the kitchen of the future

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Connecting the kitchen to the internet and devices (tablet, mobile phone, computer, wearables,etc.) and smart appliances stand out as the main technological innovations in the short to medium term, ahead of sustainable solutions — water and energy saving or waste management. By country, however, there are differences in the key innovation.

According to industry professionals, countertops of the future should allow users to cook directly on the surface, besides incorporating connectivity and acting like a control panel.

Traditionally a hot, greasy, repetitive, and generally dangerous job, frying has now become a lot easier, efficient, energy- and cost-saving as well as safer! Automated controls and cooking processes cut labor and eliminate safety issues while boosting the quality and consistency of fried foods.

Introduction of fryers with built-in oil filtration throughout the day has meant improved oil quality and food taste as well as extended oil life. Some new fryers use 40% less oil than older models, with automatic top off and filtering.Taking automation even further are fryers with an integrated oil quality measuring system that eliminates subjective manual testing. Welbilt Frymaster’s oil conserving range of fryers not only uses 40% less oil, but is also equipped with the full-featured SMART4U® OCF30 3000 Controller that can monitor and report on oil level, oil life, cook counts, and fryer performance. 

The double-sided grill has come a long way since McDonald’s first used it in the ’60s. Welbilt’s new Garland Xpress grill, for example, can cook items up to 2 inches thick between its grill plates and has icon-based touchscreen controls so that operators can preset the cooking temperature and time for each menu item. The platens lower and lift automatically when food is done. The grill’s rapid recovery and rapid pre-heat features also saves approximately 24% energy by allowing the griddle to cool between peak periods. 

Combi ovens are another big labour-and time-saver with its three-in-one cooking function using convected heat, steam, or a combination of both. Combi ovens make it possible for chefs to perform an impressive array of functions within a single piece of equipment. Not only does it cook food quickly, a combi oven also takes all monitoring and checking work off the kitchen staff’s hands. It adjusts temperature, moisture and cooking time settings on its own, monitors the food’s browning and degree of doneness, as well as save chefs the trouble of repeatedly turning pan-fried dishes.

A great example is Rational’s SelfCookingCenter®, the world’s first truly intelligent oven. Rational’s smart combi oven line now offers a compact-size XS model available in addition to larger sizes in electric and gas-powered versions, all the way up to a roll-in model. All have an integrated fresh-steam generator; built-in cooking intelligence that recognizes the size and quantity of food items and calculates the best cooking method and time; and a labor-saving self-cleaning and descaling feature, which can be done unsupervised overnight.

Energy costs in the food services sector are three times higher per square foot in comparison with other industries. But heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems are a particularly hefty energy and financial drain.

Therefore, it is important to install a system that can monitor HVAC energy usage, as well as provide real-time alerts when problems arise. Suitable for hoods and ventilated ceilings in restaurants, Halton’s M.A.R.V.E.L. Intelligent Demand Controlled Ventilation system which monitors by zone or kitchen block reduces exhaust airflow rates by up to 64%. For example, in a hood ventilation system, M.A.R.V.E.L. can adjust the exhaust airflow hood by hood and in a fully independent way. 

If just one cooking range is operating, only the airflow for that hood concerned will be automatically adjusted. The other hoods will continue to operate at a low flow rate. It works the same way with the zones of a ventilated ceiling. The Halton’s M.A.R.V.E.L. system also regulates the exhaust fan speed to keep power consumption at a bare minimum, resulting in massive savings on air conditioning and on the electrical consumption of the fans. 

The refrigeration unit is one of the most important equipments in an F&B business because this is where all the vital stocks are kept. With automation and technology, a refrigerator can become a separate appliance – each shelf, drawer, and freezer section can be monitored and thermostatically controlled independently. “Incompatible” foods, such as cakes and pies, can be stored and cooled/frozen at different levels in the same appliance. 

The system can determine spoilage time, when food is supposed to be used by, if its chemical makeup changes (such as a marinade), and if pathogens are present. Some Smart refrigerators can even monitor inventory levels, which will then send alerts to the Chef or kitchen manager to order more stock when it runs low.

For more affordable options, restauranters can also install automated temperature-monitoring devices or wireless thermometers to ensure that the refrigerators are operating at optimum temperatures and the integrity of food items are kept intact. The Pine Garden Bakery and Empire State Restaurant in Singapore have both leveraged on these automated refrigeration monitoring devices.

Warewashing may be the most labour-intensive work for foodservice workers than any other area of a foodservice facility, therefore this work is an obvious candidate for automation. 

With Winterhalter’s UC Series Undercounter Dishwasher, kitchen staff no longer have to manually wash any dishes, glasses, cups, bowls and utensils but simply pre-scrape off any food or beverage leftovers on the wares before loading them into the dishwasher and letting the dishwasher do the job. 

The UC Series from Winterhalter impresses with its intuitive controls, economical operation and excellent cost-effectiveness. Its mission is sparkling glasses, clean dishes, and impeccable cutlery. 

Imagine being served by a robot or watching one prepare your meal in a restaurant? While to many, this may be a unique experience as robots are still unfamiliar rarities, it is a foregone conclusion that these machines are here to stay and will eventually become a huge part of the restaurant and foodservice industry. A few examples of robots that are already working in the restaurant kitchen are:

• Three robots are employed by the American delivery service Zume Pizza to prepare pizza bases (spread sauces on and put them into the oven).

• Robots Kona and Koya cook four different ramen dishes in a shopping mall in Shanghai.

• Spyce, a robotic-powered restaurant in Boston, Massachusets cooks complex meals in under three minutes. A robotic chef with seven magnetically heated woks and finely tuned temperature and time sensors tosses and sears the ingredients and dumps them into compostable bowls.

• CaliBurger, a burger restaurant in California, USA, employs Flippy, a burger-flipping robot.