PodcastThe Oven Expert

We are the Oven Experts!

On this edition of the Bakers Insight podcast, Daniel DaRocha, President of Erika Baking Equipment sits down with our resident in-house oven expert, Cindy Chananie, who oversees commercial sales development. For over 25 years, Cindy has specialized in providing highly effective oven solutions to both retail and wholesale baking operations. This includes providing individualized consultations designed to help clients decide on which oven would work best for them.

Can I Bake Both Bread and Sweet Goods in a Single Oven?

According to Cindy Chananie, an experienced sales consultant specializing in oven sales, mixed-use combination ovens are available that helps facilitate baking of both bread and confectionery products in a single oven.

“Our Tagliavini Complex can be configured with a deck, convection, and proofing chamber that are all housed within a single, compact unit,” said Chananie.

These mixed-use ovens, also known as hybrid ovens, are electric powered and perfect for baking operations that produce small batches of numerous products throughout any given day. “Our Complex oven can also be configured to meet your individual needs. This includes the option for multiple modular deck oven units, multiple 5-pan convection units, a built-in temperature-controlled proofing chamber, and pan storage,” continued Chananie.

The Tagliavini Complex allows bakers to simultaneously bake artisan bread such as French Baguettes and sourdough, while also baking confections such as croissants, French Macarons, and chocolate chip cookies.

Which Rack Oven Do I Need?

According to Cindy Chananie, an experienced sales consultant specializing in oven sales, rack ovens are ideal for bakeries making multiple trays (15+) of confectionery products in a single batch.

Retail Bakeries & In-Store (Retail Production)
Retail bakeries and in-store operations are well suited with a traditional rack oven. The ovens are available in both single and double rack configurations and are typically used for 1 or 2 shifts per day.

Industrial Bakeries (Wholesale Production)
Wholesale bakeries are typically well served by an industrial rack oven. Like their traditional counterparts, industrial rack ovens are available in both single and double rack configurations. “However, these ovens are designed for 24/7 baking operations,” said Chananie. These ovens feature reinforced construction, robust motors, and revolutionary heat distribution designed to minimize recovery time,” continued Chananie.

Recovery Time
“Rack ovens are great because they enable you to easily load and unload a large amount of product in a matter of seconds,” said Chananie. “However, during this loading and unloading process, a massive amount of heat is capable of leaving the oven when the door is open. It is critical that your oven is able to come back up to temperature quickly and efficiently; otherwise, the operator is forced to wait for the set baking temp to recover – sometimes 10 – 15 minutes between batches,” continued Chananie.

Both the Tagliavini Rotovent and Rotor feature durable, high-quality construction. This includes an insulated chamber and revolutionary heat distribution. This combination minimizes the time between bakes and helps to reduce operating costs associated with higher energy bills.

What Are the Advantages of Modular Electric Deck Ovens?

According to Cindy Chananie, an experienced sales consultant specializing in oven sales, “a modular electric deck oven is ideal for customers who need to support production levels of up to 20 pans worth of product.”

“The bake quality of Tagliavini’s Modular electric deck ovens are on par with their gas counterparts. However, electric baking provides greater flexibility and control over your baking conditions,” continued Chananie.

Flexible Baking Conditions
Electric deck ovens allow you to optimize your baking operations to meet your production needs. “Each deck features individual temperature controls. This enables you to bake a wide variety of different products at the same time,” said Chananie. “Unlike their gas counterparts, electric deck ovens can have some decks powered off when not in use to save energy,” continued Chananie.

Future Growth
Modular electric deck ovens can also be modified for future growth. “Typically, I advise customers to purchase a modular electric deck oven with the biggest footprint they can accommodate,” said Chananie. “Future production needs can be addressed by adding additional decks,” continued Chananie.

What should I consider when purchasing an oven for my bakery?

According to Cindy Chananie, an experienced sales consultant specializing in oven sales, there are a few variables you should consider when purchasing an oven for your bakery.

What Will You Be Baking?
The type of oven you will be purchasing will be heavily based on the products you are baking. Generally speaking, bread products are better suited by deck oven technology while confections are better served by convection technology.

How Much Flexibility Do You Need?
Do you need to easily change from making multiple different types of bread products? If so, an electric deck or cyclothermic deck oven might be better suited for your needs.

Likewise, do you need to be able to produce a variety of both bread products and confections throughout the day? If so, our mixed-use Complex oven may be a viable solution as it provides both convection and deck baking (as well as proofing) in a compact footprint.

How Much Will You Be Baking?
“The type of oven you will need is also dictated by both the size of your product and the amount of product you will baking,” said Chananie.

For example, very large loaves of bread are better suited for baking in a steam-tube oven, whereas smaller bread products experience an excellent bake in both electric deck and cyclothermic deck ovens.

In addition, the amount of product you will be baking also determines your oven configuration. For example, bread production needs will determine both the height (how many levels) and width (how many pans) of your deck oven. Likewise, the number of confectionery products you are baking in a single batch will also determine the need for a convection oven versus a rack oven.

Operations baking 24/7 would be better suited by our industrial rack oven or our tunnel oven options. This includes a two-deck, continuous style tunnel oven suitable for emerging industrial bakeries; as well as our single deck, cyclothermic tunnel oven, suitable for large scale industrial production.

What Are Your Available Utility Connections?
Oven selection also leans heavily on your available utility connections. While you may desire a gas oven, your building may only have electric utilities or vice-a-versa.

What Are Your Utility Costs?
You may be in a position where both gas and electric connections are readily available. “Generally speaking, in America gas tends to be cheaper than electric,” said Chananie. “I would recommend asking your distributor to offer an energy comparison based on your current energy bills,” continued Chananie.

How Much Space Do You Have?
“Ultimately, the size of your oven is most dependent upon the available space for final installation,” said Chananie. Other determining factors include the size of entryways and doorways.

What Is Your Budget?
Budget is also a very important factor in determining which oven solution is viable for your bakery. “We routinely align clients with financing partners to help minimize the upfront costs associated with investing in your business,” said Chananie.

“We also work with clients to provide them with high-quality, durable equipment that meets both their present and future production goals. This includes ensuring their equipment lasts for many years to come,” continued Chananie.