Food & Food Equipment News

Best Wine Cooler, Ice Cube Makers, and Ranges Announced by 10rate

For the perfect meal, there are two main elements: the food itself, and the drink to accompany the meal. 10rate editors have reviewed and rated cooktops, gas ranges, electric ranges, wine coolers, and ice makers based on a spread of criteria in order to find the absolute best units. 

Brittany Rowland looked at cooktops first. Cooktops don't include all the features of a full range, and depending on the size and setup of a kitchen, they can be the best way to go. Heading up the Top 10 Cooktop Reviews list is the Bosch NGM8054UC. This cooktop received a rating of 9 and the Best Quality editor's choice award. Brittany said, "this Bosch gas cooktop has five sealed burners for multi-purpose cooking. Whether you need to bring water to a boil quickly or let a sauce simmer at a low, even temperature, you can do it on these stainless steel burners. Cleaning up is easy, too."

Brittany also covered the Top 10 lists for electric and gas ranges. Ranges include many more features than cooktops, because ovens are included in the units. The Whirlpool GGG390LX heads up the Gas Range Reviews list with its "double oven and a plethora of features to make cooking and baking easier. With two ovens, you can bake more dishes at the same time and at different temperatures. Only the lower oven has convection baking," Brittany said. On the electric side of things, the Electrolux EI30EF55GS received a rating of 9.5 and an editor's choice award. Due to its stylish design, Brittany chose this to top the Best Electric Ranges.

With the right wine cooler, a delicious meal can be completed with a perfectly chilled glass of wine. The Wine Cooler Ratings list shows the Vinotemp VT-48TEDS as the best on the market. The "durable construction and sheer size make this Vinotemp wine cooler a great purchase for any wine collector looking to spruce up his bar or kitchen. The racks are made of a solid wood for extra strength and elegance."

For those not drinking wine, but cocktails, having ice cubes ready and available is a necessity. 10rate.com's Ice Makers Reviews list has the EdgeStar IB650SS at the top with a rating of 9 out of 10 and the Best Quality award. Editors chose this model because the "stainless steel front is topped by a black slide-up lid that lets you scoop out ice easily. The ice maker works either as a built-in or a freestanding unit. We were impressed by the LED controls and the ability to adjust the thickness of the bullet-shaped ice cubes." 

Carrington Farms Launches 12-Ounce 100 Percent Organic Unrefined Coconut Oil in Prominent Northeast Retailers

Carrington Farms announce the 2013 availability of their conveniently-sized 12-ounce pure, 100 percent organic, unrefined coconut oil in Wegmans and TOPS grocery stores throughout the Northeast region of the United States. The newly introduced size is now available to customers of Wegmans and TOPS in Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, and Elmira, New York as well as Sunbury, Binghamton and Harrisburg Pennsylvania.

Carrington Farms’ new convenient container of coconut oil allows consumers to experience the healthy and delicious benefits of the highest quality coconut oil while easily incorporating it into everyday cooking as a replacement to unhealthy oils, butters and fats.

 “We are excited to provide our conveniently sized 100 percent organic coconut oil to shoppers at Wegmans and TOPS as it provides ease of use and a more simplistic introduction to the benefits of coconut oil,” explained Debbie Shandel, Executive Vice President of Carrington Farms. “Both retailers are prominent in the Northeast region of the United States and we are excited to have one of our latest product introductions on their shelves and available to their customers.”

From APP-etizer to Dessert: Cooking Matters Mobile App Helps Families Cook Healthy Meals on a Budget

As part of the national No Kid Hungry campaign, Cooking Matters has 20 years of experience empowering families with the skills to make delicious, affordable and healthy meals through hands-on cooking courses and grocery store tours taught by chefs and nutritionists. Now, Cooking Matters is taking that experience out of the classroom and making it available to all mobile users, with its first mobile app. The app is available on iTunes and Google Play.

"This app brings the time-tested lessons of our program into the home and proves that you don't have to break the bank to eat a healthy, delicious meal," said Chef Greg Silverman, Director of Cooking Matters at the Store. "One lesson learned on our grocery store tours is that a family of four really can eat a balanced meal on just $10. With this app, all parents can have these tools and recipes at their fingertips." 

Tyson Foods partnered with Cooking Matters to donate $1 per download to the No Kid Hungry campaign, for the first 5,000 downloads. A longtime supporter of Share Our Strength, Tyson Foods also funds No Kid Hungry efforts in the company's headquarters state of Arkansas.    

