A new practical study has proven that modern kitchen technology saves resources and improves food quality and working conditions.
A practical study conducted by the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with Rational, the world market leader in hot food preparation, shows that catering businesses can save significant amounts of energy and water, while also improving food quality and working conditions, by using modern technology.
As part of the ‘Improving the Efficiency of commercial kitchens’ study, Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences and Rational spent over two years monitoring the renovation of the AXA Konzern AG’s catering facilities at its Cologne site (Germany). The old kitchen was modernised, with most of the existing appliances from various generations and manufacturers being replaced by the intelligent iVario Pro and iCombi Pro cooking systems as well as the digital kitchen management system ConnectedCooking, all from Rational. The project team recorded and compared resource consumption before and after the renovation in two measurement phases, each lasting around 80 days.
“The results are remarkable,” said Professor Michael Greiner, who led the study at the Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences. “For example, water consumption was reduced by 47.9%.” This was partly due to the new cooking systems’ efficient cleaning process. While a conventional tilting pan requires around 330 litres for the cleaning process, the iVario Pro uses less than a third of this amount, often much less. On top of this, there are energy savings of 24.1%, despite the fact that the measurements included the energy-intensive blast chillers for the newly introduced Cook & Chill process. “The reasons for these substantial savings include the high efficiency, short heating times, precise and flexible heat control, and better insulation of the new cooking systems,” explains Mr Greiner. The study also proves that the high connected load of modern cooking systems does not lead to high energy consumption and thus high electricity costs, as is often assumed. On the contrary, peak loads were reduced by 20.5%. Since monthly energy costs are typically determined by the highest recorded value, reducing these peaks can result in substantial long-term cost savings.
“Another goal of the kitchen renovation was to make work easier for staff, in addition to reducing electricity and water consumption,” says Daniel Harbich, project manager at Rational. The height adjustable iVario, for example, ensures that every employee can find a healthy, ergonomic working position. Production processes have also been redesigned. “The Cook & Chill process was introduced to the new kitchen to enable production according to demand, decoupled from time. Vegetables and starchy side dishes such as rice, for example, are now produced in advance, chilled, and only prepared when needed.” This not only eases the burden on the kitchen team, enabling more efficient staffing levels to be planned, it also ensures better food quality, as the food no longer needs to be kept warm for several hours.
Mr Greiner’s conclusion: “The study demonstrates the possibilities offered by modern kitchen technology under realistic conditions. Firstly, the proven energy and water savings are a decisive economic argument and help reduce the carbon footprint. Secondly, modern technology makes everyday work much easier, making the workplace more attractive to existing and potential employees. This is particularly important given the shortage of skilled workers. Thirdly, the quality of food is improved thanks to intelligent cooking processes. As many commercial kitchens face similar challenges, these insights can help other businesses to make investment decisions, improving the sustainability, economy and employee-friendliness of their kitchens.”
