High-speed ovens and grills combine convection, microwave and impingement heating to cook in 60–120 seconds — the workhorse of cafe pivot, pizza-by-the-slice, and quick-service expansion. Hospitality Connect stocks high-speed ovens and electric grills from Merrychef, TurboChef, Panasonic and Apuro — across 23-litre and 35-litre cavity sizes and contact-grill formats.
Types of high-speed ovens
- High-speed combo ovens (Merrychef E2S, TurboChef Encore): Microwave + convection + impingement; cooks paninis in 60s, pizzas in 90s.
- Compact 23L cavity: Bench-mount; suits cafes pivoting to hot food without full kitchen rebuild.
- 35L cavity: Higher throughput for QSR and food-court venues.
- Contact grills (electric): Single- and double-plate panini, sandwich and burger grills — see contact press.
- Conveyor pizza ovens: Dedicated conveyor belts for pizza-by-the-slice and high-volume QSR pizza.
Sizing for the menu
High-speed ovens cook by volume — a Merrychef E2S handles 60–80 paninis per hour; TurboChef Sota covers 90+. For a cafe pivoting to hot lunch, one unit is enough; for a food-court venue, two units side-by-side cover 200+ covers per hour. Cavity height matters — confirm your tallest plate or sandwich fits before purchase. Most high-speed units come with pre-loaded cook libraries; train staff once and consistency is locked.
Installation and ventilation
- Power: Most high-speed ovens run 15A 240V; commercial-grade models step to 20A or 32A three-phase.
- Ventless models: Many high-speed ovens are catalytic-converter ventless — no canopy required, council-acceptable. Check spec.
- Heat dissipation: 50–100mm side and rear clearance for fan cooling.
- Cleaning protocol: Daily chemical-free wipe-down; weekly catalyst clean per manufacturer schedule.
- Pre-set programs: Save and lock cook programs to maintain consistency across shifts.
High-speed ovens transform cafe and kiosk operations because they cook in 60–120 seconds — the ticket time of a la minute pasta or stir-fry. Programme libraries lock cook times across staff and shifts; consistency is the operational win. Verify ventless certification before purchase — most councils accept catalytic-converter ventless ovens without canopy, but confirm with your local building inspector. Stock the catalyst as a spare; it's the most common service item. Cavity height matters — measure your tallest sandwich or plate before specifying a 23L vs 35L cavity. A common rollout sequence: pilot one unit at one site for 4–6 weeks, lock in the cook library, then deploy across multiple venues with the same programmes preloaded — this saves training time and locks consistency across the brand.
Pair with
Pair with contact press, convection oven, salamander open toaster and food heat lamps for pass holding.