March 2007
SPECIAL REPORT:
NRA Calls, Innovators Step Up
By: The Editors

The National Restaurant Association’s Kitchen Innovations Program is on a roll. Now in its third year, and with an independent panel of multiunit spec/buyers and design consultants at the judging helm, the KI program continues to shine a spotlight on the most innovative, groundbreaking equipment available today.

It helps enormously, of course, that the industry has entered a period of unprecedented equipment development, based on a renewed push to save energy and improve operating efficiencies. The KI program reflects all of that development, with efficient, new-think technologies turning up in the honorees’ circle year after year.

In these pages we bring you technical details on the 2006 KI honorees. These products bring fresh, expanded thinking to what we’d consider traditional equipment, and in some cases offer utterly new approaches to common kitchen needs. If you missed any of these at last year’s NRA Show, seek them out at this year’s event, slated for May 19-22 at Chicago’s McCormick Place.

Meanwhile, our sidebar to the right previews the ’07 KI honorees, who’ll be displaying their wares at the KI Pavilion in two months. With equipment reps on hand to answer your questions in the pavilion, it’ll be the perfect time to see this year’s crop of cutting-edge products.

And while you’re there, you might also run into some of the judges. The panel has evolved, with some pros judging all three KI programs to date, and has included Philip Costner, T.G.I. Friday’s U.S.A.; Martin Cowley, Disneyland Resort; William Eaton, Cini-Little Int’l; John Egnor, JEM Associates; Robert Forrester, Quiznos Sub; Rick Gentry, Aramark; Robert Marshall, McDonald’s Corp.; Robert Pacifico, Romano/Gatland; and Kathleen Seelye, Ricca Newmark Design.

It’s an exciting time in foodservice equipment development. Turn the page and you’ll read why.

FILTRATION THAT CLEANS ITSELF

Water filter cartridges become a thing of the past when you use the TAP Ultra Water Filtration Solution from A.J. Antunes. The system is simple: It uses two tanks to separate mechanical filtration (to strain out turbidity, cyst, bacteria and viruses) from chemical treatment (the carbon filter to reduce chlorine). And since a self-cleaning step periodically flushes out trapped impurities from the first tank, you no longer have to pay for frequent filter replacements. Other plusses: The TAP system catches particles as small as 0.015 microns, says Antunes, which is 38 times smaller than the 0.5 micron size trapped by typical filters. TAP (that stands for Total Assurance Package) will give you 100,000 gals. of water per carbon change, every time, the company says.

A.J. Antunes & Co.
800/253-2991
www.ajantunes.com

REACH-IN GOES EASY ON ENVIRONMENT

Calling it the “next generation in Carrier coolers,” Beverage-Air releases its Kitchen Innovations-worthy MiraCool reach-in. The unit uses HFC-free foam for insulation, a single-piece durable grille, and an efficient air distribution structure, says the company. The lightweight door comes with a 3-point hinge and double-pane glass. Standard lighting has been improved by 80%, says Bev-Air, and enhanced lighting is available. The lower cartridge offers quick change-out for one-person operation, a condenser with higher energy efficiency, and easy access to both condenser and compressor. In all, the design offers greater efficiency with reduced noise levels and “greener” technology than other models, says Bev-Air.

Beverage-Air/Carrier
800-845-9800
www.beverage-air.com

OVENS DOORS THAT SLIDE AWAY

It may seem like a small thing, but the ability to push an oven door completely out of the way quickly could make the lives of chefs a lot easier. Take a first look, or a second look if you’ve seen it before, at the Convotherm Combi Oven-Steamer, which features patented “disappearing” doors, a helpful feature for small kitchens in particular. You simply open the door and push back along the sides, much like your entertainment cabinet at home. Convotherm also touts its Advanced Closed System, which automatically controls moisture and heat based on the physical properties of the food being cooked, allowing you to easily bake, broil, stew and so on. A programmable control panel lets you store as many as 250 recipes in the oven’s onboard cookbook and start cooking with the push of a button Available in 28 models.

Convotherm by Cleveland/Enodis
800/338-2204
www.clevelandrange.com

HACCP’S HANDY HELPER

The Food Code tells you to cool cooked product to 40°F or lower in less than 4 hrs. So you can either assign an employee to oversee the cooling process, or you can pull out the big guns, your Coolit-Rite Thermometer by Cooper-Atkins. The thermometer has a programmable timer that tracks elapsed time as well as food temperature. A loud alarm sounds when it hits 41°F or the time runs out, whichever comes first. The LCD displays the final temperature until cleared, and will even start to count up to show you how much time has passed after the alarm sounded. Coolit-Rite has a temperature range of –4°F to 302°F and a timer range of nearly 7 hrs.

