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 find yourself with much more free time to tend to the other demands of a busy kitchen.
Cook and hold ovens remove much of the work of preparing large portions of food. They cook food at low temperatures until the proper internal temperature is reached 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 holds it at the ideal safe serving temperature so it is ready to serve.
This method of cooking eliminates the necessity to constantly check on meats and other foods to make sure they are not overcooking, thus saving on time and labor while improving quality and consistency.
Countertop
When it comes to food safety there is no room for error. It is very important to know what holding temperatures must be maintained for food after it is done cooking and to stay out of the "danger zone." Fortunately, cook and hold ovens remove the guess work and automatically drop to the proper holding temperature after the cooking period is finished, as established by the penetrating thermometer probe.
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 |
Along with low-and-slow cooking, another factor of cook and hold ovens that creates a delicious end product is added humidity. Everyone can agree that meats taste better when they are moist and not dried out. A lot of flavor is contained within the meat's natural juices, 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 into the cooking cabinet. This full control over humidity allows for foods to be ready to serve at not only the ideal internal temperature but also the perfect moisture content.
Cook and Hold ovens utilize a "low and slow" cooking style. What this means is that instead of cooking food at a high temperature for a short period of time, these ovens cook their contents at a low temperature for long periods. The benefit of this is that when meats and other foods are cooked slowly, they lose a lot less 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, you also greatly increase your yield, saving on overall food costs.
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 |