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Click here see Alto-Shaam cooking guides for operation, maintenance, and cooking procedures.
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800.558.8744
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FryTech™ ASF-60G earns Energy Star rating
The Alto-Shaam fryer family has another trophy on its mantle as the FryTech™ ASF-60G gas fryer earned the Energy Star® certification.
Alto-Shaam’s ASF-60G, the “little brother” to the FryTech ASF-75G, is rated at an impressive 66% efficiency by the Food Service Technology Center of Pacific Gas and Electric. Fryers of this type must achieve an efficiency rating of at least 50% to be Energy Star rated.
“The heat exchanger design that our gas fryers share have been setting new standards in gas fryer efficiency,” said Steve Maahs, president and COO of Alto-Shaam.
By the numbers
Tests conducted by the Food Service Technology Center focused on French fries, which is typically a challenge for fryers. The tests revealed that three pounds of French fries cooked in just two minutes, with an oil temperature recovery time of less than 10 seconds. The combined efficiency and recovery time results in a production capacity of 82 pounds per hour.
“We feel the recovery rate is one of the key attributes of this fryer,” Maahs said. “With the proper oil temperature, food cooks faster with less oil absorption and less oil burnoff.”
Turning "What if..." into "Wow!"
Alto-Shaam sponsors C-5 summit with leading kitchen design consultants
How do you find out what someone wants or needs? Simple – you ask them!
“How may I help you?”
“Would you prefer a booth or a table?”
“Would you like to begin with an appetizer?”
These are all questions that successful restaurateurs use to find out what their customers want and improve sales and customer service.
At Alto-Shaam, we take the same approach for the same reason. We continually poll all foodservice industrydisciplines on what they want and need so we can develop products to serve the ever-changing needs of the foodservice industry.
Recently, Alto-Shaam co-sponsored the C-5 Consultant Summit, hosted by the Wynn Resort in Las Vegas. The summit was attended by 25 of the commercial foodservice industry’s leading design consulting firms. The goal: Conduct open and frank discussions and to share knowledge about the latest in technology and equipment trends and design challenges. Other sponsors of the summit were Gaylord Industries, manufacturers of commercial kitchen ventilation systems, and Brass Smith Innovations, who produce custom-fabricated counters and breath shield solutions.
The summit featured two days of “think tank” discussion on industry and client concerns and needs. The event also featured presentations by Don Fisher, principal of Fisher-Nickel/PGE Technology Center, which highlighted issues with foodservice sustainability, LEED design, and recent developments in the Energy Star program.
“Participation in these forums is what helps keep us ahead of the game,” said Todd Griffith, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Alto-Shaam. “The knowledge and ideas we receive, as well as share, in these meetings is priceless.”
One example of how Alto-Shaam has taken design cues from participating consultants is a new, upscale carving station design, which was shown at the summit and is still under development. Alto-Shaam took the design and aesthetic direction from the specific requests and recommendations of design consultant partners.
Other subjects that were addressed at the summit included upcoming NSF/UL code changes, ventilation technology, sustainability, water quality as an industry issue, and how Alto-Shaam products can support LEED kitchen design philosophy. Consulting firms that attended the C-5 Summit include:
- Orlando Espinosa & Associates
- Wood Bain LLC
- Theodore Barber Co.
- FoodStrategy, Inc.
- Webb Foodservice Design Consultants
- Frank Clements Associates, Inc.
- Cromwell Consulting
- Dieli-Howe-Smith
- Marawka
- Laschober + Sovich
- Inman Foodservice Group, LLC
- JEM Associates
- Cini-Little International
- SDI Consulting
- Robert Pacifico Associates
- Baker Group
- The Marshall Associates, Inc.
- Camacho Associates
- Foodservice Solution Group
Throughout the years, Alto-Shaam has worked to make better food.
We started out simply enough with the Cook and Hold oven, which went on to revolutionize the commercial foodservice industry.
Since then, there have been new products, new engineering and more ways of using Halo Heat. Through all the changes, there’s been one central theme that has guided us in our evolution – better food. All of the changes, growth, and progress we have made as a manufacturer for the last 50+ years have been in the pursuit of creating equipment that produces better food.
All of our EcoSmart™ products produce better food while reducing electricity, gas, and water consumption. Our FryTech™ fryers produce better food at lower temperatures with less oil absorption. And our Combitherm® combi ovens produce better food in a fraction of the time of a convection oven.
In recognition of this guiding principle, we’ve added the “Better Food” tagline to our logo and will weave this theme throughout many of our promotions.
What Better Food means to you
Better Food is a term that means different things to different people.
For the chef, Better Food means the equipment will operate dependably, giving predictable and consistent results.
For the restaurant owner, Better Food means more business and higher profits.
For the consumer, Better Food is why we go out to eat; to enjoy food that is better than we could have made ourselves.
Back to school, for chefs too!
Zink Marketing opens new Culinary Learning Center
This time of year means “back to school” for more than just kids. Zink Marketing / Top O’ The Table recently opened a state-of-the-art 1,500 square foot learning center at their Westerville, Ohio headquarters. Chef Tom Phillips of Zink Marketing is director of the center, providing culinary and educational technology seminars and instruction for healthcare and school foodservice, chain account equipment testing and menu development, contract feeder equipment training and much more. For more information, contact Chef Tom at (800) 492-7400.
Alto-Shaam Cook and Hold ovens made their name by producing the perfect prime rib overnight. Now, people are realizing how these unique ovens can be a great time saver in the heat of the cooking battle.
One technique is sautéing meat and parking it in a Cook and Hold. It seems simple, but the benefits are limitless. We call it Cook and Rest, and if you sauté, we think you’ll love it.
