Newsletter – July 2017

Free Download of the Electrolux Professional BBQ Recipe Book

Executive Corporate Chef Corey Siegel created a variety of mouth-watering BBQ recipes using the air-o-steam Touchline combi oven from Electrolux Professional and we put them in print.

The result is a collection of recipes now available for free in the new BBQ Recipe Book. Smoked brisket, smoked turkey breast, Applewood smoked bacon and more are all detailed here using one of the best commercial combi ovens on the market.

Download the BBQ Recipe Book


Chevy Chase Club Prepares Large Independence Day Barbecue Dinner

The Chevy Chase Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, hosted a Fourth of July celebration event and dinner for its guests. First, they smoked 700 pounds of baby back ribs and around 500 pounds of pork butt in their Electrolux combi oven. They chilled the food product using their Electrolux blast chiller/shock freezer and portioned it in the days leading up to the big event.

Not only was it a better product, but they saved on labor and were able to come in later on the day of the event. The quality of the product was better, the product spent less time in the danger zone (temperatures where bacteria can grow rapidly) and there was reduced cost as a result of the process and equipment.

The kitchen at Chevy Chase Club uses Electrolux cook and chill equipment including the 202 (20-pan full size) air-o-steam Touchline combi oven with roll-in trolley and a 102 (10-pan full size) air-o-chill blast chiller/shock freezer. ASM-Market First the Electrolux Professional sales representative for the Maryland, D.C. and Virginia territory, managed the install.Executive Chef K. Scott Craig at Chevy Chase Club comments, “We are using the blast chiller in place of an ice bath in a lot of instances. When blanching vegetables or potatoes, we place them into the blast chiller to quickly stop the cooking process. What I really like about the Electrolux model is that it has enough horsepower to not have the temperature rise, even when loaded with very hot product.

“We are using the blast chiller in place of an ice bath in a lot of instances,” Executive Chef K. Scott Craig at Chevy Chase Club said. “When blanching vegetables or potatoes, we place them into the blast chiller to quickly stop the cooking process. What I really like about the Electrolux model is that it has enough horsepower to not have the temperature rise, even when loaded with very hot product.

“We also use the blast chiller to quick freeze our proteins from the restaurant. We use Prime steaks which are very expensive, but now we are able to freeze those steaks to -27 on Saturday evening, then gently thaw on Wednesday when we reopen. The freezing process is so quick that crystallization is minimal.

“Additionally, we have the ability to blast freeze ice packs that are going out onto the golf course. Instead of freezing packs to 0 degrees for our coolers, we take them to -27, which means that they can stay colder, longer.

“The blast chiller is the best money that I have spent in this kitchen so far, I would highly recommend it to anyone.”


Global Gastronomy Award Goes to Mexican Chef Moving Cuisine Forward

For the 11th year running, White Guide proudly presents the Global Gastronomy Award in collaboration with Electrolux. The award ceremony will take place at a special event in New York this fall.

The distinction is awarded to a chef or another gastronomical dignitary of international stature at the apex of his or her orbit, serving as a role model and inspiration within contemporary gastronomy, taking it forward – and beyond.

The Global Gastronomy Award 2017 recipient is Enrique Olvera of Pujol, Mexico City, Mexico. “For having elevated Mexican classics and beloved street food to new heights, bridging modesty and sophistication, hindsight and modernity – and for bringing the rich spectrum of regional fare into the limelight, including indigenous and ancient delicacies, whose secrets he has successfully unlocked.”

Olvera is the face of modern Mexican cooking who has redefined the reputation of his country’s kitchen classics.

Mexican food is a universe in itself, spanning a vast diversity of regional produce, ingredients and traditions, some pre-Columbian. Yet, sophistication is not what first comes to mind when imagining Mexican food, but rather frozen Margaritas, nachos, and guacamole, which may be more Tex-Mex than authentic Mexican.

Enrique Olvera is about to change all that. He successively redefines and elevates this ancient and rustic cooking into contemporary gastronomy, with full respect for its roots and unique qualities.

With a little tweaking from the inspired hands of Chef Olvera the legacy of Mexican cooking plays out in new and sometimes unexpected ways at his restaurants, especially at Pujol in Mexico City. Based on his stock of native ingredients like heirloom corn, wild herbs and greens, rare endemic seeds, nuts, chilies, and indeed insects like maguey worms and flying chicatana ants, he is not only moving Mexican cuisine forward but expanding our notion of food itself.


Cook. Craft. Create. ACF National Convention & Show 2017

The American Culinary Federation celebrated its National Convention & Show at Walt Disney World on July 9 – 13 in Orlando, Florida.

It featured educational and engagement opportunities that built off the ACF ChefConnect series and provided a revitalizing experience for members, foodservice professionals, students, and competitors. Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort hosted the five-day event.

Electrolux Professional chefs Corey Siegel and Claudio Ferrer attended. Chef Corey Siegel presented the topic “The Shape of Food is Changing” – a journey of food preparation and presentation that he has accumulated over the years of competing in international cooking competitions by reinventing familiar flavors, tapping into creativity and going for gold.


Plant-Based Menu a Success with Electrolux Pressure Braising

The chefs at the University of Montana in Missoula have been shifting to a more plant-based menu, with hearty portions of pulses taking up the slack for the “less meat, better meat” mindset.

The recent purchase of the college kitchen’s new Electrolux pressure braising pan helps the chefs achieve their goals and more. Chef Tony Martinez, Director Camp Howard and the rest of the culinary team at the University have discovered that flavorful entrées featuring lentils, beans and more occur in a fraction of the time thanks to the new addition to the kitchen equipment lineup.

The industrial-sized pressure braising pan was purchased with a $46,000 grant, and so far it’s been worth its weight in gold—or at least golden lentil dal. It turns out the instant pot has a lot going for it in terms of sustainability.

