July 29, 2015 - 6:51am
Any Rofco oven users here?
I've just had a play with one at Brook Foods in Somerset (UK) I've already spoken to a couple of folks and seen one in the flesh (or stone) as it were, but not used one until this morning.. So I took up some proving sourdough and some yeasted dough which I very quickly divided and shaped while up there in their test/demo kitchen and gave it a go... Very impressed with the results - to the extent that I've now forked out the money and bought one.. Eek!
I won't get it until Monday, but hopefully it'll be up and running neat week...
-Gordon
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...was a user that has a Rofco. I know because I was researching one myself! Maybe you've already read it but here it is nonetheless: http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/38804/my-rofco-experience
Think I must have googled/read most of what I can find online about them now :) Can't wait until delivery on Monday!
Cheers,
-Gordon
Congrats! Always nice to have a new toy, or in this case a new tool.
Gerhard
Hope you know that this means I'll be reaching out (to you) one day...
Let us know your experience when you get it.. Looking forward to hearing about it! congratulations!
drogon,,
Did you get it? Have you used it? Are you Happy?
How is the "fit & finish"?
I'm looking at the little B-5. I only do 500 - 600 grams of dough 3 to four times a week and don't need larger capacity. And I think that it would do fine for me.
We recently moved from Baja California Sur (Mexico) to Florida and had to leave behind my wonderful hand built gas fired brick oven with steam jets. Boo Hoo!!! Reason was because of the weight and expense to ship. Now that we are back in the USA I need a "real" bread oven, not a range oven.
So, please let me know about your experiences. I think that the B-5 would be great.
Thanks and happy baking!
Oven and cabinet.
The B40.
Here she is, full of bread:
and rolls:
It's just a fraction on the small side for the loaves I do, however they fit and bake OK - just touch the sides & each other occasionally. I need to re-scale my dough sizes and all my recipe spreadsheets - the big ones are notionally 800g loaves (a fairly common size in the UK), but mine come out at about 860g baked, so I can lose a little without much difference. The cabinet size is a standard UK/European size in footprint - its higher than a standard kitchen unit though.
It did take some getting used to - especially the controls and temperatures, so the first week did produce somewhat interesting breads!
One good feature with the B40 is that I can heat up the top shelf only - good for baking other things like cakes, empanadas and so on - so I've started to try to schedule things so that I bake the bread then then the bottom 2 shelves off and use the top shelf for cakes, etc. while its still hot.
Your hand made oven looks great - I hope the new owners will appreciate it (if you left it working!) I just don't have access to a workshop anymore to make anything like that, however I have computer controlled (Raspberry Pi) one of my other ovens (the cheap domestic one) not sure it makes much difference, but time will tell...
-Gordon
Gordon,
All I can say is a bunch of redundantness of good-stuff! You have made my day. Showed your photo's to my wife and she is on board with the B-5. We will order one from Pleasant Hill Grain here in the US asap. (Oh, I don't think 'redundantness' is a real work, but I like it.)
Your bakes are magnificent. Lovely in all respects, slashed, puff, and crust color. Are you proud??? I should think so!
Having used a gas fired brick oven for years I have an understanding of their characteristics. Using mine I had to heat-soak it at >500f for 3 hours, put the dough in, cut the thermostat off, close the vent, inject steam during the first 3 min, keep the thermo off & vent closed for 10-12 minutes, then open the vent, and fire the thermo up 425f - 450f. Remember it was 'Gass-Fired' not electric. Sweet!
So, my migration to the Rofco should only have a few 'hick-ups', but hey, that is part of the journey and keep us humble…….
The fit & finish looks great from you photo's. And the general appearance does not reflect the image of 'want-a-bees' like Viking, Sub Zero, etc. Rufco's look like a kick-butt real stone working oven.
Here are a few shot of breads from our brick oven…… Hopefully we'll get there again.
Keep us posted and enjoy!
Mike & Jan
Gordon,
I wanted to order a B5 from Pleasant Hill, but needed to ask a couple of questions first.
I noticed in their brochure that one of the ad sheets listed the max temp's on the ovens is 572f and if you click on an individual oven's spec's it list that max temp is 482f.
So I ask PH which is correct and the answer is the max temp is 482f.
Have you measured your oven's temp and if so what do you get??
I find it hard to believe that the Rofco's can't squeak out 500f.
But your results appear great……. at 482f.
Let me know if you feel like it.
Mike
Gordon,
After several back & forth e-mails