A commercial deck oven is an essential investment for many professional bakeries, restaurants, and food service operations in Singapore. However, there are alternatives on the market that offer similar features and capabilities for high volume cooking and baking needs. When selecting the right heavy duty oven for your commercial kitchen, it’s important to understand the different oven technologies available and key features that influence performance, efficiency, and end product results.
What is a Commercial Deck Oven?
A deck oven, sometimes called a batch oven, is designed with multiple decks or tiers that allow loading pans of products like bread or pastries into separate compartments for independent baking. Many deck ovens have either two or three decks, but some oversized models offer up to six baking compartments. Each deck can be controlled to target different temperatures, providing flexibility to bake a variety of items simultaneously. The enclosed chambers use radiant, convection, and conductive heat for even results.
Other Heavy Duty Oven Alternatives
In addition to deck ovens, other common ovens used in commercial kitchens include:
– Rack Ovens: Rack ovens work by sliding baking pans directly onto racks inside an open chamber. Multiple racks provides capacity for high volume production.
– Revolving Ovens: Revolving ovens use a turntable system to rotate pans through a circular convection or radiant heating chamber for fast, consistent baking.
– Conveyor Ovens: In conveyor ovens, products pass through on an automated conveyor belt system allowing rapid throughput. Useful for frozen foods.
– Microwave Ovens: Commercial microwaves speed up cooking and reheating with electromagnetic waves. Great for quick service operations.
– Combination Ovens: Combination ovens integrate multiple cooking technologies like convection, steam, and microwave into one unit. Provides cooking flexibility.
– Brick Ovens: Brick ovens with stone hearths create very high heat for optimal pizza, breads, and charring. Maintain authentic cooking styles.
Common Users of Deck Ovens
Deck ovens are valued in bakeries for providing even, well controlled heat for quality breads, rolls, and pastry products. But they also excel at roasting meats and baking casseroles. Deck ovens are commonly used by:
– Bakeries
– Pizza restaurants
– Hotels
– Catering services
– Supermarkets with in-store bakeries
– Food manufacturers
Key Features and Considerations
When investing in a deck oven or oven alternative, key features include:
– Temperature range up to 500°F for versatility
– Digital controls for setting individual deck temperatures
– Cast iron, ceramic, or stone interior materials that retain and conduct heat
– Steam functions for adding moisture
– Powerful fans for convection baking
– Interior lighting to monitor products
– Stainless steel construction for durability
– UL certification for safety
– Warranties of 1 year or longer
Tips To Choose The Best Commercial Deck Oven
Here are some helpful tips for choosing the best commercial deck oven for your bakery, restaurant, or food service operation:
Consider your output needs. Look at the maximum pan capacity each deck can handle and choose adequate oven size to meet your production volumes. Popular sizes are double and triple stack ovens.
Evaluate temperature range. Look for a maximum temperature of at least 500°F to allow baking of a wide variety of items from breads to meats. Higher heat capacity provides flexibility.
Check heating modes. Combination convection and radiant heat provides even baking results. Added steam injection gives extra moisture for products like bread.
Look for precise digital controls. Digital panels that allow easily setting individual deck temperatures are more convenient than manual knobs.
Seek sturdy construction. Commercial deck ovens should have stainless steel exterior and aluminized steel or stone interior that retains heat and resists corrosion.
Assess insulation. Thick insulation between oven decks and in side walls increases efficiency by retaining heat and minimizing energy loss.
Taking time to understand your menu, volume requirements, and desired end product characteristics will guide you in selecting the right commercial oven technology for your needs. Deck ovens offer tried-and-true performance for bakeries and restaurants, but evaluating alternate options ensures you choose the optimal heavy duty oven.