It is common in the foodservice community to hear people argue that equipment manufacturers have been slow to change and that more innovation — especially in terms of energy and water efficiency — is needed. But Don Fisher, president of Fisher-Nickel, Inc., points to numerous examples of equipment on the market today that belie that claim.

Advances in Steamers

One of Fisher's top examples is the development, over the past decade, of boilerless steamers in which water usage has plummeted from 40 gallons an hour to less than four gallons. You can view one good example of how such advances have been accomplished in the What's Hot/What's Cool exhibit at NAFEM, where Accutemp will be displaying its Gas Fired Evolution Steamer, which has earned the Gas Foodservice Equipment Network's (GFEN) 2010 Blue Flame Product of the Year Award.

According to John Pennington, CSC, vice president territory sales and corporate chef for the Fort Wayne, IN-based manufacturer, the company's first Energy Star listed steamer dates back almost a decade. The Evolution model represents its most advanced product so far and can be either “connected or not connected,” he adds.

Generally, those purchasing “not connected” steamers are aiming to save water, since 25 to 40 gallons of water are typically used every hour for a boiler-based steamer, while boilerless steamers typically use 14 to 24 gallons. However, the Evolution Steamer uses less than one gallon per hour either way.

Pennington adds that the connectionless installation now also requires less intervention on the part of the operator than did past models.

“We took our connectionless design and figured out how to add water to it without having to manually fill and drain the unit periodically,” Pennington says. Instead, a control valve unit can be installed on the back of the steamer that recycles condensed water back into the chamber. Also, “since we don't require water filtration, there are no water quality statement exclusions [that can] void the warranty.”

Pennington estimates annual savings of energy and water combined for the Evolution Steamer vs. an older, boiler-based unit could be $1,500 to $3,500; when compared to an older boilerless unit, he says the Evolution could save $500 to $1,600 annually.

‘But how fast can it cook?’ As a chef himself, Pennington is quick to point out that a chef in a kitchen typically “doesn't care about energy efficiency; he's worried about how fast he can get the food out.” The models in question are designed to facilitate batch cooking in volume situations, he says.

“The boilerless unit will be two minutes slower than one with a boiler — it depends on the density of the food and how fast the given product can absorb the steam.

“Usually in an a la carte situation, you need the speed of a boiler-based steamer to get product out in four minutes versus eight minutes.” (Visit www.accutemp.net for more info and an energy savings comparison chart of the Evolution Gas Steamer vs. conventional boiler-based gas steamers.)

In the steam cooking world, Mike Burke, CFSP, SNS, product manager for the steam cooking division of Troy, OH-based Vulcan, agrees with Pennington in recognizing that cooks are first and foremost concerned with productivity vs. energy savings. With that in mind, Vulcan's Energy Star rated Boilerless Batch Steamer (vs. an a la carte cooker) has been reintroduced this year. Now made in-house, the unit's energy saving cooking efficiency has been increased by more than 5%; on a one-compartment steamer (3-5 pans) there's typically a $450 annual savings on utility bills (i.e., electric, water and sewer combined) with a 90% water savings vs. a traditional steamer.

Addressing the productivity issue, Burke details the kitchen operation reality: “You put product in (for batch cooking), shut the door, let it cook through the cycle — and not open the door during the cycle. With a la carte cooking, you may have to open the door to put more product in, shut the door, and remove product at various times. Such actions change the temperature inside the oven and affect the cooking time of all items within.

The way the (energy efficiency) standards are written, tests measure a unit in a specified usage situation that may not be realistic given the usage and performance demands in an actual operating environment, Burke argues.

Where a la carte is the norm, Burke suggests that some locations, such as a 90-bed nursing home, for example, should actually be able to use a boilerless batch steamer more effectively if they change production processes so as not to keep opening the unit during production. In situations where that isn't possible, he says model selection needs to look beyond efficiency ratings only and consider the likely usage patterns that will actually occur.

Coming to a Boil

Sustainability is considered in the development of every new product designed by Duke Manufacturing, according to marketing manager Richard Arthur. The St. Louis, MO-based company's Gas Flexible Batch Broiler, co-developed with Burger King, recently completed its rollout and is currently in test with a large international contract management company.

“The broiler is one of our bigger successes with a green focus,” Arthur says. “The typical broiler is a major natural gas hog. We designed a batch broiler that's a slightly smaller unit than the one it was to replace, but it meets the needs of about 95% of the chain's stores worldwide — and helped reduce gas consumption by 25% to 30%.”

In addition, since the unit boasts an enclosed cooking chamber, that is said to reduce its impact on the ambient temperature of a restaurant, leading to reduced air conditioning costs. Kitchen workers are said to be cooler and more comfortable as well.

Waterbaths Without Water

Duke's latest innovation is its Waterless Rethermalizer, also slated to debut at NAFEM's What's Hot/What's Cool pavilion. It features a waterbath that eliminates the need for water!

“Bagged frozen product typically retherms (or slakes out) in a 50 gallon waterbath that's filled up each day and held at boiling most of the time,” Arthur explains. “By saving 50 gallons per unit per location per day, there's a significant savings in water usage. Plus, the unit cycles off when not in use and only supplies heat when it's demanded.”

Fryers Recovery

As greater energy efficiency has become increasingly important within the industry and as more manufacturers aim to attain Energy Star standards, Fisher also points to fryers from Ultrafryer Systems as “the benchmark fryers — those with the highest efficiency performance.”

In a typical application, Hobart calculates the resulting savings, based on 200 racks/cycles per day in a restaurant setting, should be on the order of $792 annually by running the machine on a cold water line. Also, because there's no vent hood, there is no need to replenish air lost with conditioned makeup air, reducing the HVAC load for a $776 annual savings.

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