# Advice needed on oven for macarons, tartelettes, etc.



## Simon Bakker (Oct 2, 2018)

Hello all,

I'm new here. My name is Simon, I live in the Netherlands. A passion for all things culinary resulted in me attending culinairy school a couple of years ago next to my dayjob. I did an internship at a restaurant and worked at a wedding location once a week. Now and then, I substitute at restaurants. During all this, I actually fell in love with pastry ;-). I've been selling pastries from home on and off for some time now, and I wish to expand this business further gradually. As a result of this, I’m running into practical problems using my home oven.

Macarons and tartelettes are the items I get the most requests for. Currently I bake them in a ATAG Static Home oven. Both turn out great in this oven, but it certainly comes with a cost. Tempertures rise and drop very frequently, which results in me babysitting macarons to adjust temperatures timely. Because of the capacity of the oven, baking a full batch of macarons or tartelettes take waaaaaaay to long, and this is resulting in shorter nights a lot lately. Furthermore, I think it will reach its max very soon…

Conclusion:
- I need a new, reliable oven for more delicate pastry.
- Preferably one that allows for Bakerynorm (600 x 400) baking pans, but 1/1 GN at least.
- I’m looking for a oven with static (top- and bottom) heat supply. A convection oven which allows the fan to be turned off would probably work as well for now.

Things to consider:
- I only have 230/1 phase electricity (no possibility to adjust) 
- No gas supply.
- I’m in Europe (Netherlands).
- Macarons and tartellete shells (pate sable) are the items I will need the oven the most for (I’ve been working on eclairs a lot as well).

I've used convection ovens before, with lesser succes. With commercial ones like Rational, the macarons turned out very good. With less professional ones it took a lot more to get them out properly (lopsided, undercooked, burnt etc). However, most commercial (smaller) deckovens, are not an option because of their powersupply. Some commercial convection ovens which could be an option budget- and powersupply wise, may not be the best option for macarons.

To at least be able to continue my baking, I'm currently looking for a temporary solution.
After doing some research, I guess my best bet would be to buy a good domestic model with large capacity. Obviously, I’m open for suggestion concerning commercial grade ovens which fit the above requirements…
Can anybody recommend certain models or share their experiences? 

I’ve looked into smeg and boretti models and read about blueseal Turbofan series and some Lincat models. It’s certainly no easy pick for me, and therefore Any advice or suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Simon
(NB: it is certainly not my intention tom duplicate threads or subjects, but I’ve looked in similar threads but could not find a satisfying answer…)


----------



## sgmchef (Sep 30, 2006)

Welcome to CT Simon!

Consider talking to one of your old culinary instructors or even a local bakery. They are aware of local baking equipment suppliers, including used equipment, and availability of common brands of ovens in your region. Spare parts and repair may be cheaper with local favorites versus unusual brands.

Another thought, until the upgrade, is to bake items that work well with your current oven. As a chef, you create menus partly based on available equipment. Maybe bake items that don't require as much babysitting until you have a better oven. 

Again, welcome and good luck!


----------



## foodpump (Oct 10, 2005)

What sgmchef says...

A static A.k.a. Deck oven is far superior to any convection oven—even a Rational convection, for many pastry applications. 

Try finding a bakery equipment supply shop in your area, and walk in and have a peek. Holland kinda has a reputation for good baking, and Im sure there must be good deck ovens available for the trade

Electrical power might be a problem though. True, you can get a single commercial deck oven that accepts only one gastronorm tray that doesn’t take up too much power, but it will only take one tray.


----------



## Simon Bakker (Oct 2, 2018)

Thanks for your reply's and the welcome!

@foodpump:
Yes, I had far greater succes using the top and bottom elements than I ever had with convection.

"True, you can get a single commercial deck oven that accepts only one gastronorm tray that doesn't take up too much power, but it will only take one tray."

This sounds interesting. I have considered (obviously very dependent on the price) buying two smaller (230V) models to be able to produce more in one go. I haven't found smaller commercial deckovens yet, only pizza ovens. From what I understood, they are not the best pastry-ovens. Do you happen to know where I could find these models or provide some more info?

Thanks!

(have been calling bakery equipment shops and inquired at a pastry store. So far, no luck, but my quest will continue ;-).


----------

