40th Anniversary Competition!!!

Competition Time!!!

Our bumper 40th Anniversary Edition of 'Update' looks back over the last 40 years - and forward to the next 40! 

DON'T FORGET to enter our competition to WIN a Sharp Domestic Combi Microwave Oven!! 

Find out more information about the competition inside.. http://bit.ly/2LGtChW

Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Microwave Feature SLTN 27th September 2018

MICROWAVE FEATURE

SLTN – 27TH SEPTEMBER 2018

Please attribute any quotes to Ray Hall, Managing Director, R H Hall

What are the key factors for operators to consider when buying a new microwave?

To choose the right kind of microwave, operators should look at their menu offering and decide what tasks the microwave oven should undertake. If the microwave is to be used mainly for simple reheating and defrosting of foods then a straight-forward commercial microwave will suffice. However, if you wish to reheat and cook food products then a combination microwave oven is well advised. Items such as pastry will become soggy if reheated in an ordinary microwave whereas using a combination microwave the crisp, golden brown and conventional finished result will be achieved in microwave time! It is very important to choose the correct microwave oven wattage. You need to select an oven with sufficient power, but just as importantly, do not over specify. If too low, frustrations can be caused by delays, and if too high, it will be difficult for the user to judge the timing of small portions. Whilst it is common for caterers to choose speed (the higher the output the faster reheat times), it is also very important to understand that for some food products too much speed will destroy smaller portions of food or the delicate and sugary types of products. Finally, always choose from a commercial range of microwaves, consumers shouldn’t be tempted to go down the domestic route – these units simply aren’t built for the rigours of a professional kitchen. Likewise we would also recommend that cheap imports are also avoided – the testing, safety and product back up that are offered by the leading brand names are often not available with a cheap import. Always check the warranty offering available. A good quality commercial machine should come with a minimum of 1 year on site parts & labour warranty – with many of the leading manufacturers now offering up to 3 years. Look particularly at the cover offered on the magnetron, which is the heart of any commercial microwave!

How important can a commercial microwave be to bars and restaurants? 
Today’s microwave ovens are sophisticated, yet easy to use and produce excellent cooking results in a fraction of the time it takes to cook foods conventionally and their versatility is underestimated. Many foods and dishes can be cooked very, very well in a microwave oven, with great results. The most obvious benefit to any operator is speed, but there is a great deal of versatility that a microwave can offer. Used properly, the microwave will form a key part of the kitchen operation and the ability to serve a full menu.

What classic pub dishes can be cooked in microwaves? What types of food are most appropriate to be cooked in a microwave?
Pub menu classics such as burgers, jacket potatoes, lasagne, chilli con carne and curry can all be quickly and easily prepared in a microwave. There are many options for operators to purchase pre prepared meals that can then be reheated in as little as 2-3 minutes in a 1900W machine. Importantly, caterers should always test their menu items prior to launching their menu, to ensure they have their timings correct. Our nationwide network of approved dealers can help advise on the best option for a proposed menu offering. For operators looking to offer a more diverse menu, consider a Combination Microwave such as the Maestrowave Combi Chef 7. By introducing convection oven and grill modes, this versatile piece of kit can cook fries, pizza, toasted sandwiches, pastry products and more! A video showing all features and benefits of the model is available on our website www.rhhall.com

What new features have been added to modern commercial microwaves in recent years?
Manufacturers are always looking for new and innovative ways that microwave technology can be used. The Combination Microwave and High Speed Oven market is continuing to grow – with these clever machines offering the speed of microwave cooking, combined with the versatility of more conventional methods. Many also include pre-programmable menu facilities, such as the Maestrowave Combi Chef 7 which includes Menu Creator 2.0™, allowing users to set up to 99 different menu settings and deploy these to as many machines as required via SD card – ensuring total consistency. We are currently seeing rapid progress with Combination Microwave technology and expect to see imminent changes in this area – we are currently working with some major manufacturers in developing the next generation! The use of barcodes with microwave cooking also continues to be exclusively marketed and developed by iWave. The company are currently planning an addition to the range that will be designed to appeal to the wider catering market. Keep an eye on www.maestrowave.com for the latest news. The microwave oven continues to be seen as a must have kitchen product within commercial foodservice operations. We continue to work in partnership with our dealer and distributor network to offer the full microwave solution. Multi-sited chains may require additional support in the form of food testing, demonstrations or training, pre-programming, branding and more. Your specialist microwave supplier should always be able to liaise closely with the operator to offer these services and we have had notable successes with our Distributor partners– signing up a number of chain accounts in the last 18 months. We are here and ready to work with you!