The Cooking Matters mobile app includes:

• 90+ chef-developed healthy, affordable, delicious recipes with colored photos
• Category filters including one-dish meals, kid-approved, diabetes friendly, 30-minute meals, and seasonal dishes
• Nutritional information on all recipes
• Money-saving tips for grocery shopping

Dei Fratelli Truly Expands Line to Tomato Products

Hirzel Canning Company & Farms, a fourth-generation, family owned and operated company and producers of the Dei Fratelli brand, announces the addition of Dei Fratelli Truly Tomatoes to its extensive line of tomato products. The three new products are the only chopped tomatoes grown, produced and packaged in the United States that are available in shelf stable cartons. Crafted for “home chefs,” these products offer a premium tomato product packaged in an environmentally responsible carton. Consumers can find Dei Fratelli Truly cartons on their grocers’ shelves beginning July 2013.
 
The three product varieties include: Petite Cut Tomatoes in a Light Puree, Finely Chopped Tomatoes in a Light Puree with Onion, Carrot & Celery and Rustic Cut Tomatoes in a Light Puree.  All Dei Fratelli Truly Tomatoes weigh 26.46 ounces and can be easily substituted in recipes requiring a 28 ounce can of tomatoes.
 
The eco-friendly packaging allows Hirzel Canning Co. & Farms to use a more delicate cooking process, thus preserving the fresh-tasting flavor that nature provides. The BPA-free carton provides an environmentally friendly and convenient package. Because the carton is comprised of 75 percent paperboard, which is 100 percent recyclable, it has earned the certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).  
 
Dei Fratelli Truly Tomatoes are grown on local, family farms in the rich, fertile soil of the Lake Erie Basin.  After a short journey from their growers’ fields, the tomatoes are carefully selected for the distinctive Truly Tomato products. Moreover, the tomatoes are preserved within a maximum of 10 hours after harvesting.  This innovative concept and traceability is called, “Field to Carton.”  The tomatoes are packed in a delicate, light puree providing a rich tomato flavor and contain no artificial additives or preservatives.  
 
“It’s about quality. When a product’s ingredients are so simple, they have to be quality and that has always been a focus for the Hirzel family. With local growers, we are able to monitor every aspect of the production from seed to shelf – ensuring that only the highest quality tomatoes make it into our products.” shared Stephen Hirzel, President of Hirzel Canning Company & Farms. “Each variety of our Truly Tomatoes offers “home chefs” a premium foundation for authentic soups, stews and sauces. We anticipate this new line of products generating renewed enthusiasm in the shelf-stable tomato category."

Manage Cooking Appliances from your PC with the Rational KitchenManagement System

Rational has launched new software into the market that allows chefs to monitor and control their cooking appliances from their desk – the Rational KitchenManagement System.  

Being there in person is a thing of the past – with the Rational KitchenManagement System, cooking processes can be generated in seconds on a PC and automatically transferred to all connected units simultaneously. The best thing about this system is that chefs can even initiate, monitor, and control cooking processes from their PC. All you need is a Windows XP-compatible PC with a USB port and a network system connecting the units to the PC.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"With our KitchenManagement System, cooking processes can be modified quickly and easily from a PC for different branches, with up to 30 different units," explains Jessica Braun, Product Manager at Rational. "This means that our customers can now organize weekly promotions, speciality days, and all of the occasions that require new processes, centrally, with minimal effort," she adds.  
In addition, HACCP data can be automatically transferred and displayed as tables or graphics on the PC at any time. "Using our intelligent cooking processes, our customers can view the current status of all units and know immediately what is being and has been produced," summarizes Braun.  
A further benefit is that the KitchenManagement System does not require an IT expert to install and operate it. The software is installed on the PC very easily with a USB stick. In addition to the self-explanatory folder structure and detailed online help, an integrated virtual control panel allows chefs to view the same exact display on their PC monitor as on the unit, so they do not need to readjust to a new user interface.  
 

To obtain more information on Rational and the SelfCookingCenter® whitefficiency®, visit online at www.rational-online.com.

Rational Presents New VarioSmoker at NRA Show

Visitors of the NRA Show were able to see the new accessory highlight from Rational. From the 18th to the 21st of May 2013, the worldwide market and technology leader in the field of thermal food preparation presented its new VarioSmoker.   

From now on, everybody can smoke in a Rational combi-steamer with the new VarioSmoker. “With our VarioSmoker, chefs can cook and smoke at the same time and even overnight. This saves on time, space, and investment costs, because there is no longer any need to buy a separate smoker,” says Björn Rowland, Rational Area Vice President North America.  
The VarioSmoker is suitable for smoking meat, fish, and vegetables. It works with conventional smoke materials, such as wood chips or pellets, to produce natural smoke flavors. “Through the variation in temperature and preparation time, chefs can affect flavor and intensity according to their choice,” explains Rowland.  

