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At these times of tightening purse strings and changing consumption patterns, being able to offer shoppers more for their money, with improved quality, is likely to make financial sense for many companies. This is the solution offered by JBT Formcook’s Contact and Combi Cooking systems, which can significantly improve cooked yield, delivering better value in the process.
The Contact Cooker and the Combi Cooker are the two signature solutions from Formcook, a world leading JBT brand of in-line, non-stick contact cooking. Both the Contact and the Combi versions make use of a solid, Teflon belt that can cope with all sorts of small, fluid products that would not be suitable for a steel belt, explains JBT Regional Solutions Manager Marcelo Scharlack. “Products such as mincemeat, which would stick tremendously, and other meats and poultry that would be very difficult to cook on a steel belt are ideal for contact cooking,” he says.
In the case of the Contact Cooker, the system functions much the same as a skillet – or frying – pan would at home, but with significant added benefits for the entire cooking process. “What we found is the contact cooker enhances the operation for other ovens because it seals the surface of the product and as a result can deliver huge savings in terms of weight loss,” explains Scharlack. “If you cook a chicken breast, you would typically expect to have a yield of 80%. By sealing with a teflon belt we can save up to 10% more, so it adds up to a significant amount of money.”
Although both similar in design, the primary difference between the Contact and Combi models is that the Contact Cooker features a telfon belt on both sides of the product, cooking it as it moves along. The Combi Cooker has a single teflon belt while hot air cooks the top surface; an approach which is particularly well suited to non-flat shaped products, such as (meatballs).
“The contact cooking system employed by both solutions is the most effective method of transferring heat, providing fast cooking, high yields, quick changeovers and easy cleaning,” adds Scharlack.