Bakeware: Thinking outside of the tray

Thinking outside of the tray

Trays come in shapes and sizes as diverse as the products that they will help to make, while also considering the equipment and handling methods in each bakery. A characteristic they all have in common, regardless of endless possibilities in their layouts, is the safety guarantee provided for the products baked, time and again.

all photos on this double page by © Anneliese

+Trays are provided in the exact design needed to be the best fit for all bakery specialties and can differ in sizes, slide and stack accessories, thickness and coatings, to meet manufacturing requirements. Anneliese has automated the production of standard trays and is channeling its R&D resources towards large-scale customizations. “We are specialized in customizing in big quantities, from flat trays to customized mold trays for croissants or baguettes and different types of special shapes. From 580780mm up to 2,000-800mm, we manufacture industrial trays in any size,” Dennis Wendlinger, Anneliese CEO, highlights. Since no two bakeries are alike, the same is true for their requirements regarding baking trays, pans, coatings and any related accessories. Anneliese makes use of its in-house tooling department and team of product designers to develop a solution for every request. “We cover virtually everything, from robot handles to stacking bolts, to changeable inlets, to special mold designs,” he illustrates. Anneliese also observes a growing trend for the use of plastic peelboards in industrial baking.

Industrial baking: safety is everything

Upgrading bakeware will amount to significant improvements in their utilization on industrial lines; in addition, when they are correctly utilized and maintenance is performed, the results become easily visible. For high-volume manufacturing setups, which imply a high degree of automatization, high-quality coatings and timely recoating are a must, to ensure the maximum uptime (and eventually, lifespan) of the trays. The best choice for a coating comes from a good connection with the customer, in Anneliese’s experience. It requires having detailed information about the product, the line, the bakery environment, the dough, the humidity, among others. “A good coating will ensure products do not stick to the tray or tin, resulting in better product quality, a safe process using non-sticking agents or oils, safe cleaning, and value for money as a result,” Anneliese outlines.

Care for coatings

The approach to the product’s safety, as well as hygiene, depends on the tray. The presence and type of coating play a big role in this. Anneliese highly recommends working with coatings in industrial baking, where they contribute to obtaining high-quality products and ensure the utmost hygiene while also being mindful of the environment in the process as no release agents are needed. By and large, it is a combination that amounts to earning ‘safe money’. Coatings come highly specialized to closely match the baking requirements of each type of product, from those designed specifically for buns and craft bakery goods to more ‘extreme’ applications such as those required by automatic tin-set lines or sourdough products. Factors that are frequently behind coating damage start with using the wrong coating for the wrong product: “Not every coating is made for lye products, for example,” Dennis Wendlinger illustrates. Then, inadequate cleaning, baking, depanning, handling and storing are the usual suspects. The optimum coating will depend on material, dough and process. To help maximize the efficiency in repeated production cycles and extend the lifetime of both coating and tray or tin set, Anneliese provides utilization guidelines fitting each production environment. For general

considerations on how to preserve coatings, empty trays should not be stored in heated ovens, which can heavily compromise the lifetime of anti-stick properties; they should also be thoroughly dried before usage, as water residue will help products adhere to surfaces, which is harmful to the coating. Correct washing and drying is half the battle in maximizing lifespan, to ensure they are ready for reuse as quickly as possible without damaging surfaces. Anneliese bakeware should only be cleaned with water and a commercially available neutral cleaning agent (pH 7), with a soft jet of water and/or soft cleaning brushes. The company advises against plunging or using high pressure to clean trays or tins. The bottom line is that coated bakeware should not be used until the point when oil or release agents have to be used – because this is not economical in the long term. Anneliese’s advice: “Inform your employees or colleagues about the coating and ask them to report back if it starts losing its non-stick effect. You will receive advice as to whether your bakeware is ready for recoating or you need to invest in new bakeware.”

As for the choice of trays for industrial bakeries, the company recommends bakeware with perforated sheets riveted on stainless steel tubes, with no edges – when the products and the production line allow it. Alternatively, smaller options have stainless steel tube frames and are bent on two sides without creating ‘dirt collecting edges’. “This also depends on the line and the bakery. The two-, three-, four-edged or rimmed trays are almost exclusively seen outside of the industrial field, in small and medium-sized bakeries,” Wendlinger observes.

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Made for pizza

In most restaurants, pizzerias or foodservice operations, the choice of oven is influenced by financial, space and labor considerations, aside from its technical capabilities. This means that the potential of these ovens can be maximized by innovations that pans can bring, such as mimicking certain baking surfaces. “The first step in this process is thinking of your oven simply as a heat source and your pans as baking systems. With that frame of mind, our pan experts can customize a pan that cooks almost any type of product in any oven. We’ve built pans to bake chocolate lava cakes in high-heat pizza ovens and pans to fry eggs in a conveyor oven,” Traci Rennaker, LloydPans CEO, elaborates.