Experience the new standard in modern kitchen technology  
At NRA, visitors were able to experience Rational´s SelfCookingCenter^® whitefficiency^® “live” and see how Rational combines excellent cooking performance and quality.  
Rational's visitors at the NRAShow were also able to take a look at the SelfCookingCenter^® whitefficiency^®,which can grill, steam, bake, roast, braise, simmer, stew, poach, or blanche – and now even smoke – and it replaces almost all of the appliances traditionally found in a professional kitchen. A mere fingertip on the desired result of any dish is enough for the appliance to independently determine, regulate, and monitor the optimal cooking process.   

 

M’elite from Mauviel: A New Collection of Hammered, Stainless Steel Cookware Beautiful for Tableside Service

Mauviel presents M’elite, a multi-ply, hammered stainless steel cookware collection designed to cook and serve. The new collection is handcrafted in France and backed by a lifetime guarantee. M'elite pieces marry tradition and innovation. The domed lids and oval and paella shapes are simple yet elegant and gorgeous on the table.  
M'elite is designed for all cooking surfaces, including induction. Each of the pieces of cookware is 2.6 mm thick offering even heat distribution for fast, uniform, controlled cooking. The handles are fixed to the cookware with sturdy stainless steel rivets and the sides are high for larger meals. M'elite is oven safe to 680° F. This cookware features cast stainless steel, stay cool, ergonomic handles engraved with the hallmark: Mauviel 1830.  

M’elite is manufactured in the same factory as all of the other Mauviel cookware. Ernest Mauviel established the Mauviel manufacturing company in 1830 in a Normandy village. He founded a company that manufactured copper cookware for the hotel and restaurant markets in France. Since that time the company has expanded and now crafts cookware for commercial and household markets in more than 50 countries. Mauviel is still a privately owned family business that is into the sixth generation of ownership. For more information, contact Mauviel at [email protected]

Ovention Oven Earns Kitchen Innovation Award 2013 from NRA

The new countertop Matchbox Oven by Ovention Ovens, headquartered in Dallas, has been named an honoree in the National Restaurant Association’s 2013 Kitchen Innovations Awards program. The Matchbox will be showcased with other innovative awardees at the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion during the NRA Show May 18-21 at Chicago’s McCormick Place convention center.

Launched in 2005, the KI program honors “the most promising and cutting-edge advancements in kitchen equipment for the foodservice industry,” according to the NRA announcement. This year’s panel of judges—internationally recognized food facilities consultants, chain executives and design experts—noted the accelerated-cooking Matchbox as “an intelligent, self-loading and unloading oven design” using two side-by-side cooking surfaces that alternate, sliding into and out of the enclosed cooking chamber in a matchbox motion. 

The countertop Matchbox is a compact, accelerated cooking oven that cooks very quickly without using damaging microwaves, instead employing only an advanced, unique “Precision Impingement” form of convection. The Matchbox layout allows preloading one surface while the other is in the cooking chamber. Programmable touchpad controls, one display for each cooking surface, let the operator select menu items, with customized cooking time, temperature, and independent top- and bottom-heat set for each.

In short, the Matchbox Oven takes the accelerated cooking category to the next level in cooking quality, flexibility, speed and efficiency: 

• Superior Cooking: A new level of temperature flexibility and cooking control, combined with timed, automatic loading and unloading, give you breakthrough cooking quality and versatility. That lets you cook a breakfast sandwich, pizza, fresh veggies, chicken panini sandwich, chocolate chip cookies and fresh shrimp one after another, perfectly and nonstop.
• Self-Loading/One-Touch Controls: Thanks to a breakthrough in product handling and oven management, the Ovention Matchbox establishes a new standard in ease-of-use.
• Side By Side Sliding Cooking Surfaces: Unlike conveyors that flow from one side to the other and lose energy from every opening, the compact-footprint Matchbox works like, well, a matchbox.  Partitioned cook surfaces alternate back and forth, keeping cooking zones closed and controlled.
• Immediate Variable Temperatures: Unlike anything else you’ve seen, the Matchbox lets you change temperatures from one menu item to the next by as much as 100°F instantly, which means you can cook different items at different temperatures with no lag time waiting for temps to adjust. You can cook one item at 450°F, bake another at 375°F and then cook again at 465°F in a matter of seconds.
• Faster Service Times: Without microwaves, the Ovention Matchbox uses sophisticated upper and lower “Precision Impingement” convection energy to move food quickly in and out of the oven. Food is done much more quickly than if cooked in any conventional oven platform.
• Lower Operating Cost: Unlike a traditional conveyor, Ovention’s closed cooking chamber holds heat in efficiently during the cook cycle.  Energy usage and heat extraction costs drop by 50 percent, saving thousands of dollars annually.
• No Hood Required: With Ovention's revolutionary closed cooking system and UL certified vent-less operation, operators can install the Matchbox anywhere, even stacked.
• Smaller Kitchen Footprint: Variable cook times, temperatures and heat profiles mean the Matchbox does the work of conveyor, convection and toaster ovens, as well as broilers, grills and Panini presses.
• No Microwaves: Service times are comparable to traditional rapid-cook ovens, but with no microwaves damaging cell structures, food quality is exceptional.

