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Food Technology Educators, Designers, and Users Sought for Convection Oven Standardization

Information from the food-equipment industry is being collected by an ASTM task group for development of a specification on commercial convection ovens. Input is sought from professors of food technology, architects and consultants who specialize in commercial kitchen designs, manufacturers of commercial and residential convection ovens, and kitchen managers of hospitals, fast food restaurants, and cruise ships. Interested parties are invited to contact Task Group Chairman Dipak Negandhi at the e-mail or address below.

The proposed standard will be useful as a purchase specification for architects and consulting engineers when classifying the type of oven desired for a kitchen design. “These are not intended for residential cooking or installation,” said Negandhi, senior project engineer at Groen, a Dover Industries Co. in Jackson, Miss. “It will cover all possible sizes of commercial convection ovens from small countertop models to very large roll-in type ovens. Users will be restaurants and large cooking institutions. The Army and the Navy are some of the big users, as well as school cafeterias, prisons, cruise ships, and fast food restaurants.”

The standard will be written under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F26.02 on Cooking and Warming Equipment under Committee F-26 on Food Service Equipment. Previously developed by the subcommittee, F 1496, Standard Test Method for Performance of Convection Ovens, will complement the proposed specification.

ASTM standards are available through Customer Service (610/832-9585), or the Web site.

For further technical information, contact Dipak Negandhi, Groen, 1055 Mendel Davis Dr., Jackson, MS 39212 (601/371-6033; fax: 601/373-9587). Committee F-26 meets April 11-12 in Toronto, Canada. For meeting or membership information, contact F-26 Staff Manager Tom O’Toole, ASTM (610/832-9739). //