Cadco LineChef Guide

145 Colebrook River Road, Winsted, CT 06098

E-mail: [e-mail]

z Tel. [phone] z Fax [phone]

z Website: www.cadco-ltd.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction............................................................................Page 4

Principles of Steam Cooking .................................................Page 4

Principles of Convection Cooking.........................................Page 4

Combi Basics.........................................................................Page 5

Probe Cooking .......................................................................Page 6

Times and Temperatures........................................................Page 7

Probe Plus™[∆T] ..................................................................Page 8

Venturi System ......................................................................Page 8

Programming Line Chef™ Oven...........................................Page 9

Using a Saved Program .......................................................Page 10

Preheating a Program...........................................................Page 10

Changing a Saved Program .................................................Page 10

Multi Cycle Cooking ...........................................................Page 10

Cook and Hold.....................................................................Page 11

The Hold cycle.....................................................................Page 12

Principles of Rethermalization ............................................Page 12

Oven Grilling.......................................................................Page 13

U.S. Measures......................................................................Page 14

Care and Cleaning of Line Chef™ Oven.............................Page 16

Suggested Oven Settings & Recipes....................................Page 18

2

The Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven Controls work the same way
your mind works.

1] Set Time

2] Choose Climate

3] Set Temperature

4] Press Start

3

Introduction

Now you have a simple piece of equipment on your serving line that does it all!

• Steam

High or low temperature steam, you decide which is right for the product you are
cooking. Seafood and Crème Caramel use low temperature [185°F] steam.
Dumplings, broccoli, asparagus, and most vegetables use regular [212°F] steam,
and those root vegetables get high temperature steam [up to 250°F] to get them to
the customer fast.

• Convection – Refresh baked potatoes before service, Glacage a sauced entrée, or
finish a steak to perfection. It’s all right there at your fingertips, where you need it,
with the Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven.

• Combi – With the combination of steam and convection heat you can prepare
meat, seafood, and bakery products right on the serving line. The steam will
produce juicier meats and seafood than you have ever served before. Bakery
products such as puff pastry and biscuits can be baked on the line as you need
them for fresh baked goodness.

• Probe Cooking – Why worry about how long to cook your foods? Use the probe
for pin point accuracy when preparing any of your menu items.

• Probe Plus™ [

cooking of moderate sized [3# to 20#] roasts. Probe Plus™ is the ultimate in yield
control.

- You can steam vegetables as you need them, right on the serving line.

∆T] cooking – Use the Probe Plus™ [∆T] for truly carefree

• Cook and Hold – The combi can be used in overnight cook and hold applications
for meats or frozen entrees reducing prep time and labor costs.

• Regeneration – Specials can be cooked, cooled and plated earlier in the day to be
reheated for quick meal service at banquets or during peak serving periods.

• Oven Grilling – Meat items can be “Oven Grilled” at temperatures up to 500°F.
for banquets and parties.

• Programmable – You can have as many as 70 preset programs in your Line
Chef™ Combination Oven for standard items frequently used. Staff can use these
preset programs by simply turning the dial and pushing a touch pad.

• Proofing – Bakery products come out perfect when you have the combination of
steam and Venturi to bake with.

4

Principles of Steam Cooking

Steaming is one of the easiest and quickest ways to cook vegetables, and seafood.

• You will almost always want to use a perforated steam table pan for your steaming applications.

• The perforated pan allows the steam to penetrate the product being cooked faster and more

evenly.

• Perforated pans allow the condensation to escape for even steam cooking.

Let’s set your Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven to steam fresh broccoli spears.

• Adjust the “Time Dial” to the desired length of time you want your broccoli to cook. Ten [10]
minutes is the approximate time it will take for a 12”x20”x2 ½” pan of fresh broccoli to steam.

• Set the humidity dial to 50%.

• Set the temperature dial to 212°F. [boiling point of water].

• Load your product, uncovered, into the Line Chef™ Combination Oven.

• Press the green “Manual Start/Stop” touch pad, and start your next task. The Line Chef™

Combination Oven will “Beep” to let you know when your product is finished cooking.

Low Temperature Steaming

• Most low temperature steaming can be done at 185°F. or lower.