What support do you offer bars, pubs and restaurants that use your products?
Our knowledgeable team can assist an operator in selecting the right model for their requirements, depending on predicted usage and the menu to be offered. Training is also be available if needed, as well as the potential for food trials and testing for larger operators and chains. In addition, operators we offer reliable service back up via our dedicated Customer Service team and nationwide network of service agents. We can also offer maintenance contracts if required – and have good availability of all spare parts, with stock held for fast delivery.

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT: Emma Smith - 01296 663400 - emma.smith@rhhall.com Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Outside Catering and Crown Verity

Many of us are okay with a small BBQ at home or while camping but for bigger events where a Barbecue is wanted is a little more challenging. Catering for numbers a little larger than the average family gathering requires a little more expertise than the average garden barbecue master has. That is why outside catering companies exist.

Outside catering with a BBQ requires careful planning, the right equipment and great food.  Sure, you can be boring and stick with burgers or hot dogs, but with outside catering, people expect a little bit more than what they can cook at home.  Knowing who you are cooking for decides what you cook; if you are cooking hot dogs and burgers to sell at a car boot sale or school fete then hotdogs and burgers work, but don’t go cheap.

This is the thing, cheap burgers and cheap sausages taste cheap. No matter how many onions and sauces you throw at the thing the meat part will taste cheap. Find a butcher and have some burgers or sausage made for you and get them made a little bigger than normal if you are cooking for a fete or cooking to sell. People will pay more and buy more if the food is quality and filling and when you do not go crazy on price.

But if you are catering for a wedding or other more formal function, you may well want to up your game. Sure, bangers and burgers can be done, but you may want to get clever. Make the burgers from lamb or even game and choose a sausage that is different, not too bland or not too spicy. However, you may want to go beyond the “traditional” BBQ food and create a menu with a difference. Some small minute steaks in a marinade or some pork and pineapple kebabs. Grilled sweetcorn or giant field mushrooms topped with cheese and herbs can all be cooked on the grill.

Planning the meal, knowing how long it takes to cook each item of food is essential. In some cases, you may need to pre-cook the food on the grill and return it later for a final warm through or browning. Clever thinking can make a large BBQ meal something everyone will love and make it look a lot easier than it is.

Having the right equipment for outside catering is vital. Good food is cooked using the best tools, and while you could head down to your local DIY centre to buy a value for money grill, outside catering requires something more up to the task. Crown Verity are the leaders in outside catering equipment, and a Crown Verity BBQ will become your best friend in the outside catering business. High-quality materials are used to make these reliable, robust and efficient gas barbecues, and the investment pays off. With high-quality grills that have the capacity to cook volumes of delicious food and pinpoint control over the temperature, a crown verity grill is the bee's knees when it comes to outside catering.

In summary, for outside catering it is all about planning, using good quality food products, knowing who you are cooking for and using the very best grill (ideally a Crown Verity BBQ available exclusively in the UK from catering equipment specialists RH Hall) to cook your food. Outside catering is a breeze!

Ben Bartlett FBII, MIH, MCGC, AMRSPH, MCGB

Brand Ambassador

Follow BBQ Ben on twitter @BBQBen1
Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Promotion Summer 2018

40th Anniversary Catering Essentials Promotion!!

Contact our sales team on 01296 663 400 or email sales@rhhall.com for more information. #TradeExclusive

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emma Smith - 01296 663400 - emma.smith@rhhall.com

Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Catering Equipment Expo 2018

Save the dates: 1st-3rd October 2018

We will be exhibiting at the Catering Equipment Expo at Olympia, London. Watch this space for more exciting information...

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emma Smith - 01296 663400 - emma.smith@rhhall.com

Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Celebrating 40 Years!

