Before we look at which is the most suitable oven let’s understand how an oven works. The oven is designed to create heat in order to bake. Pizza and bakery products are baked by 3 different elements:
– Conduction: is the heat which comes from the bottom of the oven.
– Convection: is the air inside the cooking chamber.
– Radiation: is the heat coming from the flame or the walls of the oven.
Once the pizza or the bread is placed in the oven, the heat spreads from the oven environment inside through the surface and onto the food being cooked. This is a heat transmission called CONVECTION.
In addition, the heat comes from the flame or refractory mass towards the inside of the food This is called transmission by RADIATION.
Finally, from the oven floor, the heat propagates towards the base of the food. This is a heat transfer process called CONDUCTION.
In the product, a temperate content is created with a maximum of 100°C. In this phase there is a movement of molecules of water from inside to out, which goes to the surface and evaporates.
At the end of the baking process the water molecules that evaporate decrease causing the pizza to have a rapid increase in temperature in particular on the surface (now free of water molecules which have evaporated). This causes the formation of the crust. The crust becomes thicker as this cooking phase continues. If the water content disappears completely the pizza colours and eventually burns.
In short: during the baking process we extract water from the pizza. The product temperature is always lower than 100°C, but this depends on the size of the dough of the pizza and therefore on the weight and thickness (e.g. Neapolitan style or Focaccia). If it only reaches 70-75°C inside the product, with their characteristics that we know.
These ovens are one of the most popular in the pizza industry particularly in the takeaway and delivery market, these are used by the biggest chains in the world.
In terms of ease of use and consistency of product no type of oven comes close to the conveyor ovens, it eases the overall operation. Anyone can cook a pizza in one of these ovens, the temperature and cooking time are pre-set and the operator places a pizza in one end of the oven, it then travels by conveyor belt through the oven and arrives perfectly cooked at the other end.
The most popular versions are the forced blown air or “impingement” type of conveyor oven. The oven utilizes air that is heated by gas or electric and then distributed through columns of forced air.
Recommended for high volume pizza takeaways/delivery operations. The oven can cook all types of pizza from thin crust to deep pan and the now popular Detroit style.
If you need any further information or have any questions don’t hesitate to contact our team on 01527 528841. We will be happy to help.