Cooper-Atkins Corp.
800/835-5011
www.cooper-atkins.com

LARGE BATCHES AT HIGH SPEED

The air-o-speed combi-microwave oven enables you to carry out high-speed, large-batch cooking with convection, steam and a patented form of microwave technology. Electrolux says that in a traditional microwave, a series of randomly dispersed waves transfer energy to a single nonmetal pan or batch of food, and the larger the batch of food, the slower the cooking time. With the new, patented microwave technology used by air-o-speed, the waves travel in a parallel path, applying concentrated energy individually to each pan of food, up to 10 metal hotel pans. Therefore, large-batch cooking is carried out more efficiently, says the company. In addition, air-o-speed can accommodate smaller loads by automatically aligning the food load with the quantity of energy required to cook the product. It all adds up to amazingly fast cooking, even from frozen, says the company.

Electrolux Professional
866/ 449-4200
www.electroluxusa.com/professional

SANITIZE WITHOUT CHEMICALS

Well, okay, so water is a chemical. And salt is a chemical. But other than that, there are no chemicals in Electrolyzer’s electrolyzed-water antimicrobial process. No bleach, no nothing. And while other processes have been based on similar science, this one uses a patented three-chamber electrolyzer that passes ions through an exchange membrane to prevent salts from ending up in the output water. That means no salt residue anywhere the mixture is used. The process produces two separate flows of water: One is highly alkaline, good for cleaning and degreasing, while the other is acidic, a powerful antimicrobial (both bacterial and viral). Wash hands, clean work surfaces, wash produce and proteins and more. You can use the ElectroCide System just about anywhere for less than a penny a gallon.

Electrolyzer Corp.
781/933-8801
www.electrolyzercorp.com

‘ROTISSERIE’ IS JUST THE BEGINNING

This one’s truly different: It eschews the usual horizontal skewers in favor of a carousel approach, with a rotating vertical shaft turning tilted display racks. And that’s just the most superficial difference. The Deli Multisserie, as it’s called, also boasts a 270° view and a boilerless steamer system, as well as convection, that allows roasting, steaming and retherming a variety of foods. Other goodies: multiple auto-clean programs, an intuitive iPod-style control panel, programming for up to 250 multi-step cooking processes, and a grease disposal system that uses a handy disposal bag to keep the whole process clean and easy. The Multisserie’s combination of wide-view merchandising, fast steam-and-convection cooking and sheer handiness puts this one in a category of one.

Fri-Jado
877/374-5236
www.fri-jado.com

SEALING ON THE SPOT

The new Sur-Seal is a patented, touchless beverage lidding system that makes sense operationally, environmentally and financially. The system seals any 12- to 32-oz. drink cup that has a rim, from paper or plastic or Styrofoam. Here’s how it works: The machine is equipped with a roll of special Sur-Seal film. You just put the filled cup under the sealer and it shrink-wraps a lid to the under side of the rim in 1 sec. Customers can poke a straw into a marked straw spot or pull a tab back to sip hot beverages. Environmentally, Sur-Seal’s a coup. The lid film is 1/16^th the weight of plastic lids and one roll yields 3,000 lids, yet takes up less than 1% of the volume of traditional lids. That means reduced handling of inventory at the store level. Employees just need one hand to securely seal drinks, and neither their hand nor the customers’ ever touch inside of the lid. And you can imprint lids with your advertising message, too.

Green-Line Products
905/677-0534
www.sur-seallid.com

PUT THE COLD WHERE IT NEEDS TO BE

Everyone knows that food held in a cold pan gets warm from the top, but most prep-table designs locate the refrigeration down below. The result is food that’s often too warm on top and too cold on the bottom. So the folks at H&K Int’l. developed Safe-T-Shroud, which places the cooling coil over the food pans to lower the air temperature above them and shield them from convective air currents. H&K reps told us the Safe-T-Shroud has been installed on more than 700 cold rails in U.S. kitchens and field experience says Safe-T-Shroud can keep your food in the safety zone for 24 hrs. without freezing or drying your product. Safe-T-Shroud is NSF 7 listed and can be engineered to fit most cold-pan applications.

H&K Int’l.
800/788-2445
www.hki.com

PARABOLIC MEANS HEAT CONTROL

The IR Conveyor Toaster relies on a unique design to deliver fast toasted product and reduced heat gain in the kitchen in one energy-efficient package. The IR’s parabolic design offers a dome-shaped reflector that directs heat back down to food in a focused manner, and watt distribution along the heater’s length to allow a concentration of heat where it’s needed. Meanwhile, a cool-to-the-touch exterior and added air curtain help keep the area around the toaster cool. And an energy-saving sleep mode cuts the power a predetermined percentage and stops the conveyor belt when the toaster senses no drastic temperature change over a period of time. Available in a stainless finish or a variety of colors with a footprint of 29”W x 23”D.

Lincoln Foodservice Products/Enodis
260/459-8200
www.lincolnfp.com

ICE CREAM IN A JIFFY

If the name “MooBella” doesn’t make you grin, its product sure will. This revolutionary, multi-patented, self-serve vending machine delivers an individual portion of fresh ice cream in just 45 secs.

