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Rapid Cook Ovens Buying Guide

Last updated on May 21, 2024
When time is of the essence and quality is key, a rapid cook oven will be a welcome addition to your busy fast-casual restaurant or cafe. High-speed ovens will cook foods to perfection in less time while taking up less space in your kitchen than a traditional oven. This guide will go over everything you need to know about rapid cook ovens and how to choose the best unit for your business.

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What Is a Speed Oven?

A high-speed or rapid cook oven is an oven that uses two or more heat transfer methods, such as microwave and convection heating, to expedite the cooking process and reduce wait times. Speed ovens are popular for operations with limited footprints since they are designed for countertop use and can prepare various fresh, hot food on demand to help increase menu flexibility.

Speed Oven vs Microwave

A speed oven goes beyond the capabilities of a microwave oven in that it combines microwave technology with other heating sources like convection and radiant heating to cook food faster and more consistently.

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High Speed Oven Benefits

Rapid cook ovens are a great way to add versatility to menus at convenience stores, delis, cafes, and other small establishments. They combine several cooking methods like microwave, convection, radiant heat, and air impingement cooking to provide operators with numerous benefits.

  • Offer much faster and more consistent cooking than microwave ovens or toaster ovens.
  • Deliver the quality that used to be achieved only by using conventional convection or combi ovens.
  • Most models feature a ventless design with the addition of a catalytic converter, allowing users to operate them without needing to be stationed under a
  • hood. This saves valuable hood space in your kitchen and allows you to use it in front-of-the-house applications.

High-Speed Oven Heating Sources

Speed ovens use two or more heat transfer methods to reduce the cooking times of foods. Let's review the four heating combinations high-speed ovens can utilize for rapid cooking:

1. Impinged Convection Heating

Utilizes impingement plates and fingers to force convection currents directly at the food within the oven cavity for accelerated, uniform cooking. This type of heating is best for dishes such as pizza, sandwiches, and roasted vegetables.

2. Microwave and Convection Heating

Utilizes convection heat and microwave technology to quickly cook and finish food within the oven cavity. This type of heating is best for dishes such as nachos, mozzarella sticks, par-baked chicken wings, and breakfast sandwiches.

3. Microwave and Impinged Convection Heating

Similar to microwave and convection heating, microwave and impinged convection heating utilizes microwave technology along with impingement plates and fingers to force convection currents directly at items placed in the oven cavity. This allows food to cook from the inside out via microwaves while the impinged convection currents crisp the outside. This type of heating is best for dishes such as nachos, mozzarella sticks, par-baked chicken wings, and breakfast sandwiches.

4. Microwave, Impinged Convection, and Radiant Heating

Utilizes microwave, impinged convection, and infrared radiant heat to enhance toasting and crisping. This heating method provides the most cooking versatility and can be used to cook numerous dishes, from pizza to fish to muffins.

How to Find the Right High Speed Oven

The perfect high-speed oven for you depends on a lot of variables. What are you looking for in terms of wattage and capacity? Are you looking for units with multiple accessories to increase their versatility or a lot of power for greater output? Do you specialize in a specific cuisine or do you serve a wide range of menu items? When comparing models, each brand has entry-level, high-performance, and max-performance ovens with intuitive controls and features. The chart below provides wattage and cavity ranges between the different performance tiers and an estimated price range. Be sure to check out each unique model for insight into specific differences.

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Entry-Level Ovens

  • Wattage Range: 2990W to 5300W
  • Cavity Size Range: 0.40 cu. ft. to 1.20 cu. ft.
  • Price Range: $3k to $8k
Restaurant Equipment

High-Performance Ovens

  • Wattage Range: 3200W to 6000W
  • Cavity Size Range: 0.50 cu. ft. to 1.10 cu. ft.
  • Price Range: $6k to $13k
Restaurant Equipment

Max-Performance Ovens

  • Wattage Range: 5616W to 11500W
  • Cavity Size Range: 0.54 cu. ft. to 2.20 cu. ft.
  • Price Range: $8k to $22k

Rapid Cook Oven Features

High-speed ovens have features that can help modernize your kitchen and improve meal preparation time and consistency. Programmability, a ventless design, and Wi-Fi connectivity are three useful features that can help streamline your operation.

Programmable

Most rapid cook ovens allow you to program and store a variety of recipes so you can offer a diverse menu with guaranteed consistency. This will help simplify the training process when working with new employees and ensures consistent results across multiple units and restaurant locations.

Ventless

A high-speed oven's ventless functionality allows users to operate their unit without a commercial hood. This is helpful for establishments with limited hood space and locations where a commercial hood installation isn't permitted.

Wi-Fi Connectivity

Wi-Fi connectivity allows users to add and update programmed recipes to their high-speed oven via a wireless device. Wi-Fi connectivity is helpful for businesses with multiple locations, allowing them to update their menu remotely and save time and labor.

High Speed Oven Cooking Times

High-speed ovens reduce the time spent preparing foods, thus increasing your speed of service. The chart below outlines how quickly some foods can be cooked using a rapid cook oven.

Food Type Cook Time Food Type Cook Time
/3193/pizza-supplies.html
Pizza
Less than 3 minutes and 30 seconds
/mexican-restaurant-supplies.html
Quesadilla
1 minute
/14241/french-fry-cutters.html
French Fries
Less than 2 minutes and 30 seconds
/14215/chicken-slicers.html
Roasted Chicken Breast
6 minutes and 30 seconds
/14613/commercial-panini-grills.html
Panini
Less than 30 seconds
/14207/seafood-preparation-appliances.html
Popcorn Shrimp
2 minutes and 30 seconds
/445/sandwich-wrap-paper.html
Toasted Subs
20 seconds
two chocolate chip cookies on a plate
Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 minute and 35 seconds

Rapid Cook Oven Brands

We have a wide selection of commercial high-speed ovens from reliable brands to ensure you can find the best unit for your menu and price point. When comparing brands such as ACP vs. Merrychef vs. Turbochef ovens, each brand offers entry-level, high-performance, and max-performance ovens with a variety of accessories.

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Merrychef Speed Ovens

Featuring a full catalog of rapid cook ovens, the Merrychef eikon series is versatile and suitable for busy kitchens.

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TurboChef Speed Ovens

Certified as non-grease emitting appliances, Turbochef ventless rapid cook ovens are energy-efficient and user-friendly.

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ACP Speed Ovens

Xpress IQ technology in ACP speed ovens allows you to cook, toast, grill, or bake a wide range of foods.

Restaurant Equipment

Panasonic Speed Ovens

Fast, flexible, and easily programmable, Panasonic speed ovens can be used by any member of your staff.

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