Munkley, former executive chef at the Royal Garden Hotel, used the Panasonic SR-GA721F rice cooker to ensure the kitchen brigade were able to cook and hold a reasonable volume of rice with ease.
He said: “I believe that the Panasonic rice cooker can certainly deliver consistency when cooking rice and it is definitely an advantage being able to turn it on and leave it, with no concerns of over-cooking. It can also hold a decent volume of rice too so would be great for operators that don’t necessarily have steamer ovens.”
Celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala, chef/proprietor at Café Spice Namaste for over 24 years, used the Panasonic rice cooker during functions as there was no need to cook then re-heat rice, freeing up the chefs to concentrate on other duties.
He commented: “The rice cooker has enabled us to prepare different kinds of pulao rice, not just steamed, for our events without the need to cook and re-heat.
“We’ve achieved better portion control and as it’s fully automatic, the chefs have peace of mind it will cook to perfection and they don’t have to be constantly watchful over it. Once cooked, it will hold rice hot at the correct temperature for two hours.”
The Panasonic cooking range is also used in the public sector. Bancroft’s School, for pupils aged seven to 18, caters for 1,400 meals a day focussing on fresh food.
Marc Stephan, catering manager, added: “We’d have no hesitation in giving the Panasonic NE-SCV2 Speed Convection Oven five stars!
“Its three cooking methods, microwave, convection and grill, means it is extremely versatile as well as being fast and easy to use thanks to its pre-set cooking programmes and touch screen display.
“The oven greatly reduces cooking time and when using the grill in addition to fan you can produce a golden, crispy finish to a dish that is normally difficult to achieve. It is the ideal solution for our Sixth Formers Café where we cook, toast and grill a wide range of products including toasties, pastries and pizza.”