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Lovin' Your Combi-Oven

Michael Engel, owner of Pastiche Bistro in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, with his favorite piece of kitchen equipment, the Alto Shaam Mini Combi oven. Photo by Kevin J. Miyazaki/Redux
One of the functions of a Combi-oven is its steam feature. Steam equipment is very susceptible to scale and corrosion problems. The last thing you want is your combi-oven breaking down, leaving you scrambling to figure out how you’re going to prepare your food and then trying to find a technician to fix the combi-oven, and you KNOW how expensive that can be! So it’s time to show your combi-oven some LOVE! Take careful consideration of its water quality by understanding a few basic characteristics about your water: 

  • Chlorine/Chloramines
  • Hardness (scale)
  • Chlorides

Chlorine and Chloramines are disinfectants that protect us from water-borne disease and other health risks, but they also promote corrosion in cooking equipment. The scale forming compounds of calcium and magnesium carbonate are found in most water supplies. The physics of generating steam results in the precipitation of these dissolved minerals which forms hard scale in boilers, valves and fittings, and on elements, cabinet walls and glass. Chlorides are common, active ions of dissolved solids in water that can cause pitting and crevice corrosion. At high temperatures chlorides are particularly corrosive to stainless steel.  Chlorides can only be removed with a system that utilizes reverse osmosis.

With these facts in mind, you want to make sure you pick the right water filtration system for your combi-oven. Here are a few options:

(Click the image to see more information on these systems.)

To figure out what is in your water, call us today for a water test kit!