 

This year’s Kitchen Innovation Award isn’t the first for Ovention founder and inventor Phil McKee. He invented the original TurboChef oven, which in Tornado form was honored in 2005. And his Planar Plume technology received a KI Award in 2012.

 

CSCAMEX Announces Warm Tortilla Merchandiser

CSCAMEX, a developer of innovative temperature controlled merchandisers for the retail industry, has introduced the T-01 Warm Tortilla Merchandiser.

“Over the past three years of listening to our clients in Mexico and the United States, they had expressed a need for a visual merchandiser that effectively displayed warm fresh tortillas. Our clients required that it be well lighted, temperature controlled, the ability to retain the moisture in the tortillas and be energy efficient," said Max Calva, Director of Operations in Latin America.

CSCAMEX worked with Mission Foods and thoroughly tested the merchandiser in Mission Food's labs with its New Tradicionales brand of fresh tortillas. The testing duration was one month. During the test the T-01 merchandiser repeatedly merchandised the tortillas as desired; warm, moist and fresh. Several large supermarket chains both in the United States and Mexico have placed orders for the T-01 tortilla merchandiser.

"We look forward to helping these supermarket chains increase their tortilla sales while reducing their shrinkage" said Chip Aschinger, President and CEO.

About CSCAMEX

CSCAMEX has over 70 years in experience of working collaboratively with the world's leading retailers creating innovative merchandising fixtures ensuring positive return on investment. CSCAMEX has operations in both the United States and Mexico with headquarters in Columbus, Ohio, and sales and manufacturing operations in Mexico. For more information, please visit www.cscamex.com

Jenn-Air Touts Performance Of Luxury Microwave Collection

While microwave ovens have been a staple in American kitchens for decades, many cooks have yet to discover that today's high-end models offer not only speed and convenience, but many of the same capabilities prized in traditional ovens. Case in point: a collection of high performance microwave ovens from Jenn-Air capable of everything from searing salmon to baking decadent truffle tarts.

"Whether you prefer a sleek built-in, under counter or above the range microwave, our models offer multiple cooking options, with several even featuring convection cooking and full-color LCD displays," notes Juliet Johnson, Manager of Brand Experience for Jenn-Air. "Beyond their powerful performance, the various configurations found in our collection offer flexible placement options."

MICROWAVE OVENS WITH CONVECTION COOKING

Jenn-Air built-in microwave ovens include a 30-inch model with a Speed-Cook system that can cook oven quality meals up to three times faster than traditional ovens. By combining the speed of microwave energy with the heat of convection cooking and broiling, this cooking system has the flexibility to cook a variety of preprogrammed foods from roasted chicken to delicate puff pastry. A highly interactive, full-color 4.3-inch LCD control panel features intuitive menu-driven controls to easily select various cooking options from temperature to cooking modes. Rather than cooking for a preset time, a steam cook cycle features an intuitive sensor that detects humidity released by food as it cooks and determines the precise cooking time and power level for each food item.

For dishes such as flatbread and roasted fish, a Crisp Option used in combination with the included browning pan promotes the crisping of foods by merging microwave technology with a broiling element for exceptional results.

UNDER COUNTER MICROWAVE OVEN

For those with limited space, the 24" microwave oven with a drawer design leaves valuable counter space uncluttered with under counter or in-wall installation options. With the touch of a button, the drawer automatically opens and closes, while its top access allows for easy stirring of ingredients and temperature testing. The auto sensor feature ensures all food is properly cooked while a Keep Warm feature offers the flexibility of using the microwave as a warming drawer with precise temperature settings that allow plates and dishes to be kept warm until serving time.

OVER THE RANGE MICROWAVE OVENS WITH BUILT-IN VENTILATION

Jenn-Air 30-inch over-the-range microwave ovens help clear the air with a built-in ventilation system that automatically begins venting when heat is sensed. Featuring multiple fan speeds with a 300 CFM blower, the exhaust system captures smoke, steam and odors from the cooking surface below. To help maintain a seamless look in the kitchen, an articulating vent opens to a 45-degree angle when turned on and remains closed when off. A built-in exterior exhaust system with three venting alternatives provides flexible installation options. Select models are available with microwave and convection combination cooking.

All over-the-range models feature auto sensor microwave cooking, enabling the oven to automatically sense remaining cooking time based on the humidity emanating from dishes as they cook. Jenn-Air microwave ovens are offered in a variety of styles and finishes including Pro-Style Stainless, Euro-Style Stainless, Black and White Floating Glass.