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June 6, 2023Designing, staffing, and equipping a commercial kitchen is challenging under ordinary circumstances but is even more difficult in light of recent staffing shortages and culinary market unpredictability in the wake of COVID. Woodstone’s Plancha Griddle is one piece of equipment providing future-proof solutions to uncertainty in the foodservice industry. The Plancha helps your restaurant or commercial kitchen save space by replacing redundant equipment and inspires unlimited menu possibilities with a single piece of equipment.
What is a Plancha Griddle?
Historically, a plancha is a large metal plate centered over a fire. The extraordinary heat at the center of the plate lends itself to blistering vegetables and searing meat to lock in flavor. The outer edges are cooler and used to keep already-cooked food warm. The experience of cooking over a wood-fired plancha is hard to replicate in a kitchen.
Traditional Griddle vs. Woodstone’s Plancha
Woodstone’s Plancha, at first glance, looks like a traditional flat-top model that you might find in a diner or stir fry restaurant. The difference lies with Woodstone’s proprietary technology that offers four individually adjustable zones that simultaneously support a range of cooking temperatures. Each zone is 12″ wide, and temperatures range from 150ºF to 650ºF.
Many griddles claim to be able to adjust temperatures between areas. But through conduction, the hottest zone ends up raising the overall temperature.
Through a proprietary technology that involves metal thickness and flu gas management, the Plancha creates truly independent heat zones that defy the heat conduction tendency of metal. Additionally, a built-in thermostat eliminates hot and cold spots within each zone, making cooking even frozen foods possible.
Also read: How to Prepare for Patio Season with Reusable Outdoor Drinkware
The Experience of Using the Plancha Griddle
The Plancha makes it simple to switch instantly from batch cooking and prep to filling orders. For example, a cook might be searing vegetables for a sauce in the hot zone for prep while filling sandwich orders in one of the lower zones.
Charbroiling
Cooking with extremely high heat (500o+) lets you lock in flavors and maintain textures—achieve the grassy notes of tomatillos, maintain consistency in peppers, prevent tomatoes from going mushy, and seal in the juices of meat and fish.
Range Use
Use the lower temperature zones as a replacement for a burner. Boil, simmer, or hold water and sauces at a consistent temperature in pans for braising and other applications.
Design
The Plancha currently comes in two, three, and four-foot-wide models, with a sixty-inch version currently in development. Each model is suited for a tabletop or can be equipped with a dedicated stand.
Each Plancha model has a knob thermostat, or each zone can be pre-programmed to set temperatures and the knobs removed. Additionally, a metal divider can be welded into the tabletop to avoid cross-contamination or for plant-based preparations. Finally, Pan Rail attachments can connect to the front of the workspace and hold sauces, condiments, and other ingredients at temp.
Space Savings
By merging a flat top, range, charbroiler, and other equipment, the Plancha lets you save space and reduces the need for additional equipment.
Zero Recovery
In addition to the cooking surface’s current temperature, The Plancha’s internal thermostat measures the temperature change rate. So, the thermostat senses the colder temperature and adjusts the amount of fuel to input into each zone.
Not only does this eliminate cold spots, but it means that you can skip defrosting and cook right from frozen without worrying about puddling.
Future Proofing
The versatility of the Plancha means that your commercial kitchen can quickly update menus or respond to customer demand without completely revamped kitchen equipment. Whether making stir fry, yakisoba, diner food, Mexican cuisine, or fine dining, the Plancha perfectly fits your kitchen space—no matter how your commercial kitchen pivots months and years down the road.
Also read: Choosing Commercial Blenders and Drink Mixers for Patio Season
Case Study: Chipotle
Chipotle installed nearly 2,000 Woodstone Plancha units in its new stores. Almost immediately, they saw a marked improvement in customer feedback regarding flavor. After the initial order, Chipotle began replacing flat tops with the Plancha at existing stores.
“The reliability of the Woodstone Plancha has been phenomenal. I can’t see us ever using anything else, not just from the equipment standpoint but from the partnership standpoint.”
– Carolyn Roberts, Executive Director of Development at Chipotle
Invest in Innovation with Woodstone and RH
A high-quality griddle is a critical appliance for commercial kitchens, so performance, ease of use, and versatility are important factors. The Woodstone Plancha offers a reliable, innovative solution for restaurants and kitchens looking to invest in a long-lasting griddle. To learn more about the versatility and dependability of the Woodstone Plancha, watch this webinar from Woodstone.
Your local RH rep is ready to help you customize a Plancha model for your commercial kitchen. Contact us today to get started.