• Delicate seafood can be steamed at temperatures below 212°F.

• Steaming at lower temperatures helps seafood retain more moisture and shrink less.

• Meringues will not lose volume and will remain more light and airy when steamed at lower

temperatures.

• Make beautiful egg custards without a water bath.

Principles of Convection Cooking

The principles of convection cooking are simple:

• Convected air makes heat seem hotter by removing the cool insulating layer of air between the
product being cooked and the heat in the cooking chamber.

• Foods cook faster, and this reduces your energy costs.

• Convected air can all but eliminate the hot spots for more even cooking.

Let’s set the Line Chef™ Combination Oven to bake a ½ size sheet pan of thawed 5 ounce skinless
boneless chicken breasts.

• Set the time dial to bake for 10 minutes.

• Set the temperature dial to 350°F.

• Load your product. [After the oven is preheated].

• Press the “Manual Start Stop” touch pad to activate the cooking cycle.

Let’s use these same settings but add 20% humidity next time and notice the difference in your finished
product. You will notice more moisture in your finished product, and quicker cooking times.
That is called “Combi Cooking”.

5

Combi Basics

How do I select the correct amount of humidity when I use my new Cadco Line Chef™ Combination
Oven?

IMPORTANT! You are not destined to failure if you chose 40% humidity where it may have been better
choosing 20%. When in doubt, 20% humidity is a good place to start.
RELAX…….. Keep it simple, and enjoy the results.
Let’s first see what steam does in a roasting or baking application.

• Steam makes heat hotter, so a 325°F. oven with steam injected into the cooking chamber
performs more like a 350°F. oven, as far as cooking time is concerned. It is much the same as
when you changed from a conventional oven to a convection oven, and you had to drop your
temperatures by about 25°F.

• Steam will also reduce the amount of shrinkage you will get when roasting meats, as well as,
increase the moisture in your finished product. Combi won’t add moisture to your products
during the cooking process but it will increase the amount of moisture retained in your cooked
foods.

• The higher the percentage of steam programmed into the cooking chamber, the more time it will
take for your food to brown. Humidity slows the browning process.

In a few weeks, after you become the “ol’Pro”, you’ll probably want to fine tune the Line Chef™
Combination Oven settings to your customers tastes.

We have never used a Combi before, are these controls easy for my staff to use?

Many of the complicated “Old Generation” combi ovens need to be told what function to perform. They
need to be told whether to “Steam, Combi, or Convection” cook. Each time you switch functions you
have to re-enter all your cooking values before you can begin to cook.
The New Generation Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven knows from the information you enter into
the controls what it’s supposed to do without you pushing a lot of confusing extra buttons.

The Line Chef™ Combination Oven controls work the way your mind works.

For example; we want to tell one of the cooks how to bake a pan of Kaiser Rolls, so we think…:

• How long will I bake the rolls?

• Will I need a dry or moist climate?

• What temperature will I bake the rolls at?

And we tell the cooks “Bake those Kaiser rolls for twenty minutes with 20% humidity, at 350°F.”

• How long will I bake the rolls?

• Will I need a dry or moist climate?

• What temperature will I bake the rolls at?

The Line Chef™ Combination Oven controls work the same way your mind works.

These are the same simple steps you follow to cook in the Line Chef™ Combination Oven:

• Set the time or probe.

• Set the humidity.

• Set the temperature.

• Press the “Start” touch pad

You are able to cook by either time or temperature [probe] with your Line Chef™ Combination Oven.

6

Probe Cooking

What should my staff know about probe cooking before we start?

The probe is very helpful when you are not sure of the correct cooking time or you have a specific
internal temperature you must reach.

• You can cook by either time or temperature [probe] with the Cadco, Ltd. Line Chef™
Combination Oven

• You are able to use the probe in multi cycle cooking programs.

• The probe can eliminate guess work by stopping the cooking cycle at a preset internal product

temperature.

• Place the probe in the thickest part of the product you are cooking to assure accurate readings.

• Do not position the probe next to a bone or in fat or your readings may not be accurate.

• Be sure to clean the probe and wipe it with an alcohol swab after each use.

• A dirty or contaminated probe can cause cross contamination and food borne illness.

• Always keep the probe clean and free from food residue to avoid cross contamination.