“Last year we purchased about $76,000 worth of canned beans,” Howard says. “And a lot of pulses are grown here in Montana.”

“So they’re grown in Montana, shipped somewhere else, canned then shipped back to us,” he continues, reflecting on the carbon footprint aspect.

The pressure braising pan’s expedient way of cooking dried pulses is one of its major positives in an onsite setting. It works by allowing steam (and pressure) to build up inside a sealed vessel, making food cook much faster than with traditional braising or roasting. A valve on the unit controls the level of pressure. Dried lentils can be cooked in an hour.

Right now, UM Dining is on target to save about $10,000 on canned beans this year and reduce the amount of steel cans by about 300 pounds.

In addition, “we’re moving from a canned product that’s not organic to a dried product that is organic,” Howard says.

Another plus is the variety of pulses has gone way up, since many more unusual varieties (like delicate pink beans or fancy French green lentils) are available in dried form. The dining team has even switched the master hummus recipe from chickpea-based to lentil-based.

“The pressure cooker has opened up a lot of opportunities for our chefs to do some different things with pulses. And since we’re able to cook them for a shorter amount of time, we’re retaining more nutrients,” Howard says. “We doing more ethnic dishes than ever…we’re not just using them like ‘here’s some black beans with some sour cream on top.’ We’re positioning this as a more plant-forward way to eat.”

As if all those benefits weren’t enough, the ecology and agricultural win in the pressure cooker as well.

“Not only are we supporting local agriculture, but these plants are a good winter crop,” Howard says. “If they plant wheat one year, they can plant legumes the next and it’ll fix the nitrogen, suppress weeds and help farmers diversify their crops. Before lentils caught on, they would let a field be dormant for a year and then till it and put in the same crop as the year before. So farmers can now make more income.”


Hotel Healdsburg Installs Electrolux Laundry Facility

Hotel Healdsburg in northern California recently installed their Electrolux Professional laundry facility to provide the best wash results, while lowering water and energy usage and delivering higher productivity.

In the luxury hotel business, where sumptuous experiences are the norm and exceeding guest expectations are everything – there’s a lot that goes on behind the picture-perfect scenes that keep Hotel Healdsburg in the “Best of” category. One place to look is the hotel’s newly constructed laundry facility.

Paolo Petrone, owner of Hotel Healdsburg and its sister properties H2 Hotel and H3 Guesthouse (set to open later this year), greenlighted the new facility.

“Between Hotel Healdsburg and H2 Hotel, we were already reaching capacity at our on-site laundry room,” shared Petrone. “When the decision was made to open the third hotel, we knew we needed a larger laundry facility to keep up with demands. The laundry operation is very important to us. Guests expect a superior experience – right down to the linens.”

Located 67 miles north of San Francisco, California, in the heart of Sonoma wine country, Hotel Healdsburg is a unique and impressive property. From rejuvenating spa treatments, to gourmet menus featuring Sonoma’s seasonal bounty, to eco-chic rooms with private balconies or patios – there’s always some thoughtful and creative amenity to take your breath away. Suffice to say, this attention to the finer details makes for quite a lot of laundry.

“Between both properties, total loads can vary between 24-30 daily,” said Petrone. “Weekly it’s about 168-210 loads. These numbers are based on 80-100 percent occupancy. And once we open our third property, we will be adding on another 8-12 daily loads.”

In anticipation of opening H3 Guesthouse, Petrone turned to experienced laundry distributor, Ahmet Ibrahim, president of A2Z Laundry Systems.

Petrone first worked with the Roseville, California-based distributor 7 years prior, when they decided to improve the efficiency of their in-house laundry operation.

“We were very pleased with the form and function resulting from that renovation, and with Ahmet and his team,” explained Petrone.

Well-versed in the laundry needs of premier hotel properties, Mr. Ibrahim set to work creating a spacious laundry environment that would increase productivity, while lowering water and energy consumption. That meant installing on-premises laundry (OPL) equipment developed by a global leader known for its sustainable and innovative products – Electrolux Professional.

Mr. Petrone couldn’t have agreed more with the decision. For the 27-year hotel veteran, being “green” went much deeper than the eco-friendly aesthetics of his hotels.

“In the hotel business, the laundry is the third largest energy consuming area,” he explained. “It was highly important that the equipment was ultra-efficient as well as environmentally friendly. In my opinion, the Electrolux brand of equipment is simply the best that’s out there.”

Once the Electrolux Professional high-speed washing machinesdryers, and flatwork ironer were installed in the 2,000-square foot space – the results were substantial.

“We have definitely seen a reduction in water use,” shared Mr. Petrone. “So much so that we now also use the facility for the laundry needs of our hotel restaurants, which lowers our costs and extends our linen life.”

What’s more, Mr. Petrone is pleased with the ultimate wash results, “Stains are coming out and there is noticeably less wear and tear.”

The installation of the new equipment took about a month, including testing and training. The facility is now well equipped to handle a steady stream of guest and hotel laundry, including staff uniforms and linen from the rooms and suites, spas, swimming pools, and restaurants.

A proper set up with enough space and materials, expertly trained staff, and impeccable results, are the most important guidelines to any successfully run laundry room in a luxury hotel, according to Petrone.

The hotel owner also appreciates that his guests will be none the wiser to all the people and equipment working hard behind the scenes to make their stay exceptional.

“After all, our guests come to Hotel Healdsburg and H2 Hotel, and soon to our H3 Guesthouse, to get away from their everyday realities,” Petrone shared. “Thanks to a well-trained staff and Electrolux professional laundry equipment, we can oblige them in every way.”

Newsletter – July 2017 2017-07-20T09:00:36+00:00 Electrolux Professional