JBT FoodTech cooks up a treat with oven for breaded products
The Revoband Classic Oven, in the firm’s Double D product line, expands on their Double D Revoband Continuous Protein Oven and Stein JSO range.
By using forced convection, the air can be forced up and down onto product instead of normal convection where air goes in the same direction as the belt, explained Ian Wallace, JBT FoodTech’s international sales support and marketing manager.
The air speed of the oven is variable and for the seven-metre version, belt speed is around 3.5 metres per minute, he told FoodProductionDaily.com.
“We can vary the air speed below and above the belt which gives us a more consistent product and is more effective than the conventional convection method.
“The first Revoband oven was made in the earlier 1990’s and is still in daily use. The belts are made of stainless steel, so are specifically designed depending on the application.”
Cooking speed
A single zone 7-metre Revoband Classic Oven will cook up to 1,200kgs of par-fried chicken nuggets per hour.
The oven, designed in modules, is available in five or seven-metre zone lengths, with either a 600mm or 1m wide belt.
This allows the customer to specify an oven designed to meet their capacity requirements, with the largest Double D oven manufactured having six independently controlled zones.
Wallace cited nuggets as an example, he said they would be coated on a Stein breading line, par-fried in a Stein M-fryer, then finished off in the Revoband Classic Oven for around two minutes.
It can cook with dry heat or steam, or a combination of both, so works for products like seafood, chicken breast fillets, vegetables, Dim Sum and egg dishes.
“We wanted to develop an oven that has the best cooking solution for any breaded product, which were traditionally fried, but as people eat more healthily, they are par-fried and finished in the oven,” he explained.
Specific job
Wallace said that other ovens in the Stein and Double D range may operate with higher temperature or higher air speeds but the new oven is designed specifically to finish off cooking breaded products.
“It is a trend that we see internationally, chicken is seen as a healthy product and coated chicken is seen as a tasty product.
“We are hoping it will do well in Asia-Pacific as it is a huge emerging market and the Middle East but it also appeals to QSRs (quick service restaurants) in Europe.”
The oven can be heated by electricity or thermal fluid, and supplied with humidity control or the Double D pulsed steam system, as required.
It uses lower air velocity than the company’s current impingement ovens so reduces operating costs.
The cook-zone water bath and access doors for inspection and cleaning remain the same as the other Double D Revoband oven designs.
These include the cook-zone water bath and access doors for inspection and cleaning, while the Clean In Place system is augmented by optional belt brushes, or a powerful debris removal system.
“We are constantly examining our offerings versus market needs, for example we are looking at dry-fry and infra-red cooking,” added Wallace.
“It is key to perfect ways of cooking as consumers are demanding a higher quality. Ready meal quality has greatly increased from around 40 years ago as people and supermarkets are now shooting for restaurant quality.”
