iKitchen by Rational: The System Solution for Galleys

[By: Rational]

Too little space, shortage of skilled staff, cost pressure, digitalisation - these are the challenges the chefs in the marine industry have to face. In addition to good ideas and clever concepts, the galleys need a partner who knows their challenges, supports them technically and enables them to be flexible. Rational has created such support with iKitchen.

This year Rational has launched the new Combisteamer iCombi and multifunctional cooking system iVario for boiling, pan frying, deep-frying, pressure-cooking. 

"Under the name iKitchen, we have combined iCombi Pro, iVario Pro and ConnectedCooking to form a system solution," says Michaela Giacomozzi, International Key Account Manager Marine at Rational, explaining the basic features. The aim is to reduce kitchen space, increase the level of automated cooking sequences and to make the food production effective – means: less no. of equipment, less workload, less consumption and more productivity. 

Michaela also knows a good example: If you take a galley originally equipped with tilting pans, boilers, deep fryer, pressure cooker, hot-air oven and others, you can replace all appliances with iCombi Pro and iVario Pro. That means space savings of up to 40%. At the same time, both cooking systems together cover nearly all conventional cooking applications. The fact that both cooking systems are made for cooperation is also shown by the identically designed user interfaces, which guide the user through the menus according to the same principle. Both also have intelligent functions that make handling even easier and thus significantly reduce the error rate. Even semiskilled workers have easy access to various cooking applications. 

The third component, ConnectedCooking, also serves to increase productivity, as the networking solution can be used to centrally manage and transfer cooking programs. HACCP data can be retrieved and stored by both cooking systems, and the iCombi Pro can even be controlled remotely. This saves many ways, reduces the error rate and ensures a constant standard in food production. Only the loading and unloading has to be done personally. Michaela’s conclusion: "With iKitchen, a high level of automatization, standartisation of food quality and enormous efficieny  is guaranteed".

The special Marine models are designed for on-board use. The units are securely anchored to the kitchen walls and floor. Door stoppers and door impact protection grids as well as modified rack rails, which keep containers from sliding out, provide safety.

RATIONAL has an individual service for the cooking systems. “We have our service partners for Marine worldwide”, says Michaela. The Service network is using the Automatic Identification System (AIS) to assure a real time information from the vessel for scheduling timely on-board service. For quick troubleshooting on board, Rational provides the technicians a marine service app with all important information, operating instructions and circuit diagrams.