Chef Maxwell

Two food service businesses with the same results

Here's a story about two different types of food service businesses with one thing in common: Induction Cooking. Chef Maxwell's Catering Company often serves visiting dignitaries right at their offices. Fresh Choice Restaurants, a casual all-you-can-eat restaurant, operates a traditional kitchen. Both believe induction cooking is a better, lower-cost and more consistent source of heat.

Chef Maxwell says:

Induction is fast - "Induction heats the pan and not the top of the range. It provides a cooking surface over the entire surface of the pan, so cream sauces tend to reduce more quickly and more consistently and don't scorch!"

Induction is safe - "There are always considerations when I go into new business environments to cook on the premises. I always have to be mindful of hazards. Because there is no flame with induction cooking, I don't worry - it doesn't require extinguisher systems like butane burners."

Induction is clean and cool - "It doesn't create heat, so it keeps the space cooler and my customers comfortable and happy; my cooks are happier too."

Induction Provides Instant Variable Heat Control - "When you plug in the induction range top and turn it on, you get the same level of energy delivered throughout the cooking process. With butane, as the pressure canister diminishes, the flame gets lower, changing the consistency in the food."

Induction is Easy to Use - "In my business I hire people on an 'as needed basis.' One of the reasons I prefer induction is its user-friendly capabilities. New cooks can adjust to it easily. I can have more control over the heat the cooks are using by presetting the 'hold temp' button."

How much Fresh Choice Restaurants saved:

Cost saving of over $500,000 by using induction cooktops instead of an open flame for sautéed pasta and reheating par boiled pasta. Using an open flame would have required installation of a new hood system costing $10,000 to $12,000 per restaurant. With 50 restaurants, the company realized a total savings of over $500,000.

5-7% decrease in utility costs - remember, induction is only running when you use it! Unlike an open flame which creates a good deal of heat, induction keeps the area cool - so it's not as taxing on the air conditioning.