• When you use the Probe Plus™ feature you will always use the probe.

• Most product shrinkage [and moisture loss] will occur between the internal product temperatures

of 130°F. and 160°F.

• When you have a “window “of only 20°F. between rare and well done, you must be careful not to
over cook your meats

• Use the probe to establish cooking times for new products or standardize cooking times for
existing products.

• When in doubt always use the probe and cook to the proper internal temperature.

For Combi Cooking Using the Probe

• Press the “Change Set Mode” touch pad to illuminate the “Set Temp” light next to the “Cavity”
icon.

• Set the “Climate” % dial to the desired % moisture. Each green light increases the humidity in
the cooking chamber by 10%.

• Turn the “Temperature” dial to set the desired cooking temperature.

• Insert the probe into the thickest part of the product.

• Press the “Change Set Mode” touch pad to illuminate the light next to the “Probe” icon.

• The “Time Dial” will read “PRB” as you set the probe temperature and the light next to the

“Probe” icon will be illuminated.

• Set the desired finished internal product temperature with the “Temperature” dial.

• Press “Manual Start/Stop” to start cooking.

• The tone will sound and the oven will automatically turn off when the set internal product

temperature has been reached.

7

Times and Temperatures

Products vary greatly. These temperatures may need minor modifications to meet your particular
standards. Use your pocket probe along with the oven probe to determine what’s right for you.

• Rare roast beef - 130ºF.

• Medium roast beef - 140ºF.

• Medium well roast beef - 150ºF.

• Well done roast beef - 160ºF

• Hamburger – 165ºF.

• Pork - 160ºF.-170ºF.

• Chicken - 180ºF. Done and no “red bone”.

• Fish/Seafood - 160ºF.

•

Fahrenheit Celsius Description

32°

0°

Freezing

40° [or Below]
130°

4°
54°

Safe Holding
Rare Beef

140° [or

60°

Safe Holding

Above]

212° 100° Boiling

250° 120°

275° 140° Cool

300° 150°

325° 160° Very Moderate

350° 180° Moderate

375° 190°

400° 200° Moderately Hot

425° 220° Hot

450° 230°

475° 240° Very Hot

500° 260°

Maintaining proper temperatures will help assure safe food preparation. Equip your staff with pocket
probe thermometers so they can easily monitor food temperatures throughout the day.

8

What is Probe Plus™[∆T]?

• The Probe Plus™ cooks by maintaining a constant temperature differential between the foods
internal temperature and the temperature in the cooking cavity of the oven.

• As the probe senses the internal product temperature increase, the Probe Plus™ raises the oven
cooking temperature.

• We don’t set cooking time or cooking temperature; we simply set the Probe Plus™ differential
and the target internal temperature. The Line Chef™ Combination Oven does the rest.

• The Probe Plus™ feature will always be used with the probe.

• Probe Plus™ reduces shrinkage by cooking with lower and gentler heat.

Chef Loren….I still don’t understand Probe Plus™.

• Place the probe in the thickest portion of the Prime Rib.

• Your raw beef roast has an internal temperature of 40ºF

100ºF

. This means that the oven will begin cooking at a temperature of 140ºF. [100ºF + 40ºF =

140ºF roasting temperature].

• As the internal product temperature rises so does our oven temperature. When our beef reaches
an internal temperature of 80° the oven temperature has been raised, by Probe Plus™, to 180°F.
[100°F + 80°F = 180°F roasting temperature].

• When our beef is done, at an internal temperature of 130°F. our ovens highest roasting
temperature was 230°F. [130°F + 100°F. = 230°F.]

• Internal product temperature + temperature differential = Probe Plus™ cooking temperature.

.; we set our Probe Plus™ differential at

To set the [∆T] Probe Plus™

• Press the “Change Set Mode” touch pad to light the “Probe” icon.

• The control will read “PRB” in the “Time” window as you set the temperature.

• Set the probe to the desired finished product temperature.

• Place the probe in the thickest part of the product being cooked.

• Press the “Change Set Mode” touch pad to illuminate the “Set” light next to the “∆ºT” icon.

• Turn the temperature dial to show the desired Probe Plus™ differential temperature in the

temperature window.

