Capable of cooking, rethermalizing, and holding, a good cook and hold oven will immediately become one of the most dynamic and cost-saving pieces of equipment in your kitchen. With its low-maintenance, set-it-and-forget-it design, you'll uncover much more free time to tend to the other demands of a busy kitchen.
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Cook and hold ovens remove much of the work of preparing large food quantities. They cook food at low temperatures until it reaches the proper internal temperature, measured through a penetrating probe, or until the timer tells it to switch into holding mode. When the oven enters holding mode, it reduces temperature and maintains it at the ideal safe serving temperature.
This cooking method eliminates constant checks on meats and other foods for overcooking, thus saving time and labor while improving quality and consistency. Because of their versatility and usefulness, cook and hold ovens are one of the most essential pieces of kitchen equipment for restaurants.
Cook and hold ovens are capable of utilizing multiple cooking styles. While some are able to tackle numerous methods, others specialize in just one. Before purchasing, it is helpful to know what each brings to the table and how each could benefit your specific business.,
Cook and hold ovens utilize low-temperature cooking, allowing maximum moisture retention and overnight cooking.
Unlike other cook and hold ovens, rethermalization ovens specialize in quickly bringing foods to food-safe temperatures and eliminating the possibility of bacteria.
Operating like a standard cook and hold oven, smoker ovens utilize wood pellets or other fuels to add a delicious smoky flavor to the final product without needing a seperate meat smoker.
Cook and hold ovens come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Regardless of your kitchen's space and cooking volume needs, there is a cabinet style for you.
Pass-Through
Along with low-and-slow cooking, another factor of cook and hold ovens that creates a delicious end product is the added humidity. Everyone can agree that moist meats taste better than dried-out meat. The meat's juices contain many delicious flavors, and losing those juices is a detriment to the quality of the finished product.
Some cook and hold ovens include hot water heaters that create steam and add moisture to the cooking cabinet. Total control over humidity allows foods to be ready to serve at the ideal internal temperature and perfect moisture content.
Cook and hold ovens utilize a "low and slow" cooking style. This method enhances foods by cooking them at low temperatures for long intervals rather than cooking food at a high temperature for a short time. When meats and other foods are cooked slowly, they lose fewer juices and experience minimal shrinkage.
Foods cooked in a standard convection oven may shrink as much as 30%. However, when cooked in a low and slow cook and hold, you may experience as little as 5% shrinkage. Not only does this give you a better and juicier end product, but you also increase your yield and save on overall food costs.
Each cook and hold oven will include either shelves, slides, or both to support your pans and trays of food.
Utilizing shelves in your cook and hold oven allows you to easily add and remove pans, making them a versatile choice for your kitchen.
If you always use full-size pans in your cook and hold oven, slides provide convenience and symmetry within the cabinet.
When it comes to food safety, there is no room for error. It is vital to know what holding temperatures to maintain for food after it finishes cooking and to stay out of the "danger zone." Fortunately, cook and hold ovens remove the guesswork and automatically drop to the proper holding temperature after the cooking period finishes, as established by the penetrating thermometer probe.
Setting your cook and hold oven to the proper temperature for different meats allows you to prevent potential food poisoning and remain within health code guidelines, reducing the risks of fines, suits, or closures. Check out some of the common holding temperatures below.
Meat
FOOD | HOLDING TEMPERATURE |
---|---|
Beef Roast (Rare) | 130°F / 54°C |
Beef Roast (Med/Well Done) | 155°F / 68°C |
Beef Brisket | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Prime Rib (Rare) | 130°F / 54°C |
Steaks (Broiled/Fried) | 140°F-160°F / 60°C-71°C |
Ribs (Beef Or Pork) | 160°F / 71°C |
Veal | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Ham | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Pork | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Lamb | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Poultry
FOOD | HOLDING TEMPERATURE |
---|---|
Chicken (Fried/Baked) | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Duck | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Turkey | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Fish / Seafood
FOOD | HOLDING TEMPERATURE |
---|---|
Fish (Baked/Fried) | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Lobster | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Shrimp | 160°F–175°F / 71°C–79°C |
Misc.
FOOD | HOLDING TEMPERATURE |
---|---|
Casseroles | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Dough (Proofing) | 80°F-100°F / 27°C-38°C |
Eggs (Fried) | 150°F-160°F / 66°C-71°C |
Frozen Entrees | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Hors d'oeuvres | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Pasta | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Pizza | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
Potatoes | 180°F / 82°C |
Sauces | 140°F-200°F / 60°C–93°C |
Soup | 140°F-200°F / 60°C–93°C |
Vegetables | 160°F-175°F / 71°C-79°C |
To determine which size cabinet is best for your operation, consider the below table on how common meats translate to actual poundage.
Food | Capacity |
---|---|
Beef Brisket | 3 Roasts |
Prime Rib | 2 Roasts |
Beef Tenderloin | 6 Tenderloins |
Pork Chops | 4 Half-Sized Sheet Pans |
Ham (Cured and Smoked) | 4 Hams |
Pork Loin | 4 Roasts |
Chicken (Whole) | 4 Chickens |
Turkey (Whole) | 2 Large Turkeys |
Salmon Steaks | 28-32 Steaks |
To determine which size cabinet is best for your operation, consider the below table on how common meats translate to actual poundage.
Food | Capacity |
---|---|
Beef Brisket | 6-8 Roasts |
Prime Rib | 6 Roasts |
Beef Tenderloin | 15 Tenderloins |
Pork Chops | 4 Full-Size Sheet Pans |
Ham (Cured and Smoked) | 8 Hams |
Pork Loin | 9 Roasts |
Chicken (Whole) | 18 Chickens |
Turkey (Whole) | 5 Large Turkeys |
Salmon Steaks | 60 Steaks |
To determine which size cabinet is best for your operation, consider the below table on how common meats translate to actual poundage.
Food | Capacity |
---|---|
Beef Brisket | 12-16 Roasts |
Prime Rib | 12 Roasts |
Beef Tenderloin | 30 Tenderloins |
Pork Chops | 10 Full-Size Sheet Pans |
Ham (Cured and Smoked) | 18 Hams |
Pork Loin | 18 Roasts |
Chicken (Whole) | 54 Chickens |
Turkey (Whole) | 12 Large Turkeys |
Salmon Steaks | 150 Steaks |
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