EVOLUTION OF HOT-SIDE TECHNOLOGY
“From the 1950s to the 1970s
commercial kitchens relied heavily on manual ranges, open burners, ovens and grills. Equipment was robust and durable”
Now, artificial intelligence (AI) is coming to the fore. It is inspecting the output from automated ovens, performing quality control, monitoring cooking times and adjusting settings. Te impact of AI is only just starting to be felt in hot-side applications, but its potential to help maintain consistent quality, reduce food waste, boost energy savings, and optimize recipe management is enormous.
new model at the start of the decade. Slowly appearing in commercial kitchens during the 1970s, it really took off when the increased awareness of its energy efficiency, along with a more palatable price point, drove wider adoption.
THE MOVE TO MULTIFUNCTIONALITY
Multifunctional equipment, which often comes in a more compact design, has become more important over the years because most commercial kitchens have been shrinking. Tere is a pressing need to produce more from less space. From the 1950s to the
1970s, commercial kitchens relied heavily on manual ranges, open burners, ovens, and grills. Te equipment was robust and durable, but energy efficiency was low, safety features were few, and it took up a lot of room. Te adoption of combi-steamers throughout the 1980s and 1990s – first introduced by Rational
80
in 1976 – revolutionized professional kitchens, enabling versatile cooking by steaming or convection, or a combination of both in one unit. From the 2000s, the
shift towards space-saving multifunctional equipment accelerated, with the goal of maximizing kitchen efficiency. Tilt skillets, combi ovens, cook and hold ovens, and bratt pans with programmable controls became commonplace, and manufacturers increasingly focused on modular designs to suit smaller kitchen footprints.
THE VENTLESS REVOLUTION
Still to realize its full potential in commercial settings, ventless cooking technology has given operators many new options, particularly in spaces without traditional ventilation hoods, or where major ventilation installation would be too costly. A relatively recent innovation, ventless ovens can also greatly
improve working conditions in the kitchen. By reducing heat and
improving air quality it makes working in the kitchen more comfortable, and the position of units is not dictated by fixed ductwork, so ventless equipment offers greater flexibility in terms of kitchen layout.
ROBOTICS STEPS UP Since the late 2010s, robotic cooking stations and automated assembly lines have emerged. Flippy, the robotic kitchen assistant developed by Miso Robotics, is often used as the shorthand for foodservice robots, but the technology has already moved far beyond frying and flipping burgers to improve efficiency, reduce manual labor requirements, and minimize human contact with potentially hazardous materials. Tere are already fully
automated muti-fryer robots, like the Wingman from Nala, as well as automated pizza makers.
SMART KITCHENS Te integration of smart technology and enhanced connectivity, using IoT technology and AI-driven cooking intelligence, is starting to have an impact in hot- side technology. Increasingly intelligent combi ovens, like Rational’s iCombi Pro, and multifunctional braising pans, such as the MKN FlexiChef, are setting the tone for the future. By enabling automated
cooking paths, adaptive adjustments, and user-friendly interfaces, they are making hot-side processes easier for operators in the kitchen – and for management they enable remote monitoring, predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and HACCP compliance tracking, to name just a few of the broader benefits.
EVOLUTION OVER REVOLUTION
Hot-side equipment develops in small iterations, occasionally taking a leap forward with a new technology like AI or induction. But who knows that the next 70 years will bring?
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