• Press “Manual Start/Stop” to start cooking.

Venturi

• This is a patented system which speeds up the elimination of humidity in the cooking cavity.

• 100% Venturi can be used to reduce the oven temperature quickly when holding for

• Venturi is controlled with the dial in the “Climate” section of the control panel. The red lights

• The Venturi controls the amount of dryness in the cooking chamber just as Combi controls the

• It is more difficult for products to brown in a moisture saturated environment than it is in a dry

• Venturi will be used to eliminate excess humidity when roasting large amounts of well done

9

extended periods.

indicate the percent of dryness chosen [up to 100%].

amount of moisture in the cooking chamber.

environment.

products.

• Venturi will be used in some bakery applications, such as croissants, cakes and cookies, when a
dry environment is desired.

Programs in Memory

The Line Chef™ Combination Oven is capable of remembering up to 70 programs in its memory bank.
Having preset programs can take the guesswork out of your food preparation as well as save valuable
time.
Your programs will assure perfectly cooked foods every time as long as your products are:

• a consistent size

• prepped and cooked following the same recipe each time

• cooked from a consistent temperature

• from the same manufacturer

• cooked in [approximately] the same quantity

• cooked in the same sized pan

The more you can standardize your production and prep procedures the more successful, and useful
your preset programs will be.

To set a program into memory

• Before you start programming the oven, turn the “Program” dial to an unused number. Unused
numbers will show “000” in the “Time” window and the “Temperature” window will read “032”.

• The program number will appear in the window by the “Number” dial.

• Enter the values in each cycle you wish to use.

• Press and hold the “Prog Mem” touch pad by the number dial until you hear the tone after each

cycle being programmed. The tone indicates that your new program has been accepted into
memory.

• Review the values in the cycles you have chosen by pressing the touch pad and moving the light
to illuminate the various cycles you wish to check.

To set a multi step program [up to 4 cycles];
This example is a multi step program used for oven roasting a whole, 3 pound chicken. If you are going

to save this program in the memory bank you will want to find a vacant program before programming
the Line Chef™ Combination Oven.

• Press the “Change Set Mode” touch pad to illuminate the “Set Temp” light next to the “Cavity”
icon.

• Press the touch pad next to the “Time” dial to indicate “Cycle 1”.

• Program, for example, a combi cycle of 15 minutes, 20% humidity, and 325ºF. [To save press

“Prog Mem”]

• Press the touch pad next to the “Time” dial to indicate “Cycle 2”.

• Program in a convection cycle of 18 minutes, at 400ºF. [To save press “Prog Mem”]

• Press “Manual Start/Stop” to start cooking.

To remove a program from memory

• Dial the number of the program you wish to eliminate into the “Program” window.

• Zero out all values in each cycle of the memorized program.

• Press and hold “Prog Mem” until the tone sounds in each cycle of the program you wish to

remove.

10

• When the former program number is dialed in, the time indicator window should read “000”, the
temperature window will read “032” and only the first [#1] cycle light should be illuminated.
This indicates a vacant program.

To Use a Saved Program:

• Using the “Program Selector Dial” find the number of the program you wish to use. The number
will be displayed in the “Program” window.

• Start the selected program by pressing the "Manual Start/Stop" touch pad.

• The tone will sound when the cooking cycle[s] have been completed.

Preheat a Program

• The program may be preheated by pressing the “Prog Start” touch pad in the “Program” section
of the control panel.

• When the program is activated in this manner you will hear the oven running but, the lights will
not be illuminated, and the timer will not count down.

• The oven is being preheated to a temperature higher than the program was set for to compensate
for the heat lost while the oven is being loaded.

• When the oven is preheated a continuous tone will sound. The operator then; opens the door,
loads the product, and closes the door.

• The lights are on showing the values of the chosen program, and the program is now running.

• A tone will indicate that the program has finished the programmed cooking cycle.

To Change a Saved Program

• Using the “Program Selector Dial” choose the number of the program you’d like to modify.

• Change the values you’d like to modify in each cycle.

• Save the new program by pushing and holding the “Prog Mem" touch pad in each cycle after the

changes have been made. After you have completed all the changes you are going to make in
each cycle, hold the “Prog Mem” touch pad for one final time [until you hear the continuous
tone].

