Tag Archives: Rational Ovens
29 Nov |
Countdown to Christmas |
After the year we have had as a country and with the FIFA World Cup due to end literally a week before Christmas; there is no doubt we’re living in very strange and uncertain times. Yet those in the hotel, restaurant, pub, café and farm shop trades know that in order to make money, we need to be prepared to serve demand as it occurs. Hence our Christmas countdown.
Some of that demand is predictable with bookings for Christmas parties and events. While other demand is more ad hoc. It could literally depend on the weather or on the consumer’s feeling of the need to go out. A long run for England or Wales might dampen demand for those premises without television as people stay in; or become a place of escape for those desperately avoiding soccer.
Being Prepared for the Predictable
When demand comes, you’ll want service to function seamlessly from start to finish. For your Rational ovens this means ensuring that you have all the cleaning supplies you could need for the next 6 weeks. Regular cleaning optimises Rational performance and reduces the likelihood of a failure.
Check your cleaning supplies. Order by 2nd December and there is a reasonable chance that we can deliver before Christmas. If you order no later than 10th December and we have it in stock then you will also beat the 10-15% price increase, which Rational has had to bring in globally effective 1st December. Order either online or call the team on 01454 322222.
Being Prepared for the Unpredictable
If you haven’t already booked a Rational service or maintenance visit before the Christmas and New Year break, it’s probably too late. But we’ll happily arrange a date for January for those in our area.
Most oven breakdowns are unpredictable, but often seem to happen at times of peak demand. While many of AC Services Southern staff take a break over Christmas, there is always an engineer on call dealing with whatever crops up.
For ease of contacting us to resolve your breakdown, below are our opening hours:
In all instances, dial 01454 322222 and choose the relevant option.
- Friday 23rd Office closes at 5.00 p.m.
- Saturday 24th Engineer on call for emergencies
- Sunday 25th CHRISTMAS DAY CLOSED
- Monday 26th BOXING DAY CLOSED
- Tuesday 27th Engineer on call for emergencies
- Wednesday 28th Office open 8.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Engineers available
- Thursday 29th Office open 8.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Engineers available
- Friday 30th Office open 8.30 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Engineers available
- Saturday 31st Engineer on call for emergencies
- Sunday 1st NEW YEARS DAY CLOSED
- Monday 2nd Engineer on call for emergencies
- Tuesday 3rd Normal office hours resume
While we cannot predict the outcome of the football; working with our catering colleagues, we can make the season less stressful and more productive by using our Christmas countdown!
Published Date: 29th November 2022
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Cleaning Products, News, Rational
Tags: AC Services, Catering business, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens, service, Servicing
01 Sep |
Rational Oven News |
Globally there are only 1,200 certified Rational Service partners. AC Services Southern is one of the 35 serving the UK.
We are responsible for the service needs of Rational users in the South West of England and Southern Wales. This includes the maintenance and breakdown needs of the units and supply of cleaning consumables.
AC Services is also an authorised Spare Parts supplier.
But enough about us. We thought in this month’s blog we’d update the catering trade on people and developments at Rational, they might have missed.
Rational UK people successes
In August, Rational UK announced it had successfully secured the Gold Standard of the Investors in People accreditation. With fewer than 1 in 5 UK companies achieving this status, it demonstrates Rational’s ongoing commitment to developing their own 60+ staff to help customers better.
This news comes a month after Brendon Lane began his new role as MD on 1st July 2022. Brendon brings a wealth of international management experience to the role, most latterly at Honeywell UK, but previously at Fluidra, Epson and Samsung.
Already he has identified the need to continue to focus on increasing uptake of the iVario Pro. Given 2021’s award for Energy Efficiency Innovation in Heavy Catering Equipment at the Irish Foodservice Suppliers Awards; this is sensible with electricity price hikes and over 50,000 sold globally. He is also focused on tackling UK issues around order delays and supply chain in these challenging times.
