Commercial Deck vs. Conveyor Oven: Which is Right for You?

It is an age old question in commercial kitchens: Should I use a deck oven or a conveyor oven? Of course, that depends on multiple factors. You need to think about your kitchen's operations, the type of food you serve and how fast you serve it. Both options have numerous benefits, but each one has its own advantages in different categories. Below are some considerations to think about when deciding between a commercial deck and conveyor oven.

What is a Deck Oven?

Most deck ovens take a classic approach to cooking. While the food takes more time, you have more control of the cooking. Inside, a deck oven can be made of metal, stone, brick or ceramic tile to allow the deck to easily transfer heat to food and allows the food to heat and brown evenly. Deck ovens are also known to give food more of an authentic and pleasing taste.

Benefits of a Deck Oven

In a kitchen with experienced chefs, the deck oven is more adjustable and gives greater control of the cooking process. It also enables you to cook a wider variety of food than when using a conveyor oven. Here are a few other benefits to keep in mind:

• The smaller footprint of a deck oven may make it a better option in a crowded kitchen
• You can dress up the oven and put it on display for customers to see them while they are cooking
• Deck ovens are also typically easier to clean
• Of the two options, deck ovens are less expensive to repair

Some people don’t like deck ovens because it is much more difficult to keep up with a rush of orders. In addition, because of the cooking options, they can be more difficult to use and can have longer recovery times which can slow down your food production. Cooking with a deck oven also requires greater skill by the operator and almost constant oven tending. You can’t multi-task as easily when using a deck oven.

Overall, deck ovens have greater ambiance for applications requiring display cooking in open kitchens. Deck ovens are now offered with stone, brick and tile facades, arched openings and visible open-flames. Deck ovens can become the centerpiece of restaurants providing a great attraction for customers.

What Types of Food are Best Cooked in a Deck Oven?

There’s a variety of foods that cook better in a deck oven vs. a conveyor oven. Take into consideration the pans used for these dishes as well as the recommended temperature settings before getting started. Here are a few of the dishes best cooked in a deck oven:

• Bread
• Meats
• Pizza
• Roasting larger meat such as turkey or chicken

What is a Conveyor Oven?

If you have less experienced cooks in your kitchen and need to turn out a lot of food quickly, a conveyor oven may be the best choice for you. It requires far less skill to operate, and in turn reduces labor costs and gives the owner access to a greater, less expensive labor pool.

Benefits of a Conveyor Oven

Since turnover is ongoing in the foodservice industry, getting the right person trained quickly continues to be a challenge in most restaurants. Because there isn’t as much training to use a conveyor oven, you can get food started quickly and to your customers faster. 

All you do is put your food product on the front of the oven conveyor belt and the belt moves the food through the oven to cook it. This allows you to produce a lot of food in a shorter amount of time since it makes cooking easier and self-sufficient as you can put the food in and walk away to do something else while it is cooking.

Once the food is cooked, it is waiting on you on the other side of the oven. This ease of use in high volume operations with limited menus helps to get the food out on time and on budget with a consistent product every time.

What Types of Food are Best Cooked in a Conveyor Oven?

This type of oven is best for fast cooking, which means smaller portions. With this in mind, here are a few of the dishes that are best cooked in a conveyor oven:

• Hot sandwiches
• Roasting veggies
• Cooking chicken tenders or strips
• Mozzarella sticks

Overall, this type of oven is best used for warming snack-sized apps, subs and other smaller meals for a delicious lunch.

Looking for a different type of oven to complete the job? Check out our other oven comparisons to see which is right for you and your kitchen.