• The revised program is now in memory and ready for use.

Multi Cycle Cooking

Multi cycle cooking allows the Line Chef™ Combination Oven to advance into a maximum of 4
separate cooking cycles automatically. Much of your food preparation will be a one cycle operation.
There will be times when some operators will want to ∆T and hold their foods overnight. Other times
when you may have found that three or four cycles work best for preparation of a certain food. The Line
Chef™ Combination Oven makes it possible to cook foods in as many as 4 separate, automatic,
preparation cycles.

This is a multi [2] cycle program you can use for quick rethermalizing of frozen entrees such as Lasagna:

• Press the touch pad next to the “Time” dial to illuminate “Cycle 1”.

• Illuminate the “Set Temp” light next to the “Cavity” icon.

• Set the “Time” for 20 minutes using the “Time Dial”.

11

• Set the “Humidity” at 50%.

• Set the temperature at 212ºF.

• Press the touch pad next to the “Time” dial to indicate “Cycle 2”.

• Program in a combi cycle of 30 minutes, 20% humidity, at a temperature of 325°F.

• This procedure may be used until all four cycles are set with the values of your choice.

• Press “Manual Start/Stop” to start cooking.

Cook and Hold

Cook and Hold as the name implies, is a two cycle process.

• We will first, roast at a low temperature [225°F.] allowing the meat to absorb the heat slowly.

• Next, we will hold the meat at a safe but still lower HACCP compliant temperature for service

later.

• Meat products will not be ready to serve at the end of the first cooking cycle. The hold cycle is an

important part of the cooking process when roasting at lower temperatures.

• The roast times for most products will fall between 1 and 3 hours. Hold time will be a 2 hour
minimum.

• Products can be held from 2 to 24 hours depending on the size of the product and the desired
internal temperature.

• Never hold food below 140°F.

• You can also Probe Plus™ [∆T] and hold for the ultimate in shrinkage control.

• You are able to “hold” in all 4 cycles if you wish, but cycles 2-4 will be your most commonly

used hold cycles.

When we roast meats, the best way to get the least amount of shrinkage is to roast at a lower temperature
for a longer period of time. In some parts of the world that concept is called a “Luau”.
We realize loss when we [roast] apply heat to any meat product. The heat makes the fibers of the product
constrict and that pushes moisture to the surface where it is evaporated. The higher the heat, the more
violently the fibers constrict, and the greater our loss is. A steak cooked well done has more shrinkage
and less moisture, than a steak cooked rare. A roast cooked at 350°F has less moisture than one cooked
at 225°F. This is “Mother Nature” pure and simple. We can’t change the laws of Nature but we can work
with them and make these laws work for us.

Let’s program a procedure for you to roast and hold a 12 pound prime rib. We will use a USDA #112a or
a boneless ribeye, roasted to an internal temperature of 130ºF for our example.

Cycle # 1 [the roast cycle]

• Step 1] Set the time by rotating the time adjustment dial until you see “1.00” [1 hour] in the time
readout window.

• Step 2] Set your temperature by rotating the temperature adjustment dial until you see 225°F in
the temperature readout window.

Cycle # 2 [cycle#2 will be your hold cycle

• We scroll to # 2 using the touch pad next to the “Temperature” dial.

• Your Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven can be automatically advanced into the hold mode

when prompted by either, the probe and the preset core temperature of the meat, or the timer.

.]

12

• Step 1] By pressing the “Change Set Mode” touch pad next to the “Time” dial you can select
cycle #2. Set the time dial [counter clockwise] to read “HLD” indicating infinite time. Next, set
the temperature dial to the desired temperature [always 140ºF or higher.]

• Step 2] Load the prime rib into the oven. Press the “Manual Start Stop” touch pad to activate the
program. Your prime rib will be ready to serve in about 6 – 12 hours.

The Hold Cycle

• All 4 cycles can be the “Hold” cycle on your Line Chef™ Combination Oven.

A] When the dial is turned counter clockwise in cycle # 1 the “Time” window reads “INF” indicating
infinite time.
B] When the dial is turned counter clockwise in cycle # 2-4 the “Time” window will read “HLD”
indicating the hold cycle is set for infinite time.
You must set a temperature value when using either hold cycle.