Interesting Rational developments
In July 2021, the foundations were started on a new factory at Wittenheim, France. This is one of Rational’s two historic production bases. With an investment of over 30M euros, the 10,000 square metre building is due to open in Spring 2023. It will provide the capacity to make 25,000 cooking systems per year when up and running.
Perhaps more immediately useful for UK catering businesses is the development of 10-minute live webinars accessible by Microsoft Teams. Each of the new webinars covers a menu for a specific sector, including pubs, hotels, care homes, food to go and education. Check out the Rational UK website for details of these and other useful Rational oven webinars.
Published Date: 1st September 2022
Category: Blog, News, Rational
Tags: AC Services, Catering business, Rational Ovens
28 Jun |
Making Rational Oven Cleaning Easier |
Often, we are promised something which will make our lives easier, only for us to be disappointed by the reality.
Which is why we are not going to overhype the changes that will make life easier for school catering staff in 50 Gloucestershire schools this summer; and could be suitable for your kitchen and Rational oven cleaning.
The Potential Oven Cleaning Issue
Rational ovens are well-built and designed for busy catering establishments. As needs increase through busier service or an older machine is replaced; so another Rational model is deployed with the latest technology and optimised features. That optimisation goes all the way down to the choice of cleaning tablet for the oven. And that is where the potential issue lies when the wrong tablet is used for the wrong machine. This may cause it to fault.
Rational Red Cleaning Tablets (56.00.210) supplied in a round drum, are used for SE, SG, SH, and SI ovens. While Active Green Cleaning Tablets (56.01.535) in the rectangular tub, are for use in i Combi Pro (SJ) and i Combi Classic ovens (MJ).
The good news is that if you have the new SJ and MJ modules and older Self Cooking Center models White Efficiency (SH) and (SI), their software can be updated to take the new Active Green Cleaning Tablets. This removes the chance of using the wrong tablets in the new ovens. It also makes ordering and stocking the right tablets so much easier.
Please note the Care Tablets (56.00.562) are still used in SG, SH, SI, SJ, MI, and MJ ovens whether you use Red Cleaning Tablets or Active Green Tablets.
Update Now or Later?
As a proactive partner, AC Services engineers will offer to update the software on any kitchens they visit where there are a number of different oven models. After all we’d far rather prevent an issue occurring so that our clients have peace of mind; than to have to respond to an emergency.
Alternatively, like with the schools, we’re happy to go out specially to update software to make everyone’s cleaning regime easier.
Published Date: 28th June 2022
Category: Blog, Catering Business, Cleaning, News, Rational
Tags: Cleaning, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens
04 Feb |
Rational’s VarioCookingCenter |
As an authorised Rational Service and Spares Partner, AC Services Southern repairs and maintains the complete range of Rational units. This includes the VarioCookingCenter previously sold under the Frima brand. So this week we’re focusing on that as one of the units we service for clients across South West England and South Wales.
Rational’s VarioCookingCenter® is the ideal multi-functional appliance for any kitchen because it can do a multitude of cooking tasks at the same time. The beauty of the appliance is the value it offers – savings in time, cost, speed and ultimately, profits.
The VarioCookingCenter® is suitable for any catering requirements, from small caterers to high-end restaurants. With over 95% efficiency, it cooks up to four times faster than conventional appliances. And uses up to 40% less power consumption.
Moreover, it has cooking versatility, letting you cook several different dishes quickly at the same time. The multi-functional cooking technology lets you bake, boil, roast, toast, braise, deep fry and a host of other cooking techniques. So if you are serving a full English breakfast; you can serve up the fried bacon, boiled eggs, sautéed tomatoes and toast all at the same time.
Pressure Cooking
The appliance also offers a pressure-cooking feature, enabling the reduction of cooking times for a range of dishes. Times for soups, stews, casseroles and braised dishes can be cut by 30% without compromising taste or quality. The built-in cooking intelligence VarioCookingControl® ensures the desired cooking level is achieved precisely.