It all begins when the customer uses a touch screen to choose premium or light and select from one of 12 flavors and three mix-ins (such as M&Ms or chocolate chips). The customer puts a cup in the window and waits as the machine precisely measures and pumps the base mix, then aerates, flavors and sprays it onto a flat rotating surface, where it is flash frozen. The product is then scraped off and formed into a 4.5-oz. portion of fresh ice cream that drops down into the waiting cup. The machine, which stands in a footprint of 42”W x 33”D, uses proprietary shelf-stable products and is easily cleaned with just three main components that can be run through a dishwasher.

MooBella
508/823-1212
www.moobella.com

PROOF, BAKE, HOLD

Nu-Vu’s Rhapsody ComboBake gained entry to the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion as a unique oven that provides proofing, no-turn baking and holding all in the same cavity. The space-saving, labor-saving combination unit offers baking that’s a claimed 33% faster than typical, cranking out 40’-long loaves in just 10 mins. Doors are insulated for a cool-to-touch surface, and dual-pane glass is easy to clean. Standard features include temp control, timer, 2-spd. fan and menu programmability. An optional pass-through configuration adds flexibility.

Nu-Vu Food Service/Middleby
800/338-9886
www.nu-vu.com

MEET ROBO-FRY

Imagine having an electric, ventless, countertop fryer that fries 3-lb. loads. Now imagine it has a fully enclosed fry-vat. Automated loading. Automated baskets. Automated unloading. That’s Perfect Fry’s PFA Series, four models that are the first of their kind. Offering a virtually sealed cooking process, the four models range from 6.2 to 9.6 kW, with production capacities from 50 to 90 lbs./hr. Advanced electronics include cook-time sensitivity, which means cooking times are automatically adjusted to compensate for any dip in oil temperature during the recovery period, standby mode and hold-time monitor. The whole compact package measures just 30” high, with a footprint of 22”W x 25”D.

Perfect Fry Co. Ltd.
800/265-7711
www.perfectfry.com

BANQUETING’S GREAT LEAP FORWARD

Rational’s SelfCooking Center combi oven-steamer made it to the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion on the strength of its advanced capabilities, which involve programming that adjusts not only time and temperature but also humidity based on type of food being cooked, size of food, etc. Add to that a full roll-in banqueting design that eliminates last-minutes panic and allows production days in advance. Cook days in advance, then quick-chill. Plate. Store plated, or go to reconstituting, rolling plate racks straight into the unit, which retherms a full rack in 8 mins. Need more? A thermo cover will keep the rack serving-temp warm for up to 25 mins. while you retherm additional racks of plates.

Rational USA
888/320-7274
www.rational-usa.com

GRATE EXPECTATIONS

And now for something completely different: a self-cleaning floor system topped with pliable, nonskid, warewasher-friendly fiberglass/resin grates. Sani-Floor has literally taken clean floors to a whole new level, offering a system that can replace rubber mats and handle any spills with aplomb. Here’s how it works: Imagine a series of 6”-deep floor inserts in front of your cookline. The insets, joined together to provide any length required, are lined with small water nozzles pointing down to a drain in the middle, and covered with three flexible 20” x 30” fiberglass grates. Food scraps and liquid fall through the grate and out of the way. When you’re ready to clean, you just hit a button and water flushes debris into a catch basin for easy disposal. Water used: 12 gals. Cleaning duration: about 6 secs. You reduce slip-and-fall incidents from wet mats and save the water you’d use to wash those mats. The Sani-Floor folks say the system pays for itself within months. NSF certified.

Sani-Floor
769/345-7987
www.sanifloor.net 

DISPLAY CASE LOADED WITH FEATURES

It’s a good-looking, open-front cold display, and the Breeze refrigeration system slides right out without tools for simple maintenance. But the feature that secured this display case’s place among the Kitchen Innovations Award Winners is the optional Clean Sweep. We all know that when the condenser coil gets gummed up and blocked with dust and debris, it compromises the efficiency of the unit. Clean Sweep, patent pending, does what it says, brushing down the condenser coil once a day, automatically. Such a simple maintenance action will do wonders for the operation and life of the unit. The Breeze’s smart microprocessor monitors and maintains temperature, kicking into defrost when needed so you won’t have to.

Structural Concepts
800/433-9489
www.structuralconcepts.com

FIRED UP ABOUT UNDERFIREDS

Just when you thought infrared broilers couldn’t get any better, TEC Infra-Red Cooking Systems creates the Searmaster II. The grill gets its fire-power from a virtually indestructible stainless steel sheet burner. Over that goes a radiant emitter panel, made of tempered glass, that transfers the infrared energy across the cooking surface while blocking flare-up inducing air flow. The cooking surface is a stainless cooking grid that vaporizes drippings into flavor-enhancing smoke and sears grill stripes onto food. Searmaster II is 65% more gas-efficient than a standard charbroiler, says the company. Choose from one to five steel infrared burners, each rated at 24,000 Btu/hr. for a maximum 120,000 Btu total.

TEC Infra-Red Cooking Systems
800/331-0097
www.tecinfrared.com