Learn about the different types of commercial ovens so you can set up your kitchen.

Do you often have to set up a new kitchen?

What about fixing up your restaurant's kitchen or making some changes?

It's important to choose the right kind of oven for a business. You need the right oven for the job, just like you do with any other kitchen tool.

It can be hard to shop for commercial ovens. 

There are different kinds of ovens used in restaurants. You really need to know your stuff.

You want to buy your new oven, but you want to be sure you made the right choice. You need to know that your food will cook properly. 

Your food has to taste at least as good as your customers expect it to.

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A Quick Segway: Gas vs. Electric

If you already have a kitchen, you can skip to the types of ovens. Gas is a cheaper fuel for cooking, plain and simple.

If you already have a gas hookup, you're lucky. Chefs often like gas burners because they can see the flames and get a better idea of how hot the stove is.

But if you don't have hookups, going the gas route will be a shock. 

Putting in gas hookups is harder and costs more than putting in electric.

Electric appliances are safer than gas ones in general. Think about what you can do and do it.

Types of Commercial Ovens You Might See

How can you find the best oven for the job if you don't know what your options are and why you should choose one over another? Here are the main types of ovens that can be used for all kinds of cooking.

A heating element is at the bottom of a standard oven, which is also called a radiant oven. This is the most basic kind of oven.

Pros:

Inexpensive

Can cook just about anything.

Heating that isn't constant

Slowly cook food

Convection ovens are similar to regular ovens, but they have one big advantage: air flow. Fans inside the oven move the warm air around so that food cooks better.

Pros:

Cooking faster

Heating all the time

Use a lower temperature to get the same or better results than a standard oven.

Food is evenly cooked and cheap.

Steam ovens boil water to cook food. This is better for you than frying. It also keeps the food's natural taste and vitamins.

Pros:

Very quick cooking

Heating all the time

Evenly cooks food Cons:

Food can't brown or get crunchy.

Combi ovens, which are short for "combination ovens," use both convection ovens and steam ovens. About 20% more quickly than in regular or convection ovens.

Pros:

Very quick cooking

Heating all the time

Evenly cooks the food

Because fans are used, conveyor ovens cook like convection ovens. But the food cooks quickly because hot air is forced through a perforated sheet above it. This is called "impediment."

The food goes through the oven on a conveyor belt and comes out on the other side cooked. These kinds of ovens are often used to cook pizza.

Pros:

Very quick cooking

Heating all the time

Evenly cooks the food

A lot of work

Less care is needed from the operator or cook.

Not good at making food. Small foods or foods that are "delicate"

Low clearance means that cooked food can't get very high.

Is your restaurant a specialty or niche business? 

If not, you probably already have what you're looking for.

Still going to school? Then let's talk about the restaurant equipment that is used less often but is still important.

Types of Commercial Ovens with a Specialty or a Niche

Here, we'll look at ovens that are made to do one thing really well. The ovens below are not as versatile as most ovens, but they are great at what they do.

Why are you looking in these ovens? Well, if you own a bakery, for example, you might like these better.

Like regular ovens, deck ovens heat up an element to cook food. But the weather warms up a "deck," which is a heavy stone shelf. After that, the food is cooked right on the stone.

Deck ovens are used to bake bread in places like bakeries and pizzerias.

Brick ovens are special deck ovens that are often found in pizza places. They are nearly the same as deck ovens. Brick ovens make something a little bit different. Brick ovens are very expensive, so buyer beware!

Pros:

Best at baking

For better control, heat is changed at the top and bottom of the oven.

Cons:

Preheating before cooking takes a lot of time.

When cooked food is taken off the "deck," it leaves cold spots.

Cook-and-hold ovens are slow cookers that also have a heated cabinet to keep food warm. With these ovens, you can keep food moist and warm until it's time to serve it.

Pros:

Food shrinks less when it's cooked at a low temperature.

Best for roasting or braising meats & vegetables

Great for rising bread and baking it

Keep food fresh up until it's served.

In places that serve meat, rotisserie ovens are used. A lot of meat. Meat is put on a spit, and as it cooks, it is turned. So, the meat doesn't dry out.

Pros:

Perfect for cooking whole animals or big pieces of meat

During cooking, meat doesn't lose its juices.

Salamander broilers are small ovens that cook meat quickly. Most of the time, these ovens are used to cook special or rare foods.

Cons:

Small Cheesemelters brown or caramelize food. The units on your counter are food finishers.

Pros:

Small and made for the counter

Cons:

Small