Another major benefit of the VarioCookingCenter is its space-saving value. If you are tight on space, then this system is the perfect solution. It has an integrated water outlet which allows draining without any movement to the pan. This prevents scalding and allows the appliance to be installed without a floor channel drain. Furthermore, because nothing sticks or overcooks, cleaning time is minimised.
Expert Design
The appliance has been designed by experts using intensive R&D, testing and analysis to attain the optimum cooking intelligence. As a result, the VarioCookingCenter works day and night with minimal monitoring or checking required. Because the appliance sensitively regulates the temperature at the touch of a button, you get a perfect cooking result the next morning. This is a major boost for larger cuts of meat that need overnight boiling like ham or cured pork, beef and brisket.
The VarioCookingCenter is a sustainable and holistic approach to everyday cooking designed for resource savings using the very latest technology. Contact us here at AC Services (Southern) for more details if you need it serviced or maintained on 01454 322 222.
If you’d like to buy one, contact Rational UK or attend a local cooklive demonstration to see its suitability for your business.
Published Date: 4th February 2020
Category: Blog, Catering Business, News, Ovens, Rational
Tags: Hotel, Installation, mass catering, Ovens, Pubs, Rational Ovens, Restaurant
26 Nov |
Last Service Call for Christmas |
In the good old days, we used to all be aware of the number of shopping days till Christmas. But now every day is a shopping day. On-line and in the real world, we’re able to get most things within 24 hours of ordering them. Increasingly we have become reliant upon that.
Problems arise when that last-minute expectation cannot be met for perfectly valid reasons. Like a finite number of service engineers and everyone suddenly needing their expertise. This is the problem we face every year at AC Services Southern; when catering businesses suddenly realise in December they need their Rational oven servicing before peak Christmas use.
Black Friday Reminder
Black Friday sales seem to be launched earlier each year. One UK retailer started theirs in October this year! Black Friday is the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the last Thursday in November. Thanksgiving is the big American turkey dinner with all the trimmings followed by pumpkin pie for the whole family; while Black Friday signifies the start of the countdown to Christmas not the biggest sales.
Indeed it’s called Black Friday from all the heavy and disruptive vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This caused gridlock on the streets of Philadelphia, as the whole family went shopping on their free day. It sounds a bit like a cross between a Boxing Day walk and the start of New Year sales!
For AC Services, it’s almost become a tradition that on the Tuesday nearest Thanksgiving, we blog our gentle reminder to Rational oven users in South West England and South Wales. This is to not delay and book your pre-Christmas Rational service today on 01454 322 222.
This way both of us can tick your equipment off our to do list early and concentrate on the real Christmas dramas later in December. We can guarantee that up until Christmas Eve, our engineers will be working flat out to cope with the inevitable panicked last-minute rush of breakdowns and servicing!
Buy On-line
Now is also a good time to check that you have all the cleaning products you need to ensure that your Rational ovens continue to function at their highest efficiency. Rational Self-Cooking-Centers have automatic cleaning programmes built into their software. When used with the right cleaning materials you get cosmetic and hygienic cleanliness.
Our on-line shop enables you to purchase these at whatever time of day you remember or have free in the forthcoming rush. But please be aware as these are delivered by delivery firms and they may be affected by their delays caused by volume of parcels and weather. Again earlier purchase enables greater peace of mind.
Published Date: 26th November 2019
Category: Catering Business, Cleaning Products, News, Ovens, Rational, Self Cooking Centre, Service plan
Tags: AC Services, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens, service
19 Nov |
Are You Aware of ConnectedCooking |
The world is becoming increasingly technology-enabled. Nowadays there seems to be an app or a Smart solution for almost everything. While some leave me wondering why there is a need, the same is not true of Rational Oven’s ConnectedCooking.
Since March 2017 Rational has been enabling its SelfCookingCenter® units with ConnectedCooking functionality and equipping them with Ethernet ports. More recently they’ve launched an app to create the world’s most state-of-the-art cloud-based networking solution for professional kitchens. It’s available on iTunes and Google Play Store . These advances bring real benefits to professional catering businesses.
