To BLAST or not to BLAST?

Bakers and foodservice professionals alike often wonder, what's the difference between Blast Freezing, (often referred to as Deep Freezing), and more conventional freezing methods? The question we most commonly hear is:

Why should I invest the extra money in BLAST FREEZING?

The short answer is quality.

The distinction between freezing (or hardening) and blast freezing is in the difference in the speed of the cooling process and the subsequent improvement in the quality of the final product. The quicker and more well-balanced the system is, the faster the center of your product is frozen. The result is minimal product damage due to the process or the passage of time.

Faster treatment means that the chemical transformations which cause loss of nutritional value and organoleptic variations, (i.e. taste, color, odor and texture), are stopped - even right in the heart of the product, which is the last to be frozen. The faster the treatment, the faster the microbiological activity which causes considerable alterations is halted.

Traditional freezing methods result in the formation of ice crystals that can expand so greatly that they rupture the very cell walls of your product. The speed of the blast freezing process leads to the formation of significantly smaller micro-crystals. The volume of these micro-crystals is only slightly greater than the aqueous substance from which they are formed, which leaves the tissue in your product in near-perfect condition. This prevents loss of consistency, collapse and "sweating" that is normally experienced with more traditional freezing methods.

When a successfully blast frozen and properly stored product is brought back to temperature, it will have virtually the same characteristics as that food product would have in its natural state. The four primary aspects to keep in mind when considering the blast freezing process are:

1. Use of Low Temperature
   A temperature of -18° C* (approx 0° F) must be reached in the heart of product within a certain time limit. This time limit depends on several factors, including the type of product, size, thickness, weight and penetration factor.
   (*NOTE: -18° C for raw dough, -14° C for pre-baked product)
   
   
2. Appropriate Deep-freezing Speed
   This is of vital importance in maintaining the nutritional and physical characteristics of the product.
   
   
3. Uninterrupted Continuity of the "Cold Chain"
   Throughout the marketing cycle, up to the time of retail sale, deep-frozen products must be kept at a temperature of not less than -18°C / - 22°C.
   
   
4. Proper Packing
   Packaging needs to be done with care to ensure ease-of-use and safeguard the consumer.

To attain the extremely low final temperatures that blast freezing requires at the speed it needs to be reached calls for the use of specialized equipment with greater refrigerating power. As a result, the equipment involved does necessitate a greater initial investment. However, by utilizing the blast freezing process, you can experience significant savings through better time management, increased productivity and an overall decrease in waste and overages. You'll quickly find that these savings will easily outweigh your initial investment.

As a baker, product freshness is the key to your success. With blast freezing, you can all but stop the aging process, saving you valuable time and money - all while preserving your product freshness!

Empire Bakery Equipment has been helping bakers succeed for over 30 years. Let's continue this conversation on Twitter! Follow us at twitter.com/empirebake!

Visit us at http://www.empirebake.com/ for product information, or give us a call at 1-800-878-4070.

Turning Your Family Recipe into a Food Business

I meet many people who have a dream of taking that cherished family recipe for a baked dessert or food item and creating business out of it. Often, they have no idea of how to go about doing that – sometimes even after they've already started the business and find themselves floundering.

Earlier this Spring, Joe Connolly, business writer for the Wall Street Journal and creator of the Small Business Report on WCBS880 radio, asked me what advice I would give to people who dream of starting a business, since "so very few people seem to ever make a real business out of a personal interest."

I’ve done it twice. Here’s what happened with the more successful venture, a specialty baked goods company called The Well-Bred Loaf:

• We had tested the market by (A) initially selling at an outdoor market and (B) by developing some wholesale accounts (E.A.T., Balducci's) before having to invest in a commercial space & equipment. So by the time we made the financial investment, we knew we had a business.
• The timing of all this – catching the upswing of what I call the "gourmet food boom" – enabled us to accelerate the growth of the business.
• But what differentiated Well-Bred Loaf from other home bakers of that era was that:
  
  • We were well-organized in the business details as well as the sales, production and delivery of the products.
  • We quickly developed low-cost but effective "guerilla marketing" methods and provided good service to the store owners – as well as consistently-excellent products to the ultimate consumers.
  • We identified and targeted those types of stores that offered strong "point-of-purchase" opportunities for our products.
  • We made "no-compromise," delicious versions of all-American classics (choc. chip cookies, brownies), and invented "Blondies", which fit in nicely with the other products we made.

