Contact Grills are increasingly becoming a ‘must have’ gadget within every commercial kitchen. The grill achieves results by cooking food between two heated surfaces. This method has many benefits over the conventional griddle as it cooks the food quickly, there is no reason for turning and it seals the food more effectively, locking in the juices, reducing shrinkage and improving the overall flavour of the food.
The speed of the cooking means that a relatively small cooking area can triple the output of a griddle of the same size. Generally, cooking times range from one minute to around three minutes depending on the food type and thickness.
Contact and Panini grills are portable and can be used anywhere from cafés and coffee shops to a mobile catering wagon or outside kitchen as well as in a standard commercial kitchen.
They give you the ability to add a wide range of hot snacks to your menu for a minimum outlay. That’s right, there are some top quality machines out there at very small prices.
Take the Blizzard Single and Double contact grill range for example. These machines are light duty with cast iron plates, counter balanced top plates, manual thermostat and gives you the option of smooth or ribbed plates.
And at the small price of £249 – £349 with a 1 year warranty, they are a great addition to any commercial kitchen.
What do you need to consider before purchasing a Contact or Panini Grill?
Cast iron plates heat up rapidly and smooth plates are ideal therefore for sealing in meat juices and flavour. Ribbed plates on the other hand produce attractive branding marks, and are ideal for Panini’s, giving them more versatility, therefore it is important to consider which one will be most suitable for your business.
On the other hand, a model with a smooth bottom plate and a ribbed top plate such as the Blizzard BRSCG2 might provide the perfect compromise.
Capacity is an important aspect to consider and it is important that you check that the outputs quoted by manufacturers are like for like.
The type of foods that you will be cooking is also important to consider, do you serve a lot of vegetarians or halal food? If so it might be worth purchasing and additional machine.
Finally, it is important that you look for a product that meets all current EU safety regulations, make sure that the model is easy to clean and make sure that you purchase your machine from a reputable dealer and always keep an eye out for models that offer warranty periods.
Here at Acme we offer a wide range of grills to suit all situations, contact our sales team on 01254 277999 and a member of our team will discuss the best unit for you and your business.
AcmeFG 