Increasing Convenience
The app and the ports enable all your Rational SelfCookingCenter® or CombiMaster® Plus units to be connected to a single network completely automatically. As a manager you will always know what is going on in your kitchen through the dashboard. Even when you’re off-site and can make adjustments remotely through your own device in real time.
It also makes sharing your cooking programmes across all your units easier and quicker. This in turn removes time-consuming activities and ensures the consistency of food safety in your kitchen.
But ConnectedCooking is not just for larger kitchens. The secure remote access enables software updates to be installed, quickly like those on your laptop, so that your Rational is always running optimally. The app also makes it easier to access inspiration for new menus through new ideas from other foodservice professionals and Rational chefs.
Security of Food and Data
Food safety is a demanding challenge for modern kitchen operations. Ever-increasing government requirements and stringent hygiene standards require a great deal of administrative work. It’s also important to eliminate operator error as much as possible. ConnectedCooking automatically captures all the key HACCP information and displays it in a dashboard with the option to download and print.
The remote access can be authorised for your Service Partner, such as AC Services, as part of a service contract. This enables remote diagnostics for problems and can fix issues without the need for an engineer to visit. It also alerts AC Services that there might be an issue. As you would expect the system uses state-of-the-art encryption technology to keep all data secure and compliant with GDPR.
New Year Opportunity?
If your SelfCookingCenter® units were made after March 2017, you just need to connect them to your network by a LAN cable or wireless module and download the free app to get started by registering the units. If not then we would be delighted to come out in 2020 to retrofit them with the Ethernet interfaces.
Either way give the AC Services team a call on 01454 322 222 in January to discuss further ConnectedCooking functionality and how it benefits all sizes and types of kitchen. We can then make your maintenance issues even easier to solve, saving more time in 2020.
Published Date: 19th November 2019
Category: Blog, News, Ovens, Rational, Self Cooking Centre
Tags: AC Services, Rational Ovens, SelfCookingCenter®, Servicing
12 Nov |
Rational Cleaning Routine |
It might be mid-November but it’s getting perilously close to Xmas. Which means you should start making lists of everything you need to make the season progress as smoothly as possible.
If you are in charge of catering, then remember to add Rational cleaning products to the list. They may not be as glamorous as some of your requests to Santa, but they are an oft-overlooked necessity.
Rational Cleaning Products Save Time
Your Rational oven needs to be cleaned regularly in order to perform to its optimal capacity. And you need to ensure that the correct cleaning products are used.
At AC Services, we supply all the assistance you need to service and maintain your oven, from Rational Grill Cleaner, Rational Rinse Aid, Rational Oven Cleaning Tablets for the SCC (SelfCooking Center®) range and for those with Care Control, Rational Care Control Tablets and accessories.
If you have more than one oven, then you may need different cleaning product combinations. As a reminder, we supply:
- Rational Oven Cleaner Tab (x100): highly concentrated tablets specially developed with a complex set of active ingredients designed to guarantee maximum cleaning power.
- Rational Oven Care Tablets (x150) with special scale-dissolving ingredients contained to prevent limescale building up. These give reliability without a water softener and the need for separate time-consuming descaling.
- Rational Rinse Tablets (x50) highly effective care products ensuring active protection.
- The Rational Grill Cleaner (10 litres) for use with a hand spray gun.
- Rational Rinse Aid (10 litres).
- For water filtration, the products are either the Brita Purity 1200 Quell ST Filter Cartridge or the Brita Purity 600 Quell ST Filter Cartridge.
Be Prepared
You may think you have plenty of time but it never hurts to be prepared. And that means BOOKING A SERVICE now if you haven’t already to avoid the inevitable last-minute panic rush. We would be delighted to come out and check your oven over and pre-empt any problems that might arise.
Otherwise to order your Rational cleaning products, simply go to our on-line shop. Or call us on 01454 322222 for more advice of how to keep on top of your Rational oven cleaning.
