Video: Highlights from the CESA Induction Cooking Equipment Forum

Delegates from across all industry sectors gathered at the Park Lane Hotel, London for the CESA Induction Cooking Equipment Forum last week.

The event, organised in collaboration with the British Hospitality Association (BHA) and Caterer and Hotelkeeper, was designed to provide an insight into the role that induction equipment can play in today’s commercial kitchen.

Speakers included Hayden Groves, executive chef at Lloyds of London, who shared his experience of induction from the decisions to install induction equipment and how it plays a pivotal role in the operation. “We originally had four solid tops so the amount of BTUs was incredible and the extraction needed was enormous,” he said. “We’re now all electric and have had the gas to the kitchen capped off. There is a bit of getting used to it but we wouldn’t go back. It’s second to none for me and the team.”

There were also presentations from Al-Karim Govindji, technology acceleration manager at the Carbon Trust and Lucy Johnson, policy advisor for the Sustainable Energy Using Products Team, relating to the energy used in catering facilities which, says Govindji, typically accounts for 4-6% of operating costs.

A selection of suppliers of induction equipment, namely Charvet Premier Ranges, Control Induction, Exclusive Ranges, Falcon Foodservice, Lincat, Manitowoc, MCS Technical Products, Signature FSE and Valera, exhibited the latest in induction technology.

Keith Warren, director of CESA, said, “Just this week we’ve seen gas prices go up by 19%. Induction cooking equipment has been around for a long while now but its penetration is too low. It’s tried and tested so let’s get on and use it.”

By Diane Lane