Avoiding product adherence to the surface of the pan and having it easily released once it is ready are top priorities for pizza manufacturing, too. Dealing with a commonly thin layer of dough topped with various types of ingredients means more challenges are brought to the pan design table. LloydPans has developed three proprietary coatings to prevent sticking in all pans; all of which are permanent, toxin-free and infused into the pan surface to create a permanent baking platform that will not chip, peel or flake off. “Unlike traditional seasoning or glazing, our Silver-Kote and Dura-Kote coatings are not damaged by steaming in pans and don’t wear out,” she explains. 1) The PSTK ensures a stick-resistant coating. Rebbaker points out that this coating has proven successful by the top pizza franchises in the world. Pizza experts who are using it have tested its performance and appreciated its durability. 2) The Silver-Kote coating system is designed to eliminate reglazing for bakeware used to prepare pizza. Its baking properties resemble those of bare aluminum but have the added benefit of being a permanent stick-resistant coating. 3) Dura-Kote: this coating for bakeware is similar to PSTK, but fine-tuned for applications in retail and high-volume commercial bakeries.

Specializing in pizza pans for commercial foodservice, LloydPans looks into several aspects when considering new developments. Three criteria stand out in the pursuit to perfect pans suitable for the heat-intense pizza production process: + Durability: LloydPans takes into consideration the everyday rigors of a commercial kitchen, meaning they have to be built to be strong and perform consistently. To increase durability, all PTSK and Dura-Kote coating systems are metal utensil safe. + Coatings: The company has developed a proprietary coating for its pizza pans called Pre-Seasoned Tuff-Kote® (PSTK).

This permanent coating eliminates pre-seasoning and is heat safe with an empty pan up to 700°F (371°C) – there is no limit when cooking if food is removed when ready.

The coating is stick-resistant and will not chip, peel or flake off. + Performance: This is the combined result of constructing a durable pan with a high-quality coating: “Our pans perform exceptionally because they do so regularly over countless cycles,” she highlights.

Pizza under any circumstances

The general environment in a bakery or foodservice business can be damaging to pans. LloydPans also sees a lot of pan damage when machine washing detergents are used. To prevent this, it is imperative to clean with a non-corrosive detergent, according to the specialist.

Pans specialized for pizza production need to handle not only different baking equipment, types of manufacturing and handling routines, but also to provide optimum support for various types of products. “We have spent years developing pans for specific pizza types,” Rennaker says. For example, the company’s Detroit Pizza Pan is its bestseller and was developed specifically to cook this trendy pizza. “When we develop any pan, we factor in shape, size, depth and crust/ dough characteristics that we are trying to achieve. From there, we get to work and test multiple iterations until we accomplish our goals,” the CEO explains. In terms of flexibility, LloydPans designs and manufactures custom pans for its clients based on their unique needs. For example, looking into portion control to meet pizzeria and consumer concerns, the company has developed the Equalizer, which is one of its best-selling products. It is a multi-blade rocker knife for accurate pizza slice portion control, used in many commercial foodservice operations, such as schools, to ensure consistently equal slices.

Tray cleaning down to a science

Cleaning can quite literally make or break the trays, respectively their life expectancy. This, in turn, comes with a double cost: first in replacing/recoating the pans and, just as importantly, in production time lost. Specializing in cleaning machines for baking trays, Austrian company Precisma develops equipment configured for specific requirements. As for possible customizations to the cleaning equipment, “No client specification is beyond us,” believes the General Manager, Alois Aichinger.

Precisma’s tray automatic cleaning system for baking lines, ‘BELT Industry’, is designed with easy integration with various technologies in mind. In addition, it can be customized to match the bakery’s needs. It can be configured for any cleaning task thanks to a multitude of options, e.g. washable design, for continuous operation, Precisma details. This machine has a cleaning performance of around 1,200 sheets per hour and removes any leftover flour, seeds and rough efficiently. Its brushes work in opposite directions to one another to adapt to the bakeware contours and reach all parts of the molds and tray channels.

The ‘BELT Standard’ cleaning machine is designed to clean baking trays with up to four rims in large quantities, as well as baguette and burger trays. The basic version can be fed manually – in which case it is made up of a cleaning and a conveyor unit. It helps save energy compared to wet cleaning and is also particularly suited for bakery production lines, in the form of individually adapted automated systems.

The ‘Easy Belt’ is the newest entry in the company’s portfolio. This recently-developed tabletop baking tray cleaning machine is meant for universal use by small businesses. For this purpose, its design prioritizes flexibility in terms of types of trays it can thoroughly clean, over quantities. It incorporates the company’s Belt cleaning technology and its use is as simple as setting the machine down on a table and sliding the baking trays through it manually, Precisma recommends.

No matter what types of products are in current (and future) manufacturing rotations, choosing the right bakeware for the job, handling and cleaning it as intended can help achieve significant savings and guarantee product safety, with every bake. +++