Combi-Oven , short for "Combination Oven", combines several cooking functions in one piece of kitchen equipment.  
It will need a power supply, electricity, natural gas or LPG and unlike a conventional oven it will often need a water supply.
It is important to ensure that the water supply is softened using an appropriate water filter.

The combi-oven uses dry heat, either still or fan-driven and steam, which is injected into the oven as and when the food being cooked requires it. 
An alternative name for this type of oven is the combi-steamer.

The combi-oven is the workhorse of the kitchen and one of the most versatile items of prime cooking equipment any kitchen can have. It can steam, bake, roast and “dry-fry” chips, breaded and battered frozen products using the residual fat in the coating.

This multi-function feature of the combi-oven means many different foods and cooking methods may be put through the combi oven in any one working day. Typically, chickens may be roasted, fish steamed and frozen bakery goods finished off. That versatility means there are lots of different flavours and smells occurring in the combi-oven. Everything cooked will deposit its own residual taste in the oven which brings up “Look After It” rule No. 1 – keep the oven clean to avoid flavour transfer.

This is important where strongly-flavoured foods such as chicken or fish have been cooked and then vegetables are to be regenerated or patisserie and desserts cooked. Many combiovens have a push-button clean cycle which will wash the oven cavity and take away any food residue so a delicately flavoured food following on tastes of its ingredients sand not what was previously cooked. Where a high production kitchen has a bank of combi-ovens, if there is not an in-built self-clean cycle, it is possible to get mobile cleaning systems which can be wheeled to each oven in turn.

The combi-oven is the most versatile piece of eqipment any professional kitchen can have. These are just some of the examples of its benefits:

Meat – Up to a third of the weight of a piece of meat can be lost during dry roasting through loss of the water content of the meat. Having gentle steam in the oven during roasting both minimises weight loss and produces a more tender joint.

Fish – steaming is an ideal cooking medium for this delicate product.

Vegetables – By cooking in steam instead of boiling water, vegetables keep more of their nutritional value and natural colour.

Baking – by operating as a fan-driven convection oven, baked goods are evenly and crisply cooked. A slight injection of steam can also enhance some baked foods such as bread.

Regeneration – Food which has been pre-cooked and correctly chilled prior to service can be rapidly brought up to serving temperature, avoiding the need to hold food hot for long periods which leads to flavour loss and drying out. Combi-ovens are ideal for busy banqueting operations and can handle both ready-plated meals and multi-portion containers.

A combi-oven is not just for big food operations

Combi-ovens come in a range of sizes and all manufacturers build ovens for the small independent caterer as well as the very high volume outlets

Things to consider before purchasing your Combi-Oven

Why is it necessary to fit a water filtration system to the oven to remove dissolved salts in the water and prevent scaling?
Please look at our guide "A guide to water Filters"

Is there a high pre-heat function to enable fast heat recovery when cold food is put into the oven?
How easy the oven cavity and the door seals are to clean and what self-cleaning features the oven has?

What are the programming features, how easy are they for staff to understand and do they meet my kitchen needs?
Is there a self-diagnostic facility to warn me should something go wrong?

Is there a food core temperature probe, rapid cool-down feature or a reversible fan for even heat distribution?

Look after it

A Combi-Oven is an expensive investment and if maintained will return you fine proffit. With a good cleaning regime and and staff training your Combi-Oven will last the distance. Remember, the most inportant cycle is the one that comes at the end of each day, the cleaning cycle.

Paying attention to areas such as door seals and food deposits within the oven may save on an engineers visit. There is waste from a Combi-Oven that should not be over looked. Some have built in drains others have internal collection depositories within the cooking area where waste collects, these must be cleaned daily

Last but certainly not least, make sure the oven door is closed and not slammed