Blodgett KLT-12G User Manual
Hydrovection
Cooking Guide
Tips and tricks for getting the most from
your Hydrovection oven
52776 Rev C (1/12)
Your NEW Hydrovection oven is a versatile, easy to use tool that will help you produce better food
with less time and effort. As with any new equipment, a little orientation at the outset can save
frustration and trouble later. Blodgett authorizes a trained service agent to inspect all new installations at no cost to you. If you have not had a startup inspection, please call the Blodgett Service
Department at 802-658-6600. You will be given the number of your local service company so you
can schedule a startup at a convenient time.
This guide is organized in three sections:
• A general explanation of how each mode works and when to use it;
• Special tips and techniques on preparing items using the unique properties of your combi/
oven steamer;
• Time and temperature tables with typical products and how to cook them.
Your comments and suggestions for improving this guide are always welcome. Please feel free to
contact us at 802-658-6600 for service assistance, cooking advice, availability of accessories or general questions.
Enjoy your BLODGETT Hydrovection !
HYDRO MODE
When to use the Hydro Mode
The Hydro Mode is ideal for most high-protein, center-of-the-plate items: roasted meats,
baked poultry and baked fish. It does an
excellent job on casserole type dishes such as
lasagna, baked macaroni and meatloaf which
must be cooked to a safe internal temperature
without overcooking the exterior. Braising
meats such as spare ribs, corned beef or pot
roast is easily done in Hydro Mode at temperatures of 225-250°F/105-120°C. Breads, rolls
and other yeast-raised products will exhibit
greater “oven-spring” when baked in the
Hydro Mode. Specialty breads such as French
bread, soft pretzels and bagels are also possible.
How the Hydro Mode Works
The Hydro Mode combines the effects of
both moisture and hot air convection for
improved yields, shorter cooking times and
juicier products. It will reduce, but not eliminate, browning (carmelization is a function of
temperature, increasing at higher temperature
settings). Because foods cooked in the Hydro
Mode are not drying out as they would in a
typical convection oven, they brown more
slowly, allowing the heat to reach the interior
of the product before the outside becomes
scorched or dried out. As the steam produced
in Hydro Mode condenses on the food surface, it efficiently transfers its heat to the food,
resulting in shorter average cooking times
than in a similar dry oven.
The Hydro Mode gives priority to the hot air
thermostat setting. The oven bakes and roasts
in a similar manner to the familiar convection oven, but adds moisture intermittently
throughout the cooking process. The moisture production is automatic and is thermo-
statically controlled to produce the optimum
humidity for the baking or roasting temperature selected (the ideal relative humidity at a
given temperature is predetermined: too little
moisture would allow excess shrinkage, while
too much would waste energy as the oven
struggles to maintain the hot air temperature
setting). Your Hydrovection produces moisture and hot air alternately during the cooking
cycle for energy conservation; both moisture
and hot air are present in the cooking cavity
simultaneously for optimal food preparation.
Tips for Cooking in the Hydro Mode
The Hydro Mode uses hot air in the same
manner as a convection oven; recipes adapted
for convection ovens translate well to Hydro
cooking. Recipes developed for static ovens
without moving air will typically require a
temperature reduction of 25-50°F/14-28°C.
Because moisture transfers heat more efficiently than dry air, you will generally experience shorter cooking times in the Hydro
Mode than in a comparable convection oven.
A 10-15% reduction in cooking time is common, although actual results will vary widely
by product and original cooking technique.
Lowering the temperature beyond the initial adaptation for convection oven cooking
and keeping the original baking and roasting times will optimize yields. Most operators
will choose a combination of slightly faster
cooking times and slightly higher yields. The
choice of which to optimize is yours.
Shallow pans are recommended for best
results. Both the moisture and convected
hot air transfer heat to the food’s surface.
Increasing the food surface area relative to its
volume (i.e., multiple shallow pans instead of
a few deep pans) will give the fastest cooking
times and most even cooking. Covering the
Blodgett Hydrovection Cooking Guide
3
HYDRO MODE
food with film and/or foil will defeat the convection effect, and is not necessary to prevent
scorching or drying because of the moisture
present during Hydro cooking. The moisture
remains dry at temperatures above approximately 275°F/ 135°C, and will not appear as
condensate on the door.
If additional browning is desired after the food
is almost fully cooked, switch to hot air and
increase the temperature for the last few minutes until the desired color is achieved.
Rethermalizing in Hydro Mode
Rethermalization is the process of bringing
fully cooked, chilled food from storage temperature to safe serving temperature without
loss of quality. Hydro Mode lends itself to
reheating food without the typical drying and
overbrowning. Foods to be rethermalized
should be in shallow pans with the product
distributed in an even thickness. Temperatures
between 250-300°F/120-150°C are typically
used for rethermalization.
4
Blodgett Hydrovection Cooking Guide
HOT AIR MODE
When to use the Hot Air Mode
The Hot Air Mode is best suited to those items
that require a dry cooking environment or
rapid browning. Most bakery items (cookies, cakes, muffins, etc.) will be cooked in the
Hot Air Mode, although many yeast-leavened
products (breads and rolls, croissants, Danish
pastries) will yield excellent results in Hydro
Mode as well. The Hot Air Mode can be used
to pre-brown meats for braising or to intensify
the final browning of roasts that have been
completed in Hydro Mode.
How the Hot Air Mode Works
The Hot Air Mode operates exactly like the
familiar convection oven. When adapting
recipes written for static ovens (e.g., deck
ovens or restaurant-range type ovens), you
will generally need to reduce temperatures
25-50°F/14-28°C. Moving (convected) hot air
transfers heat to your food more efficiently
than static air, allowing you to cook at lower
temperatures.
Tips for Cooking in the Hot Air Mode
Because your unit is cooking with convected
hot air, maximizing the exposed surface area
of the food to be cooked will yield the best
results. Covering the pans with film and/or
foil, using deep pans or crowding the pans
too close together without room for air circulation will slow down the cooking process
considerably and may result in uneven cooking.
Cakes may be baked using pan inserts for
greater volume and square corners. Use specialized pans (e.g., muffin tins) as necessary.
If you observe over-browning around the
edges of the product with a light or undercooked center area, the temperature may be
set too high for that product. Undercooked
interiors with a burnt or overdone surface are
also an indication that the temperature is too
high.
Set the thermostat to the desired temperature
and allow the oven to fully preheat before
beginning to cook.
Blodgett Hydrovection Cooking Guide
5
Loading...