The Benefits of Contact and Panini Grills

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.

We are Celebrating National Women in Engineering Day!

Here at Acme we are celebrating National Women in Engineering day 2015! A fantastic charity that was set up in 1919, at the end of the First World War.

What is National Women in Engineering Day?

The day has been set up by The Women’s Engineering Society and is a charity that was set up in 1919, at the end of the First World War when the women who had worked in technical jobs during the war wanted to continue with this work.

Due to a change of law to ensure that the country reverted to a pre-war settings when the War finished, women were unable to continue with their engineering jobs, and were unwanted in the technical professions.

The Aim of National Women in Engineering Day…

The aim of National Women in Engineering Day is to focus attention on the great opportunities for women in engineering, at a time when it has never been more important to address the engineering skills shortage. By encouraging girls into engineering careers we will not only be increasing diversity and inclusion – a business imperative – but enabling us to fill the substantial future job opportunities that have been predicted in this sector.

Some Key Facts about Women in Engineering;

There is a great article here that highlights some key facts about women in engineering;

1. The number of girls gaining physics GCSE A* to C is now almost equal to the number of boys. But despite this, less than 20% of A-level physics students are girls – in other words they’re dropping the subject while boys carry on.
2. The most recent stats from Engineering UK show that in 2013 only 14.2% of engineering graduates were female.
3. While just over half (51%) of female Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates go into STEM roles, this rises to 68% among male STEM graduates.
4. Only 27% of engineering and science technicians are female.
5. At less than 10%, the UK has one of the lowest number of female engineers in Europe.
6. The average pay for an engineering apprentice is £6.50 an hour, significantly higher than in other sectors.
7. The average graduate starting salary for engineering and technology is £26,636 – a fifth higher than the typical starting salary for other graduates.
8. Two-thirds of manufacturers plan to recruit an engineering apprentice in the next 12 months, while two-thirds plan to recruit an engineering graduate in the next 3 years.

Join Our Team!

We have a wide range of engineering positions available up and down the country and are currently seeking refrigeration and catering engineers. We also offer a range of apprenticeships in refrigeration and catering and encourage all females between the ages of 16-18 to apply for one of these apprenticeships, for more information take a look at our website!

For more information about women in engineering and how your business can support them, take a look at their website. 

National Fish and Chip Day!

Finally! We have a day to celebrate Britain’s signature dish – Fish and Chips.

The National Edible Oil Distributors’ Association is championing the first ever National Fish and Chips day, the nationwide event will take place on the first Friday of June every year and is all about giving fish and chips the recognition that they deserve, as well as helping to secure its position as the UK’s number one takeaway.

Although the event is still in its early stages, it has already gained backing from key industry players and industry bodies such as the Potato Council and the National Federation of Fish Friars.

Fish and chip shops across the country will be sharing the love of our favourite dish with customers and the local community – so nip on down to your local, there might even be a special offer on!

And for all you Fish and Chip shop owners out there, take a look at our Chip Shop brochure with all the latest Fish and Chip Shop equipment from some of the biggest brands in the industry. Call a member of our sales team today on 01254 277999 for our best quotes!

Acme’s 12 Days of Christmas Offers

Here at Acme we love Christmas and that is why we are offering you Acme’s 12 days of Christmas offers!

We know that Christmas is a busy period for a range of businesses including pubs, bars, restaurants, takeaways and hotels, which is why we are offering you exclusive 10% discounts on a range of refrigeration and catering equipment such as Ice Makers, Bottle Coolers and Multi-Decks as well as Grills, Griddles, Convection Ovens and Heated Display Units.

Alongside our usual ‘Rent to Buy’ and finance schemes which allow you to purchase a product over a 12 month period at low-cost monthly payments, we will also be offering special ‘Rent to Buy’ and a Christmas Finance offer.

We will also be having voucher giveaways and giving you the chance to win an iPad mini!

This is the perfect opportunity for you to purchase that Ice Machine or Bottle Cooler for the busy Christmas period

This is the perfect opportunity for you to purchase that Ice Machine or Bottle Cooler ready for the busy Christmas period or that piece of Catering Equipment you have been contemplating.

Alongside this we are also offering guaranteed delivery before Christmas and with a 12 month warranty, you are all set for the Christmas period.

For more information about Acme’s 12 Days of Christmas offers you can visit our website, but be sure to like our new Facebook page to keep up to date with offers and giveaways!

The R22 Phase Out

What is R22?

R22 is a Hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC), this was commonly used in refrigerants in Air Conditioning units up until 2002 when it was categorised as ozone depleting.

As a result of this, under the Kyoto Protocol, these refrigerants are now restricted, but will be banned completely by January 1^st 2015.

HCFC Timeline

R22 and Energy Efficiency

Did you know that Air Conditioning can amount to a third of your annual electric costs? BUT order units can even use up to 60% of your annual bill! There is good news – these can easily be reduced, and you can reduce the amount of carbon emissions pumped into the atmosphere.

Replace

We can replace your existing and ageing R22 systems with new and efficient inverter systems.

Convert

We can retro-fit your existing systems with a replacement long term refrigerant increasing the efficiency of your current systems!

Ignore

You can leave your current system in place, but after the January 1^st deadline no R22 systems can be fixed or worked on by law. This means that if you do not replace or convert your system the downtime will be high and costly!

Can’t Afford It?

Acme offers various financial packages including our rent to buy package in order to help you spread the costs.

We will also fit everything free of charge and you have the added benefit of our after sales team who are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Welcome!

Acme finally have a blog! We realised that it was about time that we showed you how great we are! Our blog will give you a range of information about the company, what we are doing, any special offers or competitions we have and how the company is progressing throughout the year. We will talk about any major contracts we have, the clients we are working with and the great work we have done for them. But, we also want to show you just how much we know about our industry, so we will be posting regularly about new trends within the market, how you can save your business money and some neat little tips and tricks.

So make sure that you keep checking our blog regularly, so you don’t miss a thing!

A little bit about us, you are here, so this probably means that you know roughly what Acme do, but you might be surprised at just how versatile we are.

We are your single source solutions provider, established in 1964, we specialise in commercial refrigeration, catering equipment, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning.

But did you also know that we are experts in kitchen design and we also have our own fabrication team to make bespoke stainless steel solutions for commercial kitchens?

We have the knowledge, ability and expertise to design, install and maintain a full turn-key kitchen fit out and we do this on a regular basis for a wide range of sectors. We also work closely with a multitude of councils in schools and hospitals.

We are exceptionally proud of our after sales service, bringing you a wide range of maintenance packages for your peace of mind. We have been working with Thwaites Brewery since the beginning of Acme, providing them with reactive service work for 1300 accounts mainly maintaining their cellar cooling and line cooling.

Have a look at our website for more information – www.acmefg.com

Or call a member of our sales team today on 01254 277999