The problem I often see is that while someone may have a dream, and even a good product, they haven't looked for evidence to indicate whether there is a market for it.

• Find a way to TEST your product's acceptance– to try it out before you risk everything you've got.
• Are there people who want to buy it? What’s their "profile"? Where do they buy similar products?
• Can you make and deliver the product at a price where you will make a profit and people will buy it?

And a final caution: if you've got a dollar and a dream – find out as much as possible what it's like to run a business. A business is comprised of both the dream and the details of how to make the dream come true. And the details take up most of your time. DEFINITELY speak with others, try to get a realistic picture of what your life will be like (it's not all fun), and get coaching from people who can advise you on the business side– as well as equipment dealers who can educate you regarding labor-saving equipment and minimizing operating expenses such as energy costs. Reinventing the wheel – trying to "go it alone" – can cost you more when you think you're saving money.

 

Steve Caccavo, President of Constructive Business Solutions™, is the founder and former owner of The Well-Bred Loaf, Inc., a specialty wholesale bakery that invented "blondies." He draws on his years of entrepreneurial experience to help owners strengthen and grow their small and mid-size businesses. ©2010 by Constructive Business Solutions™, a division of Positive Employment Practices, Inc. You can e-mail Steve at: Steve@ConstructiveBusiness.info.

Learn From the Mistakes of Others

“You must learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t possibly live long enough to make them all yourself.” -Sam Levenson

As a kid, I loved to collect things: superhero comic books, baseball cards, and…acorns. Huge oak trees showered the schoolyard each fall with fat, brown, irresistible acorns. One day during recess, I followed an impulse and filled the pockets of my jeans. What was I thinking? Back in the classroom I sat down, and the acorns burst out of my bulging pockets, rattling across the wood floor. My face burned with embarrassment as the other kids laughed and the fearsome Miss Sampsel scowled.

Years later, as a business owner and employer, I realized that impulsive actions or decisions could have serious consequences. The “acorns” were now decisions like:

• We’ve landed a big account, and we really need the boost in sales. But the credit terms they want could put us in a cash squeeze. What do I do?
• A valued employee is lobbying for that new management position – but I think we need someone who already has a track record elsewhere. How do I handle this?
• Our Sales Manager is pushing for a distribution center in Chicago – over 700 miles away -- to service a chain of convenience stores. What questions do I need to ask -- and answer -- to make a good decision?

Sound familiar? Do you have “acorns” ready to burst out of your pockets?

If I’d had an Advisory Board -- a trusted group of business owners facing similar challenges, for instance – I could have gotten “real-world” advice that might have saved me a lot of time, money and trouble. Maybe I wouldn’t have had to make the same mistakes that others had already made and learned from !

Such groups – sometimes called “peer advisory” or “Mastermind” groups -- have been around for quite some time. But with cash being tight, the cost of membership was out of my reach -- so I relied on my own judgment even when I was on unfamiliar turf.

Today, as a business advisor to entrepreneurial companies, I often meet owners who need that real-world perspective. Yet the franchised advisory groups require a substantial financial commitment that can easily exceed $10,000 a year. And so the smaller companies – including yours? – don’t get the support they need.

Until now.

I started my first business in my home and grew it to a 120-employee manufacturing, marketing and distribution company. On selling that company in 1996, I started my consulting practice, Constructive Business Solutions™, specializing in owners of small and midsize companies who wanted to get to the next level.

Now, for that underserved small-business market, I’m organizing Constructive Business Mastermind Groups™ in the New York Metro area. Members provide feedback and business advice to each other in a confidential setting, aided by a trained facilitator with “been there, done that” experience.

Interested in learning from the mistakes – and successes – of other business owners? Tired of “going it alone” all the time?

The investment you make in your business through use of either professional advisors or peer advisory (Mastermind) groups will pay back through accelerated problem-solving and achievement of business goals.

Have some difficult situations to handle and want to see how others have done it?

Get in touch for more information about Constructive Business Mastermind Groups™ -- see if it’s a good fit for you.