Published Date: 12th November 2019
Category: Blog, Cleaning Products, News, Ovens, Rational, Self Cooking Centre, Service plan
Tags: Cleaning, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens
22 Oct |
Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort |
Bowood Hotel, Spa and Golf Resort is located in the heart of Wiltshire nestled within the Bowood Estate. The luxurious hotel is surrounded by parkland landscaped by the famous Capability Brown.
It provides an idyllic retreat, whether for weekend breaks, golfing escapes, spa pampering, weddings or simply to savour the first-class cuisine. The Estate also contains Bowood House & Gardens, home of the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne.
The hotel, itself, contains 43 beautifully furnished contemporary bedrooms and suites. Guests can enjoy the luxury spa with its infinity swimming pool, gym and pampering spa treatments. The golf course is particularly popular, with a full championship PGA 18-hole golf course.
Weddings, celebrations and conferences are fully catered for, with the backdrop of the surroundings adding to the ambience.
Dining Experience
The hotel is open all day for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. It also caters for corporate events which means that the kitchens are always busy.
Replacing the old ovens over four years ago, Rational supplied two 201E SCC WE units for the main banqueting and conference kitchen, and a 101E SCC WE model for the brasserie. After the initial two-year warranty scheme, the hotel chose a maintenance contract package from AC Services (Southern) which, according to Steve Foster, Maintenance Manager at the hotel, is working perfectly.
“The Rational ovens serve their purpose perfectly,” he comments. “They are not only reliable but robust and we have them serviced twice a year, once before the seasonal rush at Christmas.
Because we invested heavily in the ovens, we are determined to keep them maintained and extract the maximum amount of performance so apart from ensuring they are regularly and properly cleaned on our part, we can rely on AC Services to provide back-up at all times, not only with regular servicing but in case there are any problems. An engineer is sent out within 24-48 hours and the issue is always resolved with no disruption to our daily operation.”
This is vital to the chefs at the Bowood Hotel who provide the very best in cuisine using where possible, local suppliers. The hotel is dedicated to understanding and appreciating the importance of provenance, believing that the secret to crafting seasonally exceptional cuisine begins with the careful selection of only the freshest, sustainably reared meat, fish and fruit and vegetables.
Oven Ready
According to Steve, “the catering team is always striving to create both dynamic and contemporary menus for our guests to relish and savour during their stay no matter what the occasion might be.
This requires a reliable and capable oven, and the Rational ovens, supported by the maintenance package from AC Services, provide exactly what is required.”
The Shelburne Restaurant serves daily delicious food from seasonal menus every day “prepared with passion and served with flair”. The Clubhouse Brasserie offers a menu ranging from traditional fish and chips to a Club sandwich. Weddings and conferences give the kitchen staff the creativity to provide the best cuisine possible, with the Rational ovens helping with this aim.
Published Date: 22nd October 2019
Category: Blog, Case Study, News, Rational, Service plan
Tags: AC Services, Case Study, Rational Ovens, Servicing
03 Sep |
Time for Rational Cleaning |
So you may have noticed how quickly this year has gone. Last week we were sweltering in the last rays of the summer; this week we’re starting to think ahead to winter. 31st October is gearing up to be an interesting date for many, and not just because it is national let’s-dress-up-in-silly-costumes day.
It’s impossible to make any predictions about the outcome of the Brexit deadline but as a precaution, it’s worth stocking up on various items. And from AC Services Southern’s point of view, it’s an ideal time to look at Rational cleaning products.
Fact: Christmas is galloping apace and will be upon us before we realise.
Fact: we have a politically uncertain time ahead of us with no idea about the impact on imports of foreign products or indeed, on the value of the pound.
Fact: your cleaning products may not be running low now, but there will soon be a traditional late rush on supplies so avoid the queues.
Act now to stay happy later
Now is the time to take advantage of our online store for Rational cleaning products. It takes no time at all to enter an order and wait for the despatch of the goods. So let’s look at what you could get in the on-line Rational oven cleaning range
- Rational Oven Cleaner Tab (x100): highly concentrated tablets specially developed. A new complex set of active ingredients designed to guarantee maximum cleaning power.
