SMOKE SIGNALS The smoking ability of the Convotherm 4 has been a welcome discovery by chefs throughout Australia and New Zealand, proving that where there’s smoke there’s… well, usability, flexibility and faultless quality.
Being able to steam, bake and steam-bake quickly and confidently is the key according to Phil. “The beauty of this is that you can smoke first, then cook it or hot-smoke it – all in one easy process,” he says. “A decent cut of beef fillet for example, you can smoke it for an hour and a half and then cook it overnight. Salmon, venison, sausages, they’re all easy to prepare and smoke to the highest quality.” The advanced closed system of Convotherm is a great help here. “All the energy and moisture stays in the oven cavity, which makes it great for smoking as there’s a better consistent infusion of the smoke into the food,” says Phil. “There’s also very little oxygen – which is what transfers smell – so there’s less intensive clean-up between the various applications.” Since its introduction in January the new Convotherm 4 range of combi-steamers have been consistently popular with sales, and the versatility of the new technology has arrived at the perfect time for chefs looking to deliver their own takes on modern tastes. Moffat sales consultant and chef Phil Neverman says development of the equipment has come about due to these recent international trends, in particular with the smoking aspects within many popular dishes. “Cuisine of late has very much turned to the slow cooked and smoked approaches so popular in South America,” says Phil. “Convotherm has recognised this and addressed it with the 2015 release of the new model.” Making the South American flavours easy to fulfil has been a significant focus. The team has put together a short book that illustrates the potential of the technology via some favourite recipes. Simple, quick and effective, these recipes prove not only the capability of the equipment but the quality of its results.
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“For one example, there’s smoked cauliflower soup,” he continues. “You can prepare this initially, then lightly smoke before placing it (the oven) straight into steam mode and serving time. This everyday usability and flexibility has been a huge draw-card for chefs.”