The process is easy. Sauté your beef medallions, scallops or any other meat as you regularly would to get them up to temperature, but not when they’re about to be served. Instead, do this ahead of time, right as the order comes in, so there’s one less thing to do as you’re plating the entree.
After searing the meat, leave it in the pan and transfer the pan into the Cook and Hold. The soft heat in the Cook and Hold will finish cooking and hold your sautéed creation at just the right temperature until you’re ready to serve, whenever that is.
The magic is what happens to the meat as it’s waiting to be served. Holding the meat will allow it to rest and retain its natural moisture and flavor, instead of bleeding all over the plate. The food looks better and tastes better.
Another advantage – natural caramelization. Meat will continue to caramelize while it’s holding in the Cook and Hold, adding yet another unique flavor profile.
Don’t forget, since the Alto-Shaam Cook and Hold has no internal fans, you can keep the beef medallions in the same Cook and Hold with your scallops, with no flavor crossover!
Next time you sauté, remember to Cook and Rest. Better food, with less headaches.
EcoSmart™ - Cool ideas for saving energy… and money
When people think of creating a “green” kitchen, thoughts usually go directly to how much energy the equipment uses. That’s a good place to start, but don’t stop there.
Cooking equipment generates a lot of heat, not only in the cooking cavity, but also throughout the kitchen. All that heat generation means higher ventilation hood and air conditioning operating costs.
To keep your kitchen green, your bottom-line operating costs in-check, and your employees happy, be sure to pay attention to the heat your equipment creates in the kitchen environment.
Many of Alto-Shaam’s EcoSmart™ products use less energy and reduce operating costs with fewer emissions. Each product category tells its own energy saving story:
Cook and Hold ovens – Leaving a convection oven on all night for slow cooking is expensive enough. Add the costs of keeping the vent going all night, and wave goodbye to your profits. With the Alto-Shaam Cook and Hold, though, operating the oven costs just about a dollar a day. And since NSF test 202 specifies that no ventilation hood is needed for the Alto-Shaam, hood operation costs are eliminated.
FryTech™ Fryers – Fryers are notorious heat-generating culprits, sending much of that heat into the kitchen and up through the flue, increasing ventilation and air conditioning expenses. Alto-Shaam’s FryTech gas fryers, with the patented heat exchanger design, operate much cooler and generate dramatically cooler exhaust. The fast oil temperature recovery results in lower cooking temperatures and shorter cooking times. With emissions at a maximum of 350˚F, your ventilation hood can operate at lower speeds, and your air conditioning system will take more breaks and use less energy.
Combitherm® combi ovens – Overall efficiency is the key to Alto-Shaam’s Combitherm success. Using less water and less steam than other combi ovens on the market, ventilation and air conditioning needs are kept to a minimum. And with the efficiency of the cooking system reducing cooking times, heat-up times are short and operation times are cut, along with the ventilation and air conditioning needs.
Rotisseries - The ventless hood available for the Alto-Shaam electric rotisserie keeps the rotisserie out from underneath the hood entirely. The Alto-Shaam electric rotisserie ventless hood is the only one of its kind that has been UL certified.
Kitchen equipment malfunction is like a restaurant having a heart attack. The appliances that produce the lifeblood of any foodservice operation suddenly stop working, and you can’t get it fixed fast enough.
Unqualified repair companies know this, and that’s when they seem to come out of the woodwork. They’ll claim to save you money, fix it fast, and solve all your problems.
Just like in a medical emergency, it’s vitally important that the person doing the work is qualified. And in the world of foodservice equipment service, quality service is spelled CFESA. Service agents authorized by the Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) are bound by a code of ethics, have made a commitment to have the techs trained, carry parts in inventory and only use OEM parts for repairs.
When Alto-Shaam signs-on a service agency, CFESA-certification is the first attribute we look for. Other qualifications we insist on include:
- They have access to the manufacturer for troubleshooting, factory training and to sell OEM parts at the factory list price.
- They can provide preventative maintenance on all of your kitchen equipment, recommend needed repairs and provide expert installation.
- They perform all needed repairs and can help diagnose issues that may cause the equipment to function improperly.
Many times end-users switch from authorized service agents to non-authorized service agents after the warranty runs out with the intention of saving money. Unfortunately, in the long run, repair costs begin to rise, equipment isn’t serviced correctly, parts begin costing more than they should, and ultimately the life cycle of the equipment is shortened. We’ve seen this happen over and over again.
When your restaurant has an equipment emergency, call in the professionals. The Alto-Shaam Service Department is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and we can set you up with an authorized agency in our national network of service agencies at any time. Just contact us at (800) 558-8744.
Sept. 22 – 25
Fine Food Melbourne
Australia
Sept. 25 - 26
S.E. Michigan Holiday Beverage Show
Novi MI
Sept. 25 - 27
ENA Scientific
Minneapolis MN
Sept. 28 - 30
Nursing Management Congress
Las Vegas
Oct. 17 - 21
Hostelco
Barcelona, Spain
Oct. 18 - 22
ASA
Orlando, FL
Oct. 20
Pennsylvania School Nutrition Assoc. Show
Champion, PA
Oct. 26 - 27
Grocery Innovations Show
Toronto
Oct. 27 - 28
Illinois School Show
Oakbrook IL
Oct. 31 - Nov 5
ASPS
Chicago IL
Nov. 8 - 11
IHMRS
New York City
Nov. 10 - 13
Hace Egypt
Egypt
Nov. 15 - 19
EquipHotel
Paris
Nov. 16
Assoc of Nursing Homes and Healthcare
Louisville KY
Nov. 22 - 25
SIA Guest
Rimini
Nov. 23 - 27
Expo
Gent
Nov. 28 – Dec. 2
Tusid Istanbul
Turkey
