EVOLUTION OF HOT-SIDE TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION / HISTORY
SEVEN DECADES OF COOKING INNOVATION
Since the founding of FCSI 70 years ago, the commercial foodservice industry has seen a host of innovations in hot-side technology. Jim Banks consider the big milestones on that journey, and the drivers behind them
T 78
he fundamentals of cooking never change – it is simply the application
of heat to ingredients. Around that simple concept, however, change is constant. Technological advances, economic factors, higher customer expectations, and the need to deliver consistent and high-quality meals in a short time have driven innovation. So, too, has the need for efficiency in an industry where margins are tight.
Certainly, some elements of
a modern commercial kitchen would be familiar to any chef who arrived from the past. “We still consume energy, and everything is still made of stainless steel,” notes managing partner Jörg Csanitz FCSI at consultancy Reisner und Frank in Germany. Nevertheless, there would be
many technologies that would seem like science fiction, and the performance of even familiar pieces of cooking equipment
would seem very different. Te focus on energy
efficiency and sustainability that has taken hold, particularly since the millennium, has led to continuous improvement in insulation and heat recovery, for example, and energy-efficient burners have cut environmental impact and operational costs. Safety, too, has been a major
driving force – equipment has become both easier and safer to operate, despite its growing sophistication. Tink cool-touch surfaces to reduce burn injuries, automatic lifting and tilting systems to minimize heavy manual handling, or integrated safety locks, pressure controls, and steam-management systems that protect users. Here, we look at some of the
biggest game-changers of the last 70 years.
Hot-side equipment has developed slowly but surely over the past 70 years
INDUCTION Today, commercial kitchens are switching from gas to electric cooking, and induction hobs have been the catalyst. Fast and energy-efficient, induction equipment has many safety advantages and enables precise control of temperatures in a way that is not possible with gas. Te technology has rapidly
gained traction in European commercial kitchens, not least because of more stringent environmental regulations, but some chefs are still attached to their traditional gas stoves. Along with higher upfront costs, this is one reason why the US has been slower to adopt the technology. But induction is not
as new as it may seem. Te technology was first patented in the early 1900s. Te first demonstration stoves were produced by Frigidaire in the mid-1950s. Ten the 1970s saw wider implementation after Westinghouse showcased a
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