Combi Oven: How to choose the right one for your business?

The highly versatile Combi oven is a favourite among professional chefs in commercial kitchens around the world.

Combi Ovens (short for combination ovens) are highly-advanced commercial kitchen appliances that cook food using convection or steam or a combination of both. This makes them invaluable for a variety of cooking tasks, including roasting, steaming, sous vide, smoking, braising, baking, oven frying, and more.

Similar to a convection oven, combi ovens use fans to distribute heat evenly throughout the oven chamber. It additionally adds the option of injecting water or steam into the oven which not only helps seal in flavours but also increases yield while decreasing cook times.

Ranging in size from compact to large roll-in models, combi ovens are often the most expensive pieces of commercial cooking equipment in your kitchen, so it’s crucial to choose the right one to meet your needs.

Benefits of a Combi Oven

Cook More With a Combination Oven

While the upfront investment for a combi oven can be pricey, it’s usually more cost-effective than buying multiple appliances for different cooking tasks.

With their extreme versatility, combi ovens can bake, roast, steam, sous vide, smoke, braise, and oven fry foods. When set to lower temperatures combi ovens can also handle many of the duties usually done by a slow cooker, proofer, or a holding cabinet.

Higher Food Yields

Since combi ovens cook with both steam and convection they preserve essential nutrients and flavours within the food you’re preparing. This makes combination ovens excellent for cooking meats since the steam prevents drying out and shrinking, keeping cuts juicy and tender.

Precise Temperature and Moisture Management

Combi ovens offer highly-accurate controls to cook at precise temperatures and steam settings allowing for maximum customization.

Programmable menus additionally allow the manual input of recipes and cook modes making even complex recipes with intricate steam and convection settings as simple as pressing a few buttons on the display screen.

Easy Cleaning

Modern combi ovens have a built-in self-cleaning cycle that uses tablets or liquid detergents. Check your user manual for manufacturer recommendations on what cleaners to use to make sure your combi oven comes out sparkling every time.

Combi Oven Options

Sizes

Combi ovens are made in various sizes such as 4, 6, 10 or 20, which denote the number of pans the oven will hold. For example, a 10 full-size unit will fit 10 sheet GN pans or 20 full-size GN pans.

When deciding the best size for your kitchen, consider not only the amount of food production but also the space available in your kitchen. Allow enough space for service or put the combi oven on casters for easy access.

Touch Screen vs. Dial

Combi-ovens offer two choices for controls with either the more modern touch screen or a traditional dial.

Touch Screen controls are great for quick, simple adjustments to cooking mode as well as featuring intuitive menus with interactive visuals that can be programmed by the user or come pre-programmed with modes ready to go.

Boiler vs. Boilerless

Combi-ovens with boilers produce steam that is injected into the oven from a dedicated tank that boils large quantities of water. The disadvantage of a boiler is that it takes longer to heat up before use, as well as having more moving parts that could, over time, require more servicing. It also requires more space.

Meanwhile, boilerless models, which are sometimes called spitter combi ovens or direct steam ovens, also inject steam into the oven and do so directly without the use of a water containment tank. Choosing between boiler and direct steam depends on several factors—menu type, production levels and capabilities. We suggest you thoroughly review the manufacturer’s recommendation or consult with an expert to help you decide on the right fit for your commercial kitchen needs.

Pro Tip

Whether you choose a boiler or direct steam combination oven, both should be fed by a filtered water source. Not only to assure a clean water supply, but to avoid mineral buildups in the water tank, tubing, and spray nozzles.

Regular cleaning of the combi water system is also recommended to avoid mineral clogs and blockage caused by hard water.

Which is the best Combi Oven for your kitchen?

Hopefully, this guide to Combi Ovens will help you choose the right fit for your restaurant or business.

If you have questions about Combi Ovens in general or specific models and features, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Caterlink’s commercial kitchen experts who are ready to assist you.