Electrolux recently held a culinary immersion event at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, where Electrolux banquet cooking equipment is installed throughout the facility. Approximately 30 restaurateurs, designers, and culinary professionals attended the two-day event, hosted by Electrolux Executive Chef Sean Lucas, Marketing Director Scott Applebee, and Product Manager Francesco Maso.
The event began with an overview of Electrolux’s long history and global presence. Their global expertise seemed particularly significant for North American hotels companies opening and running global operations. Electrolux emphasized its position as “an innovative leader, not a price point competitor.” The company also touts reinvestment of 7% of its earnings into annual product R&D. Applebee says that figure “is significantly more than the typical R&D investment of 2%.”
Another highlight was Maso’s presentation on Electrolux low-temperature cooking ovens and their capabilities. He used an interactive comparison chart illustrating the annual savings in meat and vegetable shrinkage as well as labor costs. The oven shrinkage savings comparisons were made between a traditional range, a convection oven, and the Electrolux air-o-steam™ combi with low-temperature cooking capabilities. The resulting savings conclusions were remarkable: approximately $266,000 over a traditional oven and $114,000 over a convection oven.
After the overview, guests migrated to the kitchen to see the products in action. Electrolux had brilliantly placed two of its high-volume combi ovens, the air-o-steam™ and air-o-speed™, side-by-side. This configuration showcased the extra power of the air-o-speed, but the air-o-steam option gave attending operators a nice choice of two price points for their budgets. Within the adjoining units, identical whole chickens were cooked. The birds from both units both turned out wonderfully, except that the air-o-speed™ finished significantly faster, about 30 minutes ahead of the air-o-steam™.
Electrolux manufactures innovative hotel foodservice equipment including the Electrolux Pressure Braising Pan (winner of a 2007 Kitchen Innovations Award), the air-o-speed™ high-speed combi oven, SMART Refrigerators, air-o-steam® combi ovens, air-o-chill® blast chillers, the Thermaline S90 modular cooking range, and the Libero Point, a mobile self-ventilated counter that holds up to three Libero cooktops.--JMW
Electrolux recently held a culinary immersion event at the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York, where Electrolux banquet cooking equipment is installed throughout the facility. Approximately 30 restaurateurs, designers, and culinary professionals attended the two-day event, hosted by Electrolux Executive Chef Sean Lucas, Marketing Director Scott Applebee, and Product Manager Francesco Maso.
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