CAMERA TECHNOLOGY OPEN FIRE COOKING F


or diners, the thrill of an open flame in the kitchen adds to the atmosphere, particularly when open kitchens are becoming more common. It creates a deeper connection with the chefs and their art. And cooking over an open fire lends that smoky aura to the food, which is a firm favorite for many diners. “It is the original cooking - the first thing that humans did,” says Paul Bartlett FCSI of KitchenSolutions Consulting based in Baltimore, Maryland, US. “Charcoal cooking is a bit of a refinement and some people like the flavor, though wood-fired and gas-fired pizza ovens produce the same flavors. But there has been a renaissance of open-fire cooking. Everyone loves to see it. “The pandemic has seen a


lot of outdoor activity, so many people have chosen to have social gatherings outside with an open fire,” he adds. “Open fire is great for quickly searing meats or vegetables which are then finished in a different way, and it is very versatile, as well as being very efficient if you are a good cook. You have to be a good cook because using an open fire it takes more skill than working with combi ovens. Open fire is a differentiator – it says we have real cooks.”


The flavor and the performance are all part of the theater of cooking, which is no less important than service in the diner’s mind. “Generally, when I end up specifying this type of equipment the discussion is driven by the visibility of the kitchen and the show the chef wants to project,” says Ted Doyals FCSI in Dallas, Texas, principal at Ricca Design Studios. “The other aspect is authentic flavor. We do a lot of traditional Mexican food and chefs want the wood or coal-fired flavor.” “Investors want things in the


restaurant that will keep customers coming back, and fire is like an


advertisement,” says German foodservice consultant Frank Wagner FCSI “The flavor and the performance of the cooking process are the important factors.


Innovation in an ancient art Open-fire cooking is the same in principle as it was thousands of years ago, but it has not been immune to innovation. Cooking with the naked flame has branched off into charcoal cooking, which offers a different level of control. Purists lean towards wood-fired cooking and are comfortable with wood as a fuel source because they know how to manage it to get the quality they expect, but it is a dying art form,” says Todd Griffith, VP of sales at Marra Forni. “Wood-fired is sexy and it has ambience – a mystique that gas doesn’t have – but it brings a lot of challenges, so


many operators end up converting


to gas, which is the trend.” Gas-fired brick ovens can reach and


hold a set temperature with the touch of a button, whereas wood-fired ovens require a high level of skill. “A brick oven is really just a fireplace, and it is much harder to maintain a constant temperature with wood,” Griffith adds. “Wood-fired pizza ovens have not


changed much over thousands of years,” adds Wagner. “But people want food cooked as quickly as possible, so there is some development, though traditional cooking methods don’t change much as they are often part of the culture of an area or country.” That said, the Josper range of


charcoal ovens and grills have become


something of an industry standard, as they work at high temperatures, smoking and grilling simultaneously. Harrison charcoal ovens are


also known for their robust design and their ability to give chefs control


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“INVESTORS WANT THINGS IN THE RESTAURANT THAT WILL KEEP CUSTOMERS COMING BACK, AND FIRE IS LIKE AN ADVERTISEMENT”


WORLDWIDE


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