On the web at: http://www.constructivebusiness.info/MastermindGroups.aspx
By e-mail: MastermindInfo@ConstructiveBusiness.info
By phone: (845) 634-0076

 

Steve Caccavo, President of Constructive Business Solutions™, is the founder and former owner of The Well-Bred Loaf, Inc., a specialty wholesale bakery that invented “blondies.” He draws on his years of entrepreneurial experience to help owners strengthen and grow their small and mid-size businesses. Steve is the author of “What is Your Break-Even Sales Point,” published in the Spring, 2010 edition of Baker’s Rack. © 2010 by Constructive Business Solutions™, a division of Positive Employment Practices, Inc.

This Job Has No Dignity!

A Lesson Learned in Growing a Bakery Business

Many years – and several lifetimes ago, it seems...

I must have been looking over his shoulder a little too closely – inspecting how well he had cleaned the 60-quart bowl for the bakery’s vertical mixer. Gary turned around, glared at me, and in a voice strained with frustration, started jumping up and down, arms extended upward, yelling, “This job has no dignity! This job has no dignity! This job has no dignity!” he said, over and over.

Gary had a way of voicing his opinions very directly: he didn’t round off the sharp corners to soften his biting analysis of a situation. But it wasn’t hostile or personal, either, so we were able to laugh about it later.

And I "got" it. I learned a valuable lesson which has served me well ever since that day: that every person needs to feel a sense of dignity in their job, whether they are sweeping the floors or working with customers. That a business has to give each employee some “space” in which they can come up with new ideas, learn from their mistakes, and succeed in their job. That as a business owner, I needed to accept that my employees would probably not do everything exactly the way I did, but that this was OK. so long as they maintained reasonable standards of workmanship.

How does this translate to you, as a business owner? The reason for hiring people is that you can’t do all the work yourself, if you want to grow your business. The more you grow the sales, the more you need to hire others to perform the day-to-day work necessary to providing products or services to your company’s customers. You literally won’t have the time to continue to "micro-manage" your people. Learn from my mistake before you de-motivate your people – why go through the same learning curve? You’ll be plenty busy reinventing your own job as the business grows. And you’ll need to hire good people and learn how to help them maximize their contributions to the business.

Steve Caccavo, President of Constructive Business Solutions™, is the founder and former owner of The Well-Bred Loaf, Inc., a specialty wholesale bakery that invented “blondies.” He draws on his years of entrepreneurial experience to help owners strengthen and grow their small and mid-size businesses. © 2010 by Constructive Business Solutions™, a division of Positive Employment Practices, Inc.

Six Twitter-ific Tips for your Bakery

Twitter this, Tweet that - you’ve heard the chatter. How could you not? Over the past year, Twitter has exploded into a cultural phenomenon. You've probably heard how other businesses have found success riding the Twitter wave, but you’re still wondering if it’s right for you.

Whether you own a bakery, bagel shop, or pizzeria, the first thing to remember is that Twitter is just a tool, and it will only ever be as effective as you make it. Here are some key tips that will help you leverage the potential of Twitter in order to successfully promote your business.

1. Be Selective About Who You Follow, And Who Follows You.
   
   Despite what Ashton Kutcher might lead you to believe, the Twitterer with the most followers doesn’t always win. Following everyone you see in hopes that they will follow you back is a waste of your time and energy. Remember, your followers are your target audience; the people you will be speaking directly to. Quality is the key here, not quantity.
   


2. Avoid Meaningless Tweets.
   
   If you’re doing something interesting or meaningful to your business, by all means let people know about it. Followers will quickly lose interest, however, if you tweet about walking the dog three times a day.
   


3. Don’t Just Promote… Engage!
   
   Twitter is so much more than a digital billboard or direct mail system. It is one of the most powerful open communication tools we have available to us today - and it’s FREE! Yes, promoting your product is important, but engaging your customer in conversation will make you so much more memorable to them. Ask questions, respond to others, start conversations. They don’t call it ‘social media’ for nothing!
   


4. A Tweetpic Is Worth A Thousand Words.
   
   Being in the food industry has a distinct advantage - everyone needs to eat! Posting images of your product can literally make your customers hungry for more!
   


