What is a Combi Oven?

To those unfamiliar, a combi oven might seem like an advanced piece of equipment that the average kitchen can’t afford. With all the cooking functions built into a single package, combi ovens are worth the initial investment.

A combination oven combines steam and convection into a single cooking process and was originally used in hotel restaurants and chains. Over time, the combi oven has evolved to provide users with a variety of different cooking functions to support their business. Alto-Shaam’s Prodigi^TM combi ovens do the work of a convection oven, kettle, steamer, fryer, smoker, and more, to product high-quality, delicious dishes each time.

How Does a Combi Oven Work?

At a basic level, a combi uses convection to move heat around the oven chamber, but a separate steam mode can dial in a precise humidity percentage inside the oven. This allows you to set the temperature and moisture separately, which is an unprecedented level of cooking control. After all, some dishes require more heat and humidity than others. Meanwhile, an auto-reversing fan inside the oven has multiple speed settings to spread heat for more even cooking.

By having access to convection and steam in the same oven, chefs can use the combi to poach, dehydrate, smoke, fry food, bake and more. This multi-functional design saves valuable floor space in your kitchen, and helps reduce operating costs.  

Value-Added Efficiency with Prodigi

The Prodigi combi oven is efficient and easy to operate by being able to cook using convection, steam, and a combination of both at the same time. With a boilerless design, this unit can extend the equipment’s lifetime and reduce maintenance costs. Boilerless steam generation results in superior performance and savings by using 80 percent less water than traditional boiler-based models.

Additionally, these commercial combi ovens have a zero-clearance design and ventless hood options, making kitchen placement flexible.

Which Combi Oven is Best?

Every kitchen has different needs, which is why Alto-Shaam designed its Prodigi combi ovens with capacities ranging from 6 to 40 pans. Whether your operation is small or large, there is a combi oven for you.

• Prodigi Pro combi oven models are designed with an intuitive, customizable control, which ensures consistency with pre-programmed recipes and enhanced functionality. Add-on features include the option to add ChefLinc™, a Wi-Fi based management system that connects any compatible ovens across locations, allowing operators to easily push/pull recipes to any oven, and view reports, service diagnostics, and more. Additional features include smoking, grease collection and liquid clean options.
  
  
• Prodigi Classic combi oven models are a standard option that features simple touchscreen controls, programmable recipes, and allows for streamlined food production without any add-on features like the Pro models.

Take Combi Cooking One Step Further

Converge® multi-cook ovens feature up to three combis in one oven. These smaller, ventless combi options can steam, bake and air fry all at the same time with no flavor or moisture transfer between shelves.

With so many cooking variables at your fingertips, Alto-Shaam combis are designed to help you achieve the perfect texture and tenderness every time.  

Learn more about combi ovens and our full system solutions by seeing one for yourself!