• If you want to hold a product without putting it through a multi cycle program, you can simply
set cycle # 1 to “INF” by turning the “Time” dial counter clockwise. A holding feature is also
available in cycles # 2 - #4.

• 100% Venturi will be used to reduce the oven temperature quickly, and keep the hold
temperature stabilized when holding overnight or for extended periods.

• We know from our FDA and HACCP [Hazardous Analysis and Critical Control Points]
guidelines that foods must be held below 40ºF or above 140ºF to be considered safe.

• Red meats become more tender with each hour they are held. Each hour they are held between

the temperatures of 100f and 140f. is equal to one day of aging.

• Moisture allows us to hold foods. A rare roast will hold temperature more easily and longer than
a well done roast because there is more moisture in it. When meats are cooked [well done] “dry”
they have less moisture to keep them hot.

Principles of Rethermalization

We are not re-cooking…..we are re-heating already cooked foods.

• Many frozen entrees can be safely rethermalized overnight, and be HACCP compliant.

• The FDA guidelines state that cooked foods processed and packed in a USDA approved facility

must be reheated to a temperature of no less than 140ºF. Foods prepared in a non-approved
facility [probably your kitchen] must be reheated to an internal temperature of 165ºF. This simply
means that if you buy a cooked, frozen meatloaf from any nationally known food producer, you
must reheat it to a minimum of 140ºF. If you bake a meatloaf from scratch and reheat it for
service, from a cooked refrigerated/frozen state, you must reheat it to a temperature of 165ºF.

• Frozen entrees help operators control labor, consistency, waste, and food cost.

• Foods can be cooked, cooled, and plated for regeneration [reheating] when needed for banquets

or parties.

• Since the food is already cooked rethermalizing at high temperatures is not necessary. 250ºF is
the optimum temperature for rethermalization of frozen foods. Frozen entrees can be rethermed
in under an hour, if needed, without compromising quality.

13

Oven Grilling

“Oven Grilling” is a time saving method of producing party entrees without using your broiler. The
operator simply “grills” the meats on cooking racks in the Line Chef™ Combination Oven.
We suggest doing your “Oven Grilling” on cooking racks to elevate the product and provide proper air
flow all around the items being grilled.
The Cadco Line Chef™ Combination Oven reaches temperatures up to 500ºF for quick and easy “Oven
Grilling” of meats, vegetables and fish.

To “Oven Grill” 25 - 6 ounce beef tenderloin filets;

• Preheat the oven to 500ºF. with no humidity. Add humidity when the steaks are put into the oven.

• Lay your filets out on cooking racks with a pan underneath to catch drippings [we’ll use the

drippings to fortify soups and stocks].

• Load the Line Chef™ Combination Oven quickly to maintain proper cooking temperatures.

• Cycle 1] Four minutes, 10% humidity, 475ºF.

• Cycle 2] Four minutes, 100% Venturi, 475ºF.

• This method will produce medium filets for parties or peak production periods.

Experiment with “Oven Grilling” to find the best products and methods for your operation. You’ll find
that “Oven Grilling” will reduce those stressful production bottlenecks with no compromise in product
quality.

14

U.S. Measurement Equivalents

3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

1/2 tablespoon = 1-1/2 teaspoons

1 tablespoon = 3 teaspoons
2 tablespoons = 1 fluid ounce
4 tablespoons = 1/4 cup

5-1/3 tablespoons = 1/3 cup

8 tablespoons = 1/2 cup
8 tablespoons = 4 fluid ounces

10-2/3 tablespoons = 2/3 cup

12 tablespoons = 3/4 cup
16 tablespoons = 1 cup
16 tablespoons = 8 fluid ounces

1/4 cup = 3 tablespoons
1/4 cup = 2 fluid ounces
1/3 cup = 5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 cup = 8 tablespoons

1 cup = 16 tablespoons
1 cup = 8 fluid ounces
1 cup = 1/2 pint

2 cups = 1 pint

2 pints = 1 quart

4 quarts (liquid) = 1 gallon

8 quarts (dry) = 1 peck

1 kilogram = approximately 2 pounds

1 liter = approximately 4 cups or 1 quart

15