5. Monitor Your Brand.
   
   Twitter search is a very powerful - and often underutilized - tool for reputation management. Use it to monitor your company name and brand to find out what your customers are saying about you. If someone has a problem, be proactive and address it quickly. Show your followers that customer service matters to you.
   


6. Promote You’re Tweet-ness
   
   You can't just expect to set up a Twitter account and have people find you. Tell your customers about it. Put up a sign in your store inviting them to follow you. Add a 'Follow Us' link to your website. Include your Twitter handle on your business cards, mailers and in your email signature. Spread the word that you are now a member of the Twitter-verse and, over time, your audience will grow.
   

Empire Bakery Equipment has been helping bakers succeed for over 30 years. Let's continue this conversation on Twitter! Follow us at twitter.com/empirebake!

Visit us at http://www.empirebake.com for product information, or give us a call at 1-800-878-4070.

Which Deck Oven is Right for Me?

This is a question we hear all the time.  As one looks for an oven to meet their production needs,  there are often many questions as to which is the “right” oven to purchase. Differences in design can have an impact on the quality and quantity of product that you can produce. There are three basic types of gas/oil fired, stone hearth deck ovens. While they may appear similar from the outside, each has its own baking characteristics and advantages. The major differences are how the heat is distributed to the decks, the type of materials that are used in the construction, and how they generate their steam for the baking process.


I. CICLOTHERMIC:
Cyclothermic ovens circulate hot air between and around the decks either indirectly through a heat exchanger or directly from the burner. Other than the baking surface, these ovens are typically all steel construction with mineral wool type insulation. The advantage of the cyclothermic is the ability to change temperatures rapidly. Some also have the ability to regulate the temperature on the top 1 or 2 decks to a lower temperature than the bottom decks to accommodate various products at the same time. Because air does not hold heat very well, it is not considered to be a very efficient means of heating.


Cyclothermic ovens are not usually recommended for baking 'heavy' products. As with a hot air heating system in a home, when the burner shuts off, there is a tendency for the oven to cool down rapidly until the thermostat calls for more heat. Then when the burner re-ignites or goes back to high flame, the temperature will rise again quickly. This produces more oven temperature fluctuation than might ideally be desired for baking breads with longer bake times, especially if you are using steam and desire a good thick crust. The oven will also be limited in the amount of production due to the time required to recover from the heat loss.


II. VAPOR TUBE
Vapor Tube ovens circulate heat through the use of a series of sealed, thick wall tubes that contain approximately 1 liter of water. Each tube surrounds the oven chamber and as well as passing above and below the decks. The bottom portion of each tube rests directly on the burner chamber. The water inside the tube quickly boils, turning to steam. By natural thermodynamics, the steam circulates through the pipes, radiating its heat through the oven walls and stone hearth. As the heat is transferred, the steam returns to the liquid state and returns to the bottom of the tube, where the entire process begins again. The heating system requires no moving parts or fans to distribute the heat, thereby eliminating a potential source of uneven baking and required adjustment and maintenance. Vapor tube ovens also provide excellent baking quality since the tubes themselves serve as an excellent thermal mass. Two versions of vapor tube construction are:

• All Steel construction models:  For many years, most of the vapor tube ovens installed in the U.S. were of all steel construction and performed well in many situations. As demand for hearth breads has increased, however, many bakeries find that an all-steel oven cannot maintain the heat necessary for this type of baking and steaming. This can result in a greater degree of change in baking properties or unevenness of baking after 6 hours or so of heavy production. The recovery of the steam system can also be adversely effected by the lack of heat retention.
  


• Steel and Cement Construction: Many European bakeries have long used a combination of steel, cement and brick to achieve the same baking properties as a brick oven. In essence the brick and cement act as a “heat sink”. In this way, when the oven is loaded with bread, and steam is introduced into the chamber thereby absorbing the chamber's available heat, the brick and cement supply a continuous, smooth flow of heat without the burner having to try and play “catch up".
  
  Some ovens utilize brick in the fire chamber while using mineral wool or other insulation in the walls. These are usually considered superior to the “all steel” and cyclothermic ovens for the production of most hearth breads requiring good properties of heat retention and repetitive steam cycles.
  
