|
IWD Innovation Showcase
If it's feedback you want on equipment in development, chain equipment experts are not at all shy about dishing it out. Ideas Well Done invited a select group of chain operators to its first Innovation Showcase, described afterwards as a "mind-opening" experience. Our guests found it "insightful" to discuss technology with the represented manufacturers and appreciated the opportunity to see ideas that will be applicable to their operations' future programs.
On display were not-yet-on-the-market items: an oven from Wood Stone and a countertop appliance ventilation system offered by Equipex (designed by IWD). In both cases dialogs between manufacturer and potential end users were extremely valuable.
Earlier stage prototype projects from the IWD stable included a single-serving steam cooker, a new highly efficient method to heat water without producing any mineral deposits, and an induction stir kettle. We can't tell you more or we'd have to hurt you.
The purpose of the showcase was two-fold:
- provide chain end users an opportunity to see what's coming from IWD and its clients
- provide the clients (and IWD) some very knowledgeable feedback on applications, design, what's needed and what's not needed in the future
We're already planning next year's session which will be held again during NRA. If you would like to be considered as a guest, let us know. |
|
SA Vents have EPA Approval
We are pleased to announce that the SA Vents have passed the EPA 202 ventilation standard. This standard is the test method for condensable particulate which involves rigorous testing with grease-laden vapor. The SA Vents have passed this standard, enabling overall approvals to the highest benchmark.
SA Vent countertop ventilation system for small appliances was introduced at NAFEM and other trade shows this spring around the United States.
According to Gary Licht of Equipex, the reception by dealers, consultants, end users and marketing partners has been "overwhelming". Designed and developed by IWD and licensed to Equipex, the SA Vent provides ventilation for appliances located outside the hood system.
The SA Vents are now proceeding to UL Safety and NSF Sanitation certifications. Equipex anticipates this process to be completed in August. |
About KI & IS The Kitchen Innovations section of NRA is a lot of fun to visit - you know there will be some interesting products and you don't have to deal with the booth crowds while you talk to the manufacturer.
Our Innovation Showcase is a precursor to Kitchen Innovations. Almost everything we had on display was NOT market-ready - some pieces are years away. KI requires that products submitted for selection have all relevant approvals and be available for purchase. We hope that the products we introduce at IWD's Innovation Showcase ultimately make their way to Kitchen Innovations. Kinda like hoping your kid gets accepted by Harvard. |
IWD Plug
Procter & Gamble has done quite well in the last few years and they have gotten a lot of press about product development in the consumer products field. What's changed? A few years ago they outsourced creative product development for about 20% of their ideas; now more than 50% come from "Ideas" type businesses.
Give me a call at 877-312-1706, ext.101. Or email me:
| |
Happy summer!! The longest day has come and gone and we're on that not-long-enough slide to winter... If I lived in the lovely Deep South instead of Vermont I'm sure I'd be singing a different tune.
Here at Ideas Well Done we are percolating ideas left and right. As you'll read below, we had a very successful first annual Innovation Showcase - we invited select multi-unit end users to 90-minute private sessions and it was a hit. The opportunity to throw ideas around between the people who use things and who design and make things is invaluable. Freed of constraints (like work and phones) the creativity was flowing; seeing some new concepts at a very early stage allowed imaginations to approach old issues from new angles. It was a great day.
Below is our recap of what we found interesting at NRA. Some of the equipment in the Kitchen Innovations area we had seen and reported on in our NAFEM issue (go to the IWD website archives to read it). There were some concept-stretching ideas at NRA - some aimed at small operations which we might not see at NAFEM, some new approaches to problems.
I have no particular agenda in selecting products to report on - whatever catches my eye (especially if the booth personnel can and will answer my questions).
Enjoy summer - we'll be back with another issue in July.
Best Wishes,
Mary Esther Treat |
|
|
NRA 2009 Report
Yup - NAFEM and the economy made a difference at NRA. No lower floor of the South building; some wide open spaces where booths used to be; smaller booths, even for the big companies; less cooking in the booths. On the other hand - more food booths (easier to eat your way around the show); more foreign companies; aisles not so crowded (except near those food booths). We're betting next year will be bigger and better. And no matter what, we're glad we were there - we found some really interesting new products.
Show favorites:
 Everyone talked about the Chilldisc, a stainless steel disc chilled to 26°F and surrounded by a fiber optic light, sunk into the top of a bar or countertop. Beverages in a stemless glass or bottle placed on the disc are kept cold and make ice unnecessary. The company also makes a Chillwell for bottled beverages and outdoor use. Under the counter a Chilltower chills and circulates biodegradable, non-toxic corn oil, operating on 120 volt, 20 amps. Another unit operates the fiber optics. www.chilldisc.com
Spin Fresh is a fryer with a built-in spinner - the design originated from a jeweler's device. The cooking basket holds up to 5 lbs of fries. At the end of the cooking cycle it rises out of the oil and spins excess oil off the food; the excess oil is returned to the cooking chamber. Silliker Lab food tests found a 24% decrease in calories from fat; 48.8% of the cooking oil was spun off the food and recovered into the fryer. Gas consumption was reduced by 13.1% - the manufacturer says tests are planned at the FSTC for energy efficiency and cook times. Various insets are available; power will be both gas and electric. www.spintrifuge.us/index.html The British Columbia company's Board includes Ed Rensi, former president of McDonalds USA. They produce a ventless electric countertop model and the George Foreman "Lean Mean Spin Fryer."
