Restaurateurs are induced to embrace induction cooking

Nation's Restaurant News, March 16, 1998 by Ed Rubinstein

The use of induction cooking, which employs an electromagnetic coil under a flat ceramic cook top, appears to be on the upswing as operators are finding new applications for the technology.

"We are finding that this equipment satisfies various niches. It can be used wherever and whenever restaurateurs don't want an open flame," said Steven Grover, vice president for technical services, public health and safety for the National Restaurant Association.

Nevertheless, while microwave ovens are staples in most restaurants, sources have noted that induction cooking systems are in less than 5 percent of the nation's eating establishments.

An avid user of the technology is Le Cirque 2000, in New York City's Palace Hotel, which makes daily use of induction units in its pastry and garde-manger areas.

Said executive chef Sottha Khunn: "We use it anywhere we need fast cooking. And it's safer because there is no flame. Only the pans are heated."

And since the ceramic cook tops stay cool, Khunn noted that Le Cirque 2000 one day may use its induction cook tops to plate entrees for tableside service.

Pastry chef Jacques Torres uses an induction cooker for recipes that require a steady stream of heat. "You can regulate the heat much more precisely than with other pieces of equipment," Torres said.

Induction technology has been embraced warmly by on-site operators who have incorporated induction units into their newest dining initiatives.

"The majority of our product has been sold to contract feeders," noted Joseph Moyer, vice president of sales and marketing at CookTek, a Chicago-based manufacturer of induction cooking systems.

For example, the Campus Services division of Aramark became a major purveyor of induction cooking last fall when it introduced its Pan Geos dining concept to 44 college campuses.

"The service gives a clear message of freshness because we are cooking the food in front of the customers, and the induction cookers are a big part of that," said Suzanne Weltman, a Pan Geos product manager, who noted that each culinary station typically includes four induction units.

In addition to the merchandising appeal of Pan Geos, the induction systems have allowed Aramark to rethink its approach to space utilization.

"We are looking to bring the front-of-the-house forward. Eventually, the only things which could be stored in the back-of-the-house could be cold storage, dry goods and dishes," Weltman predicted.

And Aramark's use of induction will expand as the operator plans to extend the Pan Geos concept to its business and health-care services divisions.

Elsewhere, the Compass Group, based in Charlotte, N.C., has intensified its use of induction cooking through its recently launched "Profiles in Good Taste" program, which offers its accounts a variety of culinary stations dubbed "market concepts."

Since the cook tops don't emit any flame, industry observers maintain that contract feeders will find new uses for induction systems, such as in airport eateries, where back-of-the-house space tends to be extremely limited. Induction, however, has not piqued the interest of all chefs, some of whom say the technology is too new for their kitchens.

"I view induction as a new car that has come out for the first year: It's not widely used and expensive," said Anthony Damiano, owner of Damiano's in Delray Beach, Fla., and a former executive chef at the Russian Tea Room in New York City.

Observers say cost has bean an impediment to induction. List prices of some models, like an imported 3,000-watt double burner, can be as high as $7,000, while a single-burner inductor can start at $2,000.

But as equipment manufacturers realize economies of scale and as demand among operators increases, the prices of induction systems should fall. One manufacturer recently launched two single-burner units: an 1,800-watt model, which lists for about $700, and a 2,500-watt cook top, which has a suggested retail price of $1,295.

Another trend that bodes well for the technology is that the nation's culinary schools have made induction cooking a key part of their curricula. For example, The Culinary Institute of America at Greystone in St. Helena, Calif., has been using induction cook tops since it opened three years ago.

Each cooking island in the school's sprawling 15,000-square-foot kitchen has built-in induction units. And there are several mobile cookers in its baking/pastry area.

"We cart them all over the campus for special events and buffets. They are an indispensable part of our operation," said Greg Drescher, director of education.

Experts maintain that induction cooking systems are energy-efficient and provide stable heat control at a wide range of temperatures. And since they are "plug-and-play," there is no need to rework a restaurants HVAC system.

"Even though induction burners may use less electricity, there is a general perception in the industry that gas cooking is more efficient," the NRA's Grover said.

Grover also noted that the biggest asset of induction cooking "lies in safety."