Commercial Ovens

The stove or the oven is the hub of a kitchen. No matter what sort of food your family eats most, you most likely use the oven at least sometimes. For this reason, having a good, reliable commercial oven is important in your baking endeavors.

While commercial ovens come in all different shapes and sizes, there are four main types (or styles) of ovens carried in most stores.

• Convection Oven: Good for even, quick cooking, ideal for dishes that need to be baked, such as lasagna or casseroles.
• Combination Oven: Combines convection ovens with a steamer, which can cook large quantities of vegetables in a fraction of the time that boiling takes. Great to use for big parties, or if you have a lot of family to cook for.
• Conveyor Oven: A conveyor belt moves the food through the oven, making it ideal for pizzas or hot sandwiches. Used more in restaurants then in everyday households.
• Pizza Oven: A large oven that heats to high temperatures, which can be used to cook pizza or large sides of meat. Once again, these are found mostly in restaurants, since most families only cook for five or six people.

Depending on what you're looking for in a commercial oven, you'll want to look into different brands. Some of the top brands of commercial ovens include Vulcan, Hobart, and Viking. Vulcan is often considered the top of the line in commercial ranges. A gas range made by Vulcan can last forever with only minor repairs now and then. What doesn't sound great about that? Hobart ovens are a good deal, especially if you can find a used one. They are expensive, but that are high quality and last a long time. Viking ranges are being found increasingly in home kitchens for those people who want that industrial chic look.

If you're planning on buying a commercial oven, there are a few things to stay away from. Many of these ranges come with a great deal of options that may look exciting and like they'd come in handy, but really will just be more of a hassle in the long run. For example electric ranges sound nice, but they take forever to heat up and will drive your electric bill through the roof. On top of that, they break more often than gas ranges. Don't really worry about specialized ranges either, such as brick ovens. They usually cost four or five times more than a regular oven, and probably won't make that much of a difference on the taste. Before jumping into buying something like that, consider whether you really need it, or if you can settle for a less expensive and more versatile model. Heated or refrigerated drawers are another thing you can do without. They seem like they'd be really functional in a busy kitchen but they are prone to breaking and not made for the wear and tear of a busy kitchen.