Multiple-use ovens are in demand, according to Cindy Chananie, president of Cinch Bakery Equipment, Little Falls, NJ. Bakeries often need to produce both baked foods and snacks, which means extra shifts. “An oven that bakes like a workhorse 24 hours a day, seven days a week is extremely beneficial,” she said.

To this end, she noted, rack ovens allow bakers to output a wide range of products in manageable batches. Cinch offers the Gashor Rotocar gas and electric rack ovens, engineered for 24-hour use with completely even baking from top to bottom, Ms. Chananie observed. 

Some artisan-style breads and rolls can’t be baked in traditional rack ovens because this style oven is not able to produce the thicker crusts synonymous with these style products, she noted. “For these customers, Gashor has a combination rack/deck oven called the Thermocar,” Ms. Chananie said.

The Thermocar is based on the original Winkler Columbus deck oven, which uses cyclothermic heat and an indirect-fired system featuring hot air inside radiator tubes. Gashor modified the Winkler design to accept racks, she said. “Now, bakeries can produce manageable batches of crusty artisan breads and rolls with less labor,” Ms. Chananie added. Because of its option for convection baking, the Thermocar can produce pastry, pretzels, cookies and other snack foods with high-quality baking results all in a single oven, she noted.