Microwaves

Microwave ovens are a hugely important aspect of every professional kitchen. As a standard microwave-only oven they can perform essential functions such as safely re-heating frozen or chilled food, which is at the heart of many menus in informal dining restaurants and pubs or in room-service for hotels.

Get the best of both worlds with a combination microwave

Where they get much more versatile is when they become a combination microwave oven. The combination in combination microwave is the addition of convection oven hot air and a grill. This transforms a simple re-heating cabinet into a multi-function cooking oven. Jacket potatoes can be softened then crisped, pastry dishes can be reheated and crisped, in fact almost all of the functions of a standard oven can be performed in the combination microwave oven (also known as a combi microwave). The main limitation is of load capacity and the absence of steam in a standard-size combination microwave. Although it is possible to buy a large combi-oven which incorporates microwave energy.

A general rule of thumb is that a microwave is only for re-heating, a combination microwave is for reheating and primary cooking.

Commercial microwave is a must for any professional kitchen

There is a minority view among caterers that all microwaves are the same, the only difference between commercial microwave and domestic microwaves being the power and price. This is completely untrue. There are clear cooking, construction and food safety differences between a combi microwave designed for home use and those designed for the professional kitchen.

A domestic microwave oven often has a low power rating, which means they take far longer to reheat, defrost or cook food than a commercial combnation microwave. While a combi microwave designed for home use may have power ratings from 600 watts to 900 watts, a commercial microwave can be rated up to 2000 watts. The term watts is a unit of measurement for the heating power of a microwave oven.

The device which produces the energy waves which heats food in microwaves, whether a domestic or a commercial microwave,  is called a magnetron. A domestic version usually has a single magnetron while a commercial microwave usually has two magnetrons which are built to a higher specification, making them faster, more efficient and longer lasting.

A commercial microwave oven is built to withstand hard use every day, while a domestic microwave oven is designed to be used just a couple of times a day, which repeated use of a combi microwave oven designed for home use can lead to a loss of power with the associated food safety risks.

Enhanced operation and a flat base improve throughput

Microwave energy needs to be evenly spread around the oven cavity to ensure that all parts of the food inside are safely heated. Where chilled or frozen food is not thoroughly heated, harmful bacteria within the food is unlikely to be killed, risking food poisoning.

Many domestic microwaves use simple turntables to try to distribute the microwave heat, while commercial combination microwave ovens generally dont have turntables but have a flat base and use a sophisticated heat mixing system in the oven cavity. This means that a commercial combination microwave without a turntable, but with a flat base generally has a bigger cavity than a combi microwave with a turntable. By using a flat base this eliminates the need for a mechanical motor system rotating a turntable. The oven cavity size on a commercial microwave with a flat base is usually designed around the gastronorm system, making it easier to accommodate industry standard sized food dishes. A great benefit of the flat base system means its easier to clean the interior of a combi microwave with a flat base as there are no small or removable compnents where grime can easily build up.

The casing of most domestic microwaves are painted mild steel which can easily chip, corrode and cause food safety hazards. A professional combi microwave normally has casings made with hard-wearing stainless steel which is easy to keep clean and will not corrode. A commercial microwave generally has far more sophisticated cooking programmes, often push-button pre-sets, so staff can reheat properly and easily every time.

To speak to one of our Catering Equipment sales teams or to request more information about a commercial combination microwave, please call 0370 3663 960.