  For the ultimate in “brick oven baking”, ovens are available with cement-lined walls and roof panels. Filling the walls and roof panels with cement (and thereby surrounding the entire baking chamber with thermal mass) retains the greatest amount of heat and is preferable for baking large or heavy breads and for heavy production schedules.
  
  Steel ovens without the cement do not have the ability to store nearly as much heat and therefore are much more dependent on the burner to immediately supply the heat needed. This gives a very different baking characteristic than the traditional brick oven. Most bakers, who have used both styles of vapor tube oven and wish to closely simulate an actual brick oven, prefer the cement and brick design. Of course it is easiest to move an oven without any cement at all and one needs to weigh the importance of this in choosing the proper oven type.

III. THERMOIL
Thermoil Ovens generate their heat in a heat exchanger, outside of the oven, by heating a special oil composition in an oil heater or “boiler” (although not actually a boiler since the oil does not boil). This heated oil is then pumped through radiators inside the oven decks, radiating the heat for the baking process. While certainly the most expensive deck oven to purchase, there are several advantages to this style of oven. Because fluid is being pumped through radiators the flow can be controlled for adjustment of heat in various zones of the bake chamber. In addition, ovens of greater capacity than cyclothermic ovens can be built. The fluid is also an excellent conductor of heart, providing a high level of energy efficiency. Also because the burner is remote from the oven, it can be located in a clean area of the bakery and produces no noise in the bake room.

GENERATING OF BAKING STEAM
Deck ovens usually generate the steam for the baking chamber from the same heat source as the baking heat …the burner. The major difference in deck ovens will be, where the steam generating units are located and their ability to produce consistent steam in rapid cycles to accommodate the constant loading of the oven in high production situations. The best application is to have heavy duty steel boxes filled a heat retaining material, such as construction grade steel bars (rebar) directly in the hottest part of the heat production system. In a vapor tube oven this will be under the bottom deck. As an alternative, some manufacturers place troughs on the side of each deck, but it is generally thought that in mid to large size ovens this is not as effective and does not have the ability to “recover” quickly enough bake after bake. In any system, it is important that the steam system be accessible for cleaning and occasional decalcifying, if necessary.


Let us help find the right Deck Oven for you!
Give us a call or visit us online:
EMPIRE BAKERY EQUIPMENT
800-878-4070 • 516-681-1500
www.empirebake.com

Cupcakeries are Taking Over the World!

These sweet little treats aren't just for kids anymore! Gourmet cupcake shops have seen a sharp rise in popularity of late, and local bakers are starting to take notice.

"They are everywhere . . . like ants," said Leslie Goldman-Poyourow, a 14-year baker who operates Cakes by Leslie in downtown Bethesda, Washington.

There does seem to be a lot of them. From New York to L.A., Las Vegas to Chicago, cupcake shops are popping up like wild fire; and their customers can't get enough!

But what's driving the boom? Variety, for one thing. "Cupcakers" are motivated to produce new and exciting flavor combinations in order to separate themselves from the growing pack. Kari Haskell of Retro Bakery in Las Vegas is a great example. Her flavor menu boasts some of the most unique flavors around - like Apple Cider, Cinnamon Toast, Chocolate Covered Banana and Maple Bacon.

Convenience is a factor, too. There's no need to worry about mess or portion control when you can set out a beautiful cupcake display at your next wedding, baby shower and other social gathering. Each of your guests gets their own little self-indulgent treat, and you know exactly how many servings are available.

The economy plays it's part as well. Customers crave a simple, inexpensive pleasure at a time when the economic news seems so discouraging; and cupcakes fit that bill nicely! Paul Sapienza, VP of the Retail Bakers of America, seems to agree: "[Cupcakes] are an economic treat, which helps out in the recession. They are a little decadent, so you get cake, frosting and sometimes filling all at the same time."

Whatever the reason, there's no denying that cupcakes have hit a sweet spot in the hearts and stomachs of Americans everywhere. So the next time you need a fix, be sure to sniff out the new Cupcake Shop in your neighborhood - and pick up a Mocha Java Cupcake for me!

Empire Bakery Equipment supplies everything from mixers and ovens to utensils and accessories to 'Cupcakeries' and Bakeries across the country. We've been America's leading supplier of bakery and production equipment for over 30 years! Visit us at http://www.empirebake.com for more information, or give us a call at 1-800-878-4070.