We're incredibly proud to be celebrating 40 years in business! Our bumper 40th Anniversary Edition of 'Update' looks back over the last 40 years - and forward to the next 40! Click here to read the full newsletter... http://bit.ly/2LGtChW 

R H Hall are the Sole UK & Eire Distributor for the Sharp range of Professional Microwave

Ovens, Maestrowave Catering Equipment and the iWave® Automated Foodservice

Solution

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emma Smith - 01296 663400 - emma.smith@rhhall.com

Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com

Microwaves & Ovens - TUCO August 2018

MICROWAVES & OVENS FEATURE

TUCO AUGUST 2018

Please attribute any comments to Kris Brearley, Sales Director, R H Hall

What are the latest technologies in microwaves and ovens?
Manufacturers are always looking for new and innovative ways that microwave technology can be used. The Combination Microwave and High-Speed Oven market is continuing to grow – with these clever machines offering the speed of microwave cooking, combined with the versatility of more conventional methods. Many also include pre-programmable menu facilities, such as the Maestrowave Combi Chef 7 which includes Menu Creator 2.0™, allowing users to set up to 99 different menu settings and deploy these to as many machines as required via SD card – ensuring total consistency. We are currently seeing rapid progress with Combination Microwave technology and expect to see imminent changes in this area – we are currently working with some major manufacturers in developing the next generation! The use of barcodes with microwave cooking also continues to be exclusively marketed and developed by iWave. The company are currently
planning an addition to the range that will be designed to appeal to the wider catering market. Keep an eye on www.maestrowave.com for the latest news.

What are your top tips on cooking well with a microwave or oven and getting the best out of an appliance? 
Understanding is still the key to success with microwave cooking and if caterers do not fully understand what their equipment is capable of, they are unlikely to be using it to its full potential. By fully understanding their microwave and getting the right techniques for each type of food, caterers can achieve succulent meat, poultry and fish together with perfectly cooked vegetables that retain taste, texture and nutritive value. Many of the techniques used in microwave cooking are the same as used in conventional cooking, but with a few minor adjustments. Historically there has been a lot of negativity towards cooking with microwaves, but there shouldn’t be, microwaves can cook great food in a fraction of the time it would take with other methods. Not only do they save time, but money and nutrients too. Overcooking is one of the common problems experienced when new to microwave cooking or introducing new dishes. It is better to undercook first until you are familiar with a recipe, test it and then increase the cooking time. You should also factor in standing time and test a dish after this – a bit of trial and error will help establish a perfect result. If unsure, always start with a recipe you are familiar with – if you have cooked it before you will know exactly what the finished dish should look and taste like, so you can then compare and tweak the cooking procedure to get the same result.

Is it worth having different types of microwave and ovens for different functions or are multifunctional appliances the way forward?
Meat and pastry products are often better cooked conventionally then reheated in a microwave oven, but with the versatile combination microwave ovens available, these types of foods can be cooked with microwave technology with excellent results. It is likely that most caterers have a need for reheat, defrost and cooking tasks and in this case, it is recommended that both a combination microwave oven and a microwave oven be both purchased. A combination microwave oven will not replace the need for microwave oven and vice versa. These two types of oven work extremely well in tandem together. For example, whilst reheating /cooking pastry products using the combination model the ordinary microwave is available for all your straightforward reheat/defrost requirements. The features available today allow a choice of manual and programmable models and some even allow the chef to enter the detailed names of individual dishes and daily/weekly specials (as with the Maestrowave Combi Chef 7). As the name suggests, the Combi Chef 7 is able to operate in a variety and combination of modes making it the most flexible, efficient and easy to use oven yet! If the chef wants to bake, roast, grill, steam, defrost, regenerate, microwave, boil or simply keep food warm this is the oven that can do it all.

For more information, please visit:

www.rhhall.com

www.microwaveassociation.org.uk

www.maestrowave.com

R H Hall are the Sole UK & Eire Distributor for the Sharp range of Professional Microwave
Ovens, Maestrowave Catering Equipment and the iWave® Automated Foodservice
Solution

FOR FURTHER PRESS INFORMATION CONTACT:
Emma Smith - 01296 663400 - emma.smith@rhhall.com

Follow us on twitter @rhhallcatering

RHHall, Hallco House, Beacon Court, Pitstone Green Business Park, Pitstone LU7 9FE

T: 01296 663 400 E: sales@rhhall.com W: www.rhhall.com