A device straight out of the chemistry lab, developed by Cuisine Technology, is a rotary vacuum evaporator distillation system. Just released for sale, it distills at reduced temp and pressure to purify liquids, concentrate flavors, and obtain essential oils that can be used to infuse or intensify flavor without affecting the texture or composition of the final dish. Company rep Jason Sayers claims that separating the heat out of habanero peppers delivers a flowery essence. At about $8,000 this is not for everyone. Check out the website for their other fun pieces like the "anti-griddle" which quickly freezes sauces and purees into solid, unique forms - or freezes just the outer surfaces while maintaining a creamy center. www.cuisinetechnology.com
Misty Stix encase dry ice in a mixer stick, producing a smoking drink - or as they say, an "inspiring fog effect". They say it's safe. www.mistystix.com
Veltia (Spain) high speed hand dryers build Microban® antibacterial protection technology into a sleek slick high-speed hand dryer. Unheated air moving up to 120 mph dries hands in 10-15 seconds. The manufacturer claims the unit uses ¼ the energy of a conventional dryer and offers an optional anti-smell gel to neutralize odors. www.veltia.com
Sani-Floor's Instant Safety Flooring comes in sections small enough to go into a dishmachine for cleaning, and can be bolted or pinned (by dowels) to a cement floor. It's a solution for retrofitting wet walkways and is certified by the National Floor Safety Institute. Custom sizes are available. www.sanifloor.com
 The stock chiller from Revolutionary Cooling Systems cools 5 gallons of soup or stock from 190°F to 40°F in 6 minutes - 60 times faster than HACCP guidelines. The system rotates #304 stainless containers (2 or 5 gal) in ice while spraying them with ice cold water. The chilled food remains in the container for storage. The company says a countertop version will be available in September and they plan to include a temperature sensor in the future. www.stockchiller.com
Opus Environmental Inc. offers new two new commercial food waste processors: Enviro-pure Wet produces 30-40 gal. of gray water discharge that can be used as organic liquid fertilizer;  Enviro-pure Dry eliminates garbage in one day without generating odor or water. The wet system had two units: garbage disposal and decomposition tank. Two sizes of the wet model - 120 and 240 lb. handling capacities. Dry has five sizes from 20 to 200 lbs per day. See more at www.opusenviro.com. Consumables include microbes for the dry system - company says 5 gal should last 30 days.
I love this - "minimizes batter build-up on the beater and blade" - a line from the flyer for BeaterBlade Pro from NewMetro Design LLC. Actually, it's what we like to see - a simple, smart solution. A "wing-system" added to traditionally shaped mixer blades continuously scrapes the sides and bottom of the bowl while it mixes. The company says it cuts mixing time by 50%. www.beaterblade.com
|
Favorites from NRA's
Kitchen Innovations Pavilion
The Eneron TurboPot is low-tech high-tech. The same  technique that keeps microprocessors cool makes their cookware hot (it should not be surprising that the company is in Silicon Valley). Fins in the base of a pot double cooking efficiency to 60% - you can lower the cooking temp or gas flame, or reduce cooking time - or both! Eneron offers both aluminum pots and stainless pots and pans. http://eneron.us/EneronProducts.html
PowerSoak's mobile silverware prewash system pulls water at high speed through a silverware basket, eliminating pre-soaking silverware in a tub, multiple passes through a dish machine, and hand washing & polishing. The company says that the unit is self-heating because it recycles 12 gallons of water (usable for up to eight hours) that is heated by water friction and the pump motor during the agitation process. Average wash time is five minutes. www.cleansilverware.com
Halton's M.A.R.V.E.L. combines Halton Demand Control Ventilation hoods with Current Energy's IRIS ™  (Infrared Radiation Index Sensor) to integrate multiple hoods on a common duct that individually adjusts exhaust and replacement air. The IR sensors are aimed at the cooking surface to pick up when the cooking starts (not when the warm air rises to the hood). This avoids the common mistake of hood sensors dropping out as a cold product is added to a fryer, for example, when they should increase ventilation. Rick Bagwell, President, said that it took three years to develop the integrated hood and that they will take it to Europe in the fall. www.haltoncompany.com
Somat's eCorect Waste Decomposer shredder is designed for self-bussing operations - food waste and disposable cutlery go into a "waterless" conveyor (it does use water for a clean-up cycle) to be shredded into compostable matter. This small unit handles up to 1,200 lbs/hr. www.somatcompany.com |
|
Please forward this newsletter to anyone who would be interested in
foodservice equipment design, development and invention.
| |
|
|
|
