Whatever the times, despite all the changes, one thing remains unchanged - people really like delicious food and at the same time are too lazy to cook it on their own. The endless amount of food production of various sizes only confirms this. First of all, this concerns sweets - few people are able to visit shops after a busy working day to pick up all the necessary products for a cake for evening tea for the family, and then spend 3 to 5 hours in the kitchen, preparing refreshments. Ready-made confectionery is extremely in demand, as it covers many areas of human life - from the banal desire to treat yourself to delicious to going on a visit, because an elegant appetizing cake may well be considered a gift.
Business Validity
Today, at every corner you can meet a confectionery, a consumer has become spoiled for an offer, and each owner of a food company tries to stand out, emphasize the individuality of his products and thereby attract customers. But even the best raw materials, well-proven technological maps and skillful hands will not help you if the technical equipment of the workshop leaves much to be desired. In this article we will tell you what a confectionery oven is, what you should pay attention to when choosing, and discuss what additional equipment you may need to equip a production.
The list of necessary equipment for equipping the confectionery workshop
Opening your own company for the manufacture of confectionery, first of all, you need to focus on the planned range. Consider the averaged version of the workshop and list the most important positions with brief characteristics:
- Mixer operator. An electromechanical unit that is used to knead dough without saturating the mass with air. Depending on the size of the enterprise, this confectionery equipment can be purchased with a bowl volume from 10 to 500 liters. With its help all kinds of dough are kneaded to homogeneity - from liquid yeast for making donuts to capricious shortbread for cookies. Dough mixers are also used to mix the filling.
- Mixer. This equipment is similar in principle to a dough mixer, but is equipped with a whisk, which allows you to give airiness to the mass. The volume of the bowl varies in the range from 4.8 to 150 liters. With the help of a mixer, biscuit masses, creams, mousses, marshmallows, etc. are whipped. Most of the mixers are equipped with “spiral” and “spatula” nozzles, which also allows you to knead the dough without saturating it with air - for example, custard. It is not recommended to knead the dough in a mixer cooler than soft pastry.
- Proofing cabinet. Thermal equipment, whose main task is to maintain a temperature in the region of 40 ° C and saturate the air in the chamber with moisture. This cabinet is used for preliminary and final proofing of products from yeast dough.
- Oven for baking. It is used for final heat treatment of products. The temperature on average varies from 50 to 280 about C.They differ in capacity, size of baking sheets used and additional options.
- Dough sheeters. Depending on customer needs, they can be mechanical or electromechanical. The width of the rolled sheet varies in the range from 150 to 600 mm. According to the type of processing, doughs are horizontal and vertical. Indispensable if your assortment contains puff pastry products and cakes / pastries like honey cake, Napoleon, etc.
- Stainless steel neutral equipment. It includes tables, racks, washing baths.
- Portion scales accurate to a gram. Confectionery products are capricious and require strict adherence to technological cards. A small shortage or brute force with the same flour can lead to failure.
Requirements for thermal equipment for equipping a confectionery workshop
Properly selected furnaces in the workshop will provide you with a presentable appearance of the final products, which will directly affect the demand for products among consumers. Confectionery oven should:
- Evenly distribute the heat inside the chamber. There is nothing worse than products that burn on one side and remain pale on the other. Incorrect baking of products will violate their final aesthetic and taste properties. This is especially true for such capricious products as meringues, pasta cakes. Convection ovens cope most effectively with the distribution of heat, whose principle of operation is based on the symbiosis of fans and heating - due to the dynamic hot air, the temperature is the same at any point in the chamber.
- Have a steam humidification option. A number of confectionery products require additional steam humidification during the baking process - this applies to a number of butter products, custard dough, etc.
- Have a high working chamber. Such products as muffins, Easter cakes, loaves, due to the specifics of molding and laying, grow mainly upward, and therefore the working volume should allow the hat to bake comfortably without risking touching the top of the chamber.
- Ensure operation at low temperatures. This applies to those recipes that require drying, and not baking sweets.
- Maintain the temperature inside the chamber, despite the fact that the door periodically opens.
- Have the option of separately adjusting the upper and lower ten. Thanks to her, you can achieve a golden crust of an already finished product without overdrying it.
Convection oven convection UNOX, Italy
UNOX Italian convection ovens are very popular in Russia, as they combine affordable price and impeccable quality. Using the equipment of this brand, you can realize any, even the most daring ideas. A wide range of products will provide the production technology of any scale.
The UNOX baking oven, depending on the model, has the following features:
- works from 220 or 380 V;
- holds baking sheets of 460 x 330 or 600 x 400 mm in size;
- type of control is mechanical or electronic;
- can hold at a time from 3 to 16 baking sheets;
- has a stationary or adjustable convection speed (air movement inside the chamber).
All bakery cabinets of this brand, with the exception of the 16-level model, can stand in 1 working module with a proofer - it simply sits on top without using additional modules. This solution optimizes the workflow and saves space in the workshop. The price of UNOX products, depending on the modification, varies in the range from 35,000 to 820,000 rubles.
Thermal equipment SMEG, Italy
The technique of this Italian brand is in demand along with UNOX, and in this case it is really a matter of habit - which cook is more convenient to work with. The size range, capacity, prices and combination with proofers are identical to those described above. Only, some users noted that the SMEG products have a more sensitive thermal probe than the UNOX, but at the same time, weaker door fasteners - during intensive use, they can fail after 5-6 years. To be replaced.
Confectionery oven Abat, Russia
The Russian company Abat specializes in the production of equipment for the complex equipment of catering establishments.
In its assortment there is also a confectionery equipment:
- Convection ovens. The operating temperature range is from 50 to 270 ° C. The pan size can be GN 1/2, 435 x 320 mm and 600 x 400 mm. Type of control - electronic or mechanical. Maximum capacity - 10 levels.
- Ovens on 1, 2 and 3 levels. The operating temperature range is from 65 to 270 ° C. They are characterized by compact dimensions. Universal.
- Baking cases on 2 and 3 levels. The operating temperature range is from 65 to 270 ° C. They are characterized by a large working chamber, which allows baking large products.
Thermal equipment of the company "Voskhod", Russia
The Saratov Voskhod factory specializes in the production of baking equipment for equipping large enterprises - most of the thermal equipment operates on a rotational basis. However, in the assortment of Voskhod there are HPE furnaces that are perfect for small workshops. This is not a confectionery oven, as its main purpose is to bake bread. It is characterized by:
- operating temperature in the range from 50 to 350 ° C;
- steam option;
- high cameras with a wide display area;
- execution with 1 or 3 autonomous levels;
- adjustment of the upper and lower ten.
The disadvantages include insufficiently uniform heating inside the chamber - you won’t bake whimsical meringue-type products in the KhPE furnace, however, the products of the Voskhod factory copes with biscuits, cookies, baking and other products.
Home confectionery: how to choose an oven?
Today, more and more confectioners are starting work in the home kitchen. Recently, the popularity of such masters has increased, as they offer quality products with outstanding taste and aesthetic characteristics. In order to meet the new trends, you will need a high-quality confectionery oven. Home masters have 2 options:
- The choice of a professional small-sized convection oven with 220 V. connection. Such ovens can be found in the assortment of brands mentioned above (with the exception of Voskhod). The issue price is from 25,000 to 35,000 rubles. There are 4 work levels available that will ensure you get even cooking.
- Purchase a household electric stove with impeccable performance. Why are electric pastry ovens, not gas ovens? With the latter, it is more difficult to adjust the subtle temperatures for dishes that require special conditions. Electrical equipment is more flexible. We recommend paying attention to the brands Hansa and Gorenje.