Choosing the Right Oven for Your Restaurant

Buying a commercial oven (or multiple ovens) for your restaurant can be a difficult process. You want to have the right size, design and functionality for your specific foodservice needs. Obviously, spatial constraints may also factor into your decision. 

Whether you are looking to buy a new commercial oven or a used one from a top used restaurant equipment company like Kohn-Megibow Company, here are some of the factors you will want to consider:

Type of Commercial Oven

Once you start shopping for ovens, you will realize just how many different types of commercial ovens there are. Each one provides unique features and qualities that make it ideal for preparing different types of food. For example, a pizza place will need a very different oven than a bakery, who will need a very different type of oven than another style of restaurant. Here are the most common types of commercial ovens:

Accelerated Ovens — Fast-working ovens for heating frozen food and preparing quick meals.

Convection Ovens — Hot air is circulated to cook food more evenly than standard ovens. Great for meat dishes, desserts and breads.

Conveyor Ovens — Often found in pizzerias, delis and high-volume restaurants. The convenient design allows you to put food in one side and it is cooked once it comes out the other.

Pizza Ovens — There are other types of pizza ovens that might use rotating platforms, conveyors, wood-firing or a simple flat shelf design to cook pizzas your desired way.

Steam Ovens — Steam is used to cook a broad range of foods, including fish, vegetables and rice.

Combination Ovens — Some commercial ovens offer multiple settings and functions. They are typically more expensive, but can be great space-savers if you have a large menu that requires multiple cooking styles.

Size of Commercial Oven

Naturally, you will want to pick the right size oven for your restaurant or commercial foodservice business. You want something that fits properly in your kitchen design. At the same time, you need to consider your quantities. The bigger your restaurant (and the more customers you have during peak service times), usually the bigger the oven you will need to handle the volume.

Heating Source

You will also want to choose an oven that uses the power source that makes the most sense for your kitchen configuration and your menu. It’s important to know whether you will be running on natural gas or electricity. Then, there are other options such as steam and wood firing for specialty meals. 

New or Used

Commercial ovens are not cheap, so another consideration you might make is whether you want to purchase a new one or a used one. KMC has high-quality used commercial ovens of all types. We get new stock in just about every single day and we only resell items if they are in good, clean working condition. You can buy a great commercial oven at a fraction of retail price directly from our warehouse or in one of our bi-weekly used restaurant equipment auctions.

To learn more about the commercial oven options available now at Kohn-Megibow, call us today at (714) 666-8166 or visit us online for additional information and upcoming auction dates. Let us help you find the ideal commercial oven for your restaurant and get it at the best possible price!