NRA show to honor problem-solving products

Nation's Restaurant News, Feb 19, 2007 by James Scarpa

A device that sends 1,500 pounds of food waste down the drain as a harmless liquid and a super-heated steamer for high-velocity cooking are just two of the 19 trend-setting equipment pieces that received the National Restaurant Association 2007 Kitchen Innovations Award.

Each winner passed careful vetting by nine expert judges drawn from the operator, manufacturer and consultant ranks.

"If someone says, 'My equipment is 40 degrees hotter or 40 percent faster,' it's not accepted on trust," said one of the judges, William Eaton, principal of Cini-Little International, a foodservice consulting firm based in Germantown, Md. "They have to show documentation, either from a testing lab or from a reasonable-term field test."

To be an award candidate, equipment must be commercially available in time to demonstrate at the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, scheduled for May 19-22 in Chicago.

Speedy performance won honors for units like the Lincoln FastBake oven, which bakes up to 30 percent faster with advanced impingement technology; the Electrolux Tilting Pressure Braising Pan, which reduces cooking time up to 50 percent with saturated steam; and the Vulcan-Hart Floor Gas Steamer, which boasts superheated 235-degree steam.

The judges also rewarded standout versatility and space efficiency, such as the Alto-Shaam Combitherm Smoker, a boilerless counter-top model with oven/steamer capability. Delfield's Versa Drawer combines four units with individually controlled functions that can refrigerate, freeze, chill or thaw. The Randell FX Series refrigeration/freezer system has one to four modular drawers with individual temperature controls. The Cleveland Range Convotherm 606 Mini-Combi Oven Steamer packs the cooking power of a larger unit in a compact footprint.

Equipment with environmental benefits includes the BioX device by Action Comax Environmental, a stainless-steel container that biologically decomposes up to 1,500 pounds of food waste per day for safe disposal down the drain. Also "green" is the Meiko Waste Air Heat Recovery System, an exhaust system that reclaims heat from the dish machine to preheat incoming rinse water.

Energy-efficient equipment also was a hot button. Alto-Shaam's ASF-75G Gas Fryer touts 71 percent efficiency with an enclosed forced-air modulating burner and advanced heat exchanger. The Master-Bilt Master Controller with Reverse Cycle Defrost reduces defrost time and frequency and saves up to 27 percent in energy costs.

Honing in on food safety are the Silvershine Cutlery Drying Machine by Campus Products, which dries, polishes and sanitizes up to 12,000 pieces of cutlery per hour, and San Jamar's Kleen-Brush System, a fingernail and hand brush that mounts under any gooseneck faucet.

Some award recipients provide practical solutions to longstanding challenges. Scotsman's Prodigy Cube Ice Machine limits scale buildup with mineral-sensing technology that automatically flushes out mineral residues. The Hobart 3000 Series Slicer has a removable knife for easier and safer cleaning and maintenance. The Beverage-Air ChillStar Intelligent Food Recognition system automatically adjusts chilling cycles and monitors temperature.

Pitco's Solstice Rethermalizer, a water-bath rethermalizer, delivers 54-percent efficiency with its burner/baffle design. And Pitco's Solstice Supreme Gas Fryer has an automatic self-cleaning ignition procedure to keep burners clean and efficient. The Blodgett Model XCEL.5E Hydrovection self-cleaning convection oven sports an easily removable bi-directional blower wheel and baffle that can cut cleaning time as much as 95 percent.