Blodgett HV-Cooking Guide - Manual (Page 3)

Blodgett Hydrovection Cooking Guide
HYDRO MODE
3
When to use the Hydro Mode
The Hydro Mode is ideal for most high-pro-
tein, 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 temper-
atures 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 pos-
sible.
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 elimi-
nate, 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 sur-
face, 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 convec-
tion oven, but adds moisture intermittently
throughout the cooking process. The mois-
ture production is automatic and is thermo-
statically controlled to produce the optimum
humidity for the baking or roasting tempera-
ture 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 mois-
ture 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 effi-
ciently than dry air, you will generally expe-
rience shorter cooking times in the Hydro
Mode than in a comparable convection oven.
A 10-15% reduction in cooking time is com-
mon, although actual results will vary widely
by product and original cooking technique.
Lowering the temperature beyond the ini-
tial adaptation for convection oven cooking
and keeping the original baking and roast-
ing 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