oven

  • Consistency: More consistent than conventional ovens. The product is perfectly timed so the end result is consistent every time.
  • Moisture: Keeps foods from drying out. Forced air cooking in impinger ovens forms a membrane around food, which helps it cook faster while retaining moisture.
  • Easy to Operate: Using a less skilled labor pool will reduce labor costs.
  • Stackable: Get more capacity in the same footprint. This makes it similar to pizza deck ovens, so you can use one section for sandwiches and the other for pizza.
  • Better Workflow: Divide a kitchen between cooked and raw foods because they are loaded from one side and unloaded from the other.
  • Versatility: Great for pizza shops and foodservice outlets that cook a lot of the same item.

Perfect for pizzas, sandwiches, and virtually everything else, our selection of conveyor ovens is a space-saving solution for any food service establishment. Check out our great lines from Lincoln!

Restaurant Equipment

What Can I Cook In a Conveyor Oven?

Pizza conveyor ovens can be used to cook many different types of pizza. Often operators find that conveyor ovens improve throughput to meet high demand for pizza, making them some of the best commercial pizza ovens for many businesses! 

Though one of these units is frequently just called a conveyor pizza oven, and the pizza segment has of course benefited from the advantages of conveyor ovens to a greater degree than any other food service segment, conveyor ovens may be used to cook much more than just pizzas. They are perfect for hot sandwiches and subs, roasting vegetables, cooking chicken tenders, and nearly anything else that you would normally cook in a convection oven or snack oven!

No matter what you are cooking, a new conveyor or impinger oven can increase throughput and optimize efficiency. About the only qualification for cooking with a conveyor oven is that the food must be able to fit into the conveyor opening. While openings vary in size, they are typically about 3-4" high.

 

Types of Conveyor Ovens

Restaurant Equipment

Impinger Ovens

Impinger ovens have a gas burner or electric element in the back of the oven that heats the air. Then a fan blows the hot air above and below the food so that the hot air strikes the food product at a high velocity. So impinger ovens blow away the cold air that naturally surrounds a cold food product, bringing the heated air in direct contact with the food product.

Using an impinger oven results in rapid heat transfer, even baking, and excellent texture. Forced air impingement technology is the most widely used because impinger ovens can reduce bake times by 20% to 25% compared to non-forced air ovens.

Restaurant Equipment

Radiant Ovens

A traditional radiant oven uses heating elements located above and below the conveyor belts. These elements heat the air inside the oven as well as the interior walls, creating radiant heat to cook the food in the manner of conventional ovens. The air is not circulated in the same way as with convection or impingement.

Similarly, infrared ovens also uses heating elements above and below the conveyor belts. However the elements are typically ceramic, used so that the heat actually penetrates organic material causing the molecules to move. This creates friction and energy that turns into heat. Overall, this cooks food more quickly both inside and out. Looking for more information about types of heat transfer? Our article explains the relationship between heat transfer and cooking.

Impinger ovens and conveyor ovens both have features that make them ideal for certain business types, so it's important to choose the right oven for your establishment. Because impinger ovens significantly speed up cooking times, they're ideal for high-volume businesses that produce a lot of the same types of foods. Cafeterias, commissaries, and fast food restaurants can rely on impinger ovens to get them through a busy lunch rush without the need for advance cooking or hot holding.

Conveyor ovens, on the other hand, are a great choice for lower-volume establishments where consistency is key. Conveyor ovens deliver predictable results even when cooking more delicate foods, which can be burned under the hot jets of impinger ovens.

Conveyor Oven Features

You'll want to think about all the features of the oven when you make your choice. The control style, oven conveyor system, and whether or not the oven can be stacked are important details when buying your new conveyor belt oven. Depending on whether you are opening a new pizza shop or upgrading your restaurant kitchen to operate more efficiently, different features may be more important to you.

Restaurant Equipment

Belt Width

Choice depends on the food you'll be cooking and your volume

Restaurant Equipment

Dual Belts

Split belts allow you to simultaneously cook different items

Restaurant Equipment

Control Style

Choose from simple dial controls or intuitive touchscreens

Restaurant Equipment

Stackable

Some models can be stacked to double or triple cooking capacity without expanding the footprint

Restaurant Equipment

What is a Ventless Oven?

Most impinger ovens and conveyor ovens will require placement under a hood. Don't have hood space to spare? If you don't have space available under your hood, or your kitchen is in a non-traditional location where ventilation isn't available, some models are also available in a ventless option. 

How Does a Ventless Oven Work?

Ventless conveyor ovens use filters or catalytic converters to collect the grease produced by cooking, without the need for outside venting. Keep in mind that not all jurisdictions allow these units to be used without a hood - you'll want to check your local safety codes before making a purchase. Also note that ventless ovens may be more expensive.

The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Please refer to our Content Policy for more details.

Related Resources

Coagulation to Caramelization: How Heat Affects Food

We all know that most food preparation involves heating the food , whether by roasting, baking, grilling, frying, or searing. We know that during the cooking process, red meat gets brown, liquids become solid, and flavors change. But have you ever wondered why that is? In order to help you better understand the cooking process, we've explained the basics of why food reacts the way it does when it's heated up. Proteins: Coagulation Plant- and animal-based foods are made up of long molocules called proteins. When they're heated, the proteins break up and lose moisture. This makes them change from a liquid (or semi-liquid) to a solid in a process called coagulation in food. Temperature this starts at: 140 degrees F Examples: hard boiled or fri

Types of Cooking Methods

There are three types of cooking methods: dry heat cooking, moist heat cooking, and combination cooking. Each method describes how chefs use heat to cook food and bring out unique flavors and textures. Understanding these different cooking methods can help you choose the best technique for your ingredients and create delicious meals. Additionally, knowing which cooking methods align with your menu allows you to choose the right kitchen equipment to achieve consistent, flavorful results in your cooking. Use this guide to learn more about the different types of cooking methods and the best food for each technique. Click any of the cooking methods below to learn more: Sous Vide Poaching Simmering Steaming Boiling Baking Grilling Roasting Saute

Cooking With a Convection Oven

What is a Convection Oven? A convection oven (or fan-assisted oven) is a type of oven that uses fans to circulate hot air and cook food more quickly than a traditional oven. Instead of relying on radiated heat from heating elements, a convection oven spreads the hot air so that it envelopes food and cooks it from all sides. Keep reading to learn about the features of convection ovens and which type is best for your commercial kitchen. Be sure to check out our commercial convection oven reviews as well!

Join Our Mailing List

Receive coupon codes and more right to your inbox.

Recipe converter
WebstaurantStore blog
Videos of demonstrations, how-tos and more