Rational’s SelfCookingCenter® whitefficiency® offers school caterers a space-saving solution
The Government’s current pledge that in September 2014 it will fund schools in England to provide every child in reception, year 1 and year 2 with a hot, nutritious meal at lunchtime is putting tremendous pressure on school caterers. Whether old or new, school kitchens tend to be tight on space and will find it difficult to accommodate extra equipment to expand their capacity.
However, with a footprint of only 879 x 791mm for the 20 shelf model, the Rational SelfCookingCenter offers school caterers an easy way to increase their capacity and menu options, without taking up too much space. Rational’s multifunctional SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency combi steamer can roast, poach, bake, toast, braise and even pan fry fish and cook chips – all at the touch of a button and with consistent food quality.
A SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency can replace 40 to 50% of standard appliances, reducing the kitchen footprint by at least 30%. Options such as the Ultravent condensation hood, which eliminates unwanted cooking fumes and steam, can do away with the need for extra, expensive extraction systems. The latest Rational SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency has up to 30% more capacity, cuts energy consumption by up to 20% and reduces production times by up to 30%, compared to previous models.
School caterers have to produce balanced healthy meals. The Rational has been developed to cook food with the ideal balance of steam and dry heat, so that vegetables can be cooked with no loss of taste, texture, vitamins or nutrients through over-cooking. Similarly, the carefully controlled cooking processes allow meat to retain its food value and stay extremely succulent. Everything from fish to bread to pizza can be cooked to perfection.
And as for that school favourite, chips, the SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency cooks frozen par-fried chips without adding fat or oil and with no loss of taste. The fat content of these chips is far below that of conventional preparation methods – 80 per cent less fat and 36 per cent less calories. The unit is fast too, preparing up to 200 portions in just 20 minutes.
To help school caterers plan for September, Rational’s development chefs can visit the school and work with the catering team to find the best way to cope with the increase in meal numbers. They can programme the cooking processes into the SelfCookingCenter whitefficiency, so that even untrained staff can duplicate perfect results.