- Tablets for Rational Oven Care (x150) with special scale-dissolving ingredients contained to prevent limescale building up. They give reliability without a water softener and the need for time-consuming descaling.
- Rational Rinse Tablets (x50) highly effective care products ensuring active protection.
- Rational’s Grill Cleaner (10 litres) for use with a hand spray gun.
- Rational Rinse Aid (10 litres).
There’s more: when was the last time your Rational oven was serviced? It’s probably longer than you think so pick up the phone and book a service now, not in December when we’re both rushed off our feet. Prevention is always better than cure.
To order your Rational cleaning products simply go to our online shop. To book a service call AC Services Southern on 01454 322222 for more advice and a time that suits.
Published Date: 3rd September 2019
Category: Blog, Cleaning, Cleaning Products, News
Tags: Brexit, Cleaning, Cleaning Products, Rational Ovens
22 May |
Dining at the Bristol Lido and Glassboat |
More than simply a swimming pool, the Clifton Lido in Bristol has gained a well-earned reputation for fine food. With a restaurant and a poolside bar, the former restored Victorian swimming pool has been designed for contemporary luxury.
Having first opened its doors in 1850, the swimming pool changed hands many times until its final closure in 1990. The threat of turning the building into flats was ever-present until 2006, when the Glass Boat company purchased the site. And following an extensive restoration project, the Lido opened to the public two years later. It now boasts a Grade II listing and a record as the oldest heated outdoor swimming pool in Britain.
Restaurant and Bar
The restaurant overlooks the pool on the original viewing gallery. It offers a relaxed and informal space with floor to ceiling doors sliding back to allow entry for the elements. The menus incorporate Moorish and Mediterranean cuisine, with a strong Spanish lilt, with ingredients sourced from small-scale hand-picked suppliers.
The set menu offers delicacies such as raw rhubarb, fennel, salted almond and goat’s curd salad for starters and warm North African mezze with falafel, tahini sauce and warm flat bread for mains followed by Basque-style burnt cheesecake, rhubarb and creme fraiche Pedro Ximenez and raisin ice cream for dessert.
The transformation of the venue into a chilled-out restaurant has been a resounding success, with “relaxed and unpretentious dining; where suits and robes sit cheek by jowl to enjoy great ingredients.”
According to maintenance manager, Paul Wyatt, the kitchen equipment has been instrumental in this success, with a three-year old Rational electric oven working hard in the kitchen to supply perfect cuisine to diners.
“We have an ad hoc contract with AC Services (Southern) with the oven” he explains. “It is serviced once a year but the company is always on hand should any minor problems arise.” Typically these issues comprise of general wear and tear due to the oven being constantly in use, but rarely, if ever do any big problems arise.
Glassboat Bristol
Paul has an affinity with Rational, as part of his job is to also look after the Bristol Glassboat restaurant.This is owned by the same company, and situated on Welshback in Bristol’s historic floating harbour. The venue has fast become an iconic eating house in Bristol, with tables that look out to the water through large, restored wooden windows, with views around the harbourside and to the city.
The restaurant opened 30 years ago, with the original boat dragged from the muddy waters of the river Severn and lovingly restored in the early 1980s. The Glassboat Brasserie menu consists of a classic French menu, carefully chosen and prepared using the best ingredients.
The food is simple in style but exquisite in taste, with a massive choice: rabbit terrine, cornichons, celeriac remoulade, provencale fish soup, aioli, rouille, crouton, fried pigs head, smoked eel and potato pancakes are just some of the delicacies on the menu.
And yet again, behind the success lies a Rational 101 SH oven, five years old and still going strong. “The big advantage of this appliance is that it is self cleaning,” continues Paul. “The chef just turns it on and it is ready for use. The reliability and performance is outstanding and plays a huge role in the continuing success and reputation of the Glassboat.”
Published Date: 22nd May 2019
Category: Blog, Case Study, News, Rational
Tags: AC Services, Case Study, Maintenance, Rational Ovens, Restaurant, Servicing