Bespoke suites ride the waves
Three bespoke cooking suites have helped the vessel Arcadia - formerly the Star Princess - become a luxury cruise ship. They were designed, manufactured and installed in just seven weeks by Falcon Foodservice Equipment. and cater for the ship's main restaurant, feeding an average of around 1,700 passengers. Manufacture was entirely from marinised stainless steel and the suites were based on heavy duty electric boiling tables from the Chieftain series plus several extra features to meet marine requirements.
These included extra strength stainless steel sheets guaranteed to 0.025mm accuracy bent to angle to provide minimal welds and optimal strenght. Enhanced safety and operational features included storm rails and recessed control panels plus steel towel rails to protect the suites against turbulance of water.
Operation has to be on ships electrical supply of 440v, 60Hz, 3 phase with no neutral. The suites also had to be small enough to fit through the ship's narrow passages and so were built in three individual sections with separate legs, body and of components, bolting together in situ.
Falcon Foodservice Equipment
A quick way with waste
The Microvac vaccum food waste disposal system can transport food waste slurry at rates of up to 180 litres/hour to a liquid separator located within a storage tank. The majority of the water then passes by gravity to drain while the waste passed to a sealed tank to await collection. The unit can also be equipped with a screw type press to suit disposal via waste bins.
Standard 50mm plastic soil piping is used and the food waste inlet is designed as a workbench which can form an integral part of the kitchen layout. Cleaning of the system simply requires flushing through with water. Operation is vermin and insect free.
www.meiko-uk.co.uk
Meiko
Frying high
The modular series of Belshaw doughnut fryers has been integrated with the Mono range of fryers for yeast-raised donuts, following Aga Foodservice's acquisition of Belshaw Brothers from Enodis. The Belshaw range is available in electric and gas and includes the ML series, which employs a proof cloth method of conveying the dough peices to the frying area coupled with a shallow oil resevoir.
Mono Equipment
Turbochef changes
Servequip has been appointed sole UK distributor of Turbochef C3 rapid cook ovens. The US-developed concept, now widely used in the UK by such catering grops as Aramark, Hilton and Yo! Sushi, employs microwave-accelerated technology and patented heat retention to cook foods up to 10 times faster than conventional ovens (eg: rack of lamb in just 200 seconds).
Pre-programmable controls enable inexperienced staff to simultaneously cook up to six different items and, thanks to a built-in catalytic converter, no ventilation system is required.
www.servequip.co.uk
ServEquip
Artisan bread expertise
Following acquisition of French oven manufacturer Bongard by Aga Foodservice Equipment, Mono Equipment can now offer ovens considered particularly suitable for production of artisan bread. These include the Omega electric deck oven and the larger Cervap Steam tube oven, which can be oil or gas fired and offers up to 24 square metres of baking area.
The Omega can be specified in three, four or five decks giving up to 10 square metres of baking area with rear unloading from rach deck available as an optional extra.
A further option is an integrated lifter/setter which serves each deck for loading and unloading and can be linked to a conveyorised discharge and product packing station designed specifically for Bongard ovens.
The Omega's steam generators, dampers and electronic controls are operated from one control panel with up to 90 phased bake programmes storable.
www.monoequip.com
Mono Equipment
Remote monitoring ups chill standards
BT Redcare, which specialises in the provision of continuous remote monitoring services, has launched Coldcall which enables refrigerated food temperatures to be checked remotely for legislative compliance, reduction of food spoilage and lower electricity consumption. Temperature readings are taken inside refrigerators via a food stimulant "cube" which contains a built-in temperature sensor. A gel mimics the food to give an accurate indication of product temperature. A radio transmitter sends temperature readings to an on-site data logger and this in turn transmits data once a day to Coldcall's remote host centre for further analysis and report generation.
If the temperature of a fridge, freezer, food display or cold room rises or falls to an unacceptable level, an immediate SMS alarm notification is sent to a mobile telephone. Collected data can also be accessed via a dedicated and secure web-site.
Typical cost of the service is £800-1000 for the hardware to monitor 3-4 refrigerated appliances and £25 per month for telephone usage.
BT Redcare
Trial offer
Three five-day trials of new Fryliquid oil stablisers are being offered by MirOil to demonstrate its claims that the product can help reduce frying or oil costs, prolong oil life and maintain fried food quality. The product is dosed into the user's frying oil each day from a small measuring bottle, typically 7ml for an average 10 litre fryer. Cost per dosage is around 20p. The effect is to slow the breakdown of anti-oxidants added by oil manufactures to preserve frying quality and prevent impurities forming.
Significant savings are also claimed because less oil is discarded and less topping-up is needed because the food absorbs less oil. Fryliquid is also claimed to keep the fryer clean. A free Golden Rules of Frying leaflet is available.
MirOil UK
Added-value supply chain
Wincanton, which delivers food and drink nationally to chains such as Chef and Brewer, Premier Lodge, Country Careries and Miller's Kitchens, has been named Supplier of the Year 2003 by Scottish and Newcastle Retail. Quentin Neville, S&NR deputy managing director applauded Wincanton's services over the last three years likening them to "best in class" grocery retail distributors.
Added value services included demand planning, electronic ordering, complaints administration, inventory ownership until point of delivery and a 24 hour helpline for hotel and restaurant managers. Wincanton was also commended for its introduction of an innovative shared network arrangement with Thistle Hotels which started in May 2002.
Wincanton
Instanta accredited
UK-based beverage equipment manufacturer Instanta has now been accredited by the British Standards Institution to the ISO 9001:2000 quality management registration mark. To qualify, the company's operation procedures which included assessment of administrative procedures, internal audits, customer complaints and warranty systems plus other performance analysis.
A key benefit of the standard is, according to managing director John Brassey that "it lets our customers know, whey they buy an Instanta product, that they are buying an item produced using the most stringent procedures from start to finish".
Instanta
Accolade for coffee-maker
The Cup, lastest speciality coffee brewer from Melitta System Service, has won a Red Dot 2003 award. Run since 1954, the Red Dot awards are judged by an independent jury of international experts and look for outstanding design achievements which set a new industry standard. The classic-modern style of the Cup was the brainchild of Berlin based designer Carsten Gollnick. Qualities which received particular attention from the judges included innovation, function, ease of use, ecological ability, durability and performance.
Melitta System Service
Pub group calls in EFSIS
National pub chain J D Wetherspoon is using the independent quality control organisation EFSIS to manage its supplier inspection programme and all food complaints will be analysed by EFSIS inspectors and reported back to JDW. Other projects within the partnership agreement include verification of menu claims and the checking of menu descriptions, so they are accurate and comply with food safety laws.
EFSIS