Consequently, ovens are one of the most widely used types of kitchen equipment. The smallest establishments may have a microwave to heat appetizers or sandwiches and the largest may have a conveyorized bake oven for high volume production. Ovens are available in a variety of sizes and designs. Some are specifically designed for certain food preparation tasks, while others are meant to serve a diverse range of cooking applications. One of the most recent designs, called a Flash Bake oven, uses a combination of high intensity visible light and radiant heat to increase production speed and improve food preparation quality.
Commercial ovens are usually the largest consumers of cooking energy in the food service kitchen.
The oven design and construction quality, as well as fuel choice selection, all influence how much of that energy is discharged to the kitchen as heat. The remainder escapes into the surrounding air of the kitchen, making the environment uncomfortable for the staff and further taxing the cooling system. Some of the newer technologies can improve oven performance by increasing speed, energy efficiency and reducing food-portion weight loss, making oven operation much more economical. Of course, these enhancements usually come at an increase in first cost, but may well be very profitable for the food service operator. The purpose of this section is to highlight these oven options and assist the customer trying to decide between them.