# need oven recommendation



## magnoliasmokehousegrill (Nov 12, 2018)

I am new to the restaurant business and looking for a recommendation from trained professionals such as yourselves. I am opening a bbq/steak house and need a great recommendation for a versatile oven that can cook all products from cakes/pies/cookies for deserts but also one that will be able to cook several dozen baked potatoes quickly and everything in between. I thought bakery depth would be a must and also being able to turn fans either off/low/high but can't seem to find a brand that offers all things. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Hi and welcome to CT. 

First things first. A bit more information would be helpful.

How will your ovens be powered? Gas or electric? 

Do you want oven/range combos or are you talking about stand alone ovens?

What sort of volume do you anticipate for each of the items that will be cooked in the oven for a typical dinner/lunch service? How many baked potatoes, pies, cookies etc? What constitutes "everything in between? This information will determine the size of the oven and how many you will need. I can say with all certainty that just one oven is almost certainly not going to be enough. 

That brings up the next question: What is the size of your kitchen? 

What is your budget like? Even the "cheap" ovens aren't cheap. 

Are you going to want/need an oven with convection ability? 

How much experience do you have working in a commercial kitchen? 

This information will help us better answer your questions. 

Good luck.


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## magnoliasmokehousegrill (Nov 12, 2018)

gas Stacked ovens stand alone

59-100 potato daily
10-20 cakes weekly
10-20 pies weekly
Cannolis 30-50 weekly
Bake beans large pans daily

Kitchen /prep area 1,200 sq feet 
25x50 feet

I do want convection but would like the fan off option if available or is it needed ( fan off that is)

Little to no experience but plan on hiring qualified people. 
Budget would like to find good used oven in the $3-$3500.00 range


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## sgsvirgil (Mar 1, 2017)

Given your budget (which I assume is $3,000 - $3,500 per oven times at least two), your choices are rather limited. Most commercial ovens that are not table top models start around $3,000 for the most basic models. If you are thinking about a combi oven, they are going to be well out of your price range brand new. You can probably find one used or refurbished if you are not set on brand new equipment.

If you are not looking for a combi, you can find a number of brand new, entry level, gas powered ovens that are around your price range. The general rule is the more BTU's you need, the more its going to cost. Blodgett makes some decent quality gear that are in your price range.

Here is a thread from a while ago that has some good information. https://cheftalk.com/threads/oven-reviews.74203/

A piece of friendly, professional advice: if you can squeeze any more money into your oven budget, its well worth the effort. When setting up a kitchen, there are some things you can skimp on and some things you simply cannot. Stoves, ovens, coolers and freezers are those thing you cannot skimp on. They are the heart and soul of your operation. If any one of these components goes down, you are dead in the water. If they cannot deliver the quality you require, your business suffers, especially the stoves and ovens where the metal meets the meat, so to speak.

So, if there is any way you can beef up your oven budget, you would be doing yourself a huge favor.

Oh, and by the way, learn as much as you can as fast as you can. If you are going to rely on other people with more experience than you to advise and guide you, especially people you do not know, you are potentially setting yourself up for failure. When it comes to restaurants, you cannot lead from the rear.

Good luck.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

First, I guess, is let your infrastructure guide you. Check your local codes and see if electric convection ovens need to be under a fire hood. Many municipalities allow this. 

Next, if you have an existing hood, do you have space for an oven? There is very little price difference between, say an electric Blodgett convection, or a gas one, but if you don’t have to vent an electric oven, the choice is pretty obvious.

About fan options...most convections either have a hi/low fan switch or a purchase option for one. However Using a convection with no fan is like trying to drive a car with only 3 out of 4 tires on it. With an electric, the elements are located at the back, arranged around the fan. No fan, heat only comes from the back and you can’t bake anything. With a gas, the burners are on the floor, so no fan, and you only have heat from the bottom, so the upper 2/3 of the oven is pretty much useless.

Unless you have a 12 grand combi oven, your fan will only blow in one direction, clockwise. This means muffins and cakes will be lopsided and bake darker on the right side of the oven. Common practice is to turn pans around halfway through the bake. Just remember, every time you open those h u g e doors, the fan still blows out hot air, warming up your kitchen, and cooling off your oven.

There is no such thing as a perfect oven, and convections are far from perfect—especially for baking pastry. You have no separate controls for top and bottom heat, no “deck” or hearth, you only have one temperature zone in the whole oven. You will notice this when baking pies, for instance—pale, soggy bottoms and a nice top crust.

None of this is intended to scare you off, it’s just the nature of a convection oven


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## magnoliasmokehousegrill (Nov 12, 2018)

so what about the american range m-2 ovens? are these adequate to perform for my tasks mentioned above? 

if i save on going electric to save on vent, will i not pay dearly for higher electric bill as i go? 

Should i buy a deck oven for pies so i don't get soggy bottoms?

If all of my air is going to go clockwise would a bakery depth oven with a baffle inside the oven divert air better to avoid this problem of darker more done goods on the right and avoid the whole shifting of pans half way through the cook?


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

I haven’t looked at the American m-2 range. Generally the devil is in the details, and that is warranty. The typical N.American convection will usually have a standard 1 yr warranty. Blodgett,for instance has a 3 yr warranty on the doors— the parts that endure the most abuse. 

Look at the warranty first, then look at the equipment dealer that you bought it from second. Most of the warranty work will come from that dealer, so they should be located near by, and they should regularly stock the brand you buy— not a special order or some wierd one-off brand they’ve been trying to fob off for years.

Bakery depth is nothing more than a larger box, it won’t affect the airflow at all. 

Look, at work I have a Rational oven, 20 grand worth of Cherman technology. I bake my pies and Quiches in the crappy Garland gas oven underneath the 8 burner range, because it has great bottom heat.

A deck oven is ideal for pastries, but for baked potatoes, beans, etc, a convection oven is a cheaper choice and won’t affect quality in the least.


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

foodpump said:


> Common practice is to turn pans around halfway through the bake. Just remember, every time you open those h u g e doors, the fan still blows out hot air, warming up your kitchen, and cooling off your oven.


Maybe it's just the two makes I have experience with (Vulcan and Blodgett) but our convection ovens turn the fan off the second we crack the door to open it. Of course heat still comes out, but it is the same as any open oven, not being blown out by the fans.

We do use the under range ovens for some things that just don't like convection, but we do an awful lot in the convection with no issues beyond the normal learning curve for new items.


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## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

Oh the fan shuts off the moment you open the door, but the air current keeps on moving. You will notice this in small kitchens on hot days.... If your oven has a digital thermostat display you will see the heat loss, and how long it takes to “recuperate”.

Of corse there is a learning curve with convections. In kitchens with no other oven available, I’ve “ cheated” the oven by laying bbq fire bricks (3/8”-1/2” thick bricks) on a sheet pan, and use this as a “hearth” to get a decent bottom crust. 

What I’ve learned from baking out of countless ovens is this:
With a convection, you manipulate the product to suit the oven. With a deck oven, you manipulate the oven to suit the product.
And...
There is no such thing as a perfect oven, regardless of how much an oven costs


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## fatcook (Apr 25, 2017)

foodpump said:


> There is no such thing as a perfect oven, regardless of how much an oven costs


On this, I completely agree!


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