Convotherm Ovens Help Hospital Go Fryer-Free

...for less fat and a cleaner more efficient kitchen

Grand Rapids, IA (February 3, 2012) -Mercy Medical Center has changed the way it cooks for patients, visitors and employees. Beginning in October 2011, Mercy's kitchen staff started using new Convotherm Combi ovens with easyToUCH™, which combine convection and steamer cooking capabilities. Mercy is the first hospital in the area with a completely deep-fat fryer-free kitchen.

The Mercy Café staff began researching replacement options for its outdated deep-fat fryers, ovens and steamers in early 2011. They decided on the new Convotherm Combi ovens not only for the health benefits they offer but for their additional versatility. Convotherm Combi Ovens are able to cook in various modes such as baking, poaching, healthy frying and steaming. This makes the ovens ideal for everything from pastries and breads, proteins, rice and vegetables to ‘fried’ foods.

The new ovens enabled the Mercy Café to continue to serve favorites such as French fries, tenderloins, chicken strips and fish sandwiches. The new cooking technology produces these customer favorites to be deep-fat crispy—without the deep-fat frying.

The new method of cooking has been well-received by patients and those who dine at the Mercy café. But that was no surprise. The hospital performed some preliminary taste testing with very positive results prior to fully adopting the new methods.

Chef’s were also impressed by the Convotherm easyToUCH™ touch screen control and display panel. Once programmed, the various items on the Mercy Café menu appear in picture form on the screen. Launching a recipe is as easy as touching the picture of the food item you wish to cook.

According to a Mercy Medical Centre press release, Mercy Chef Andy Deutmeyer expressed excitement about using the new cooking technology. "The Combi ovens provide us with more cooking technique options, thereby providing a newfound wide-gamut of culinary possibilities. Another benefit is that the ovens provide more consistent cooking results."

See Mercy Hospital's News piece here | Learn more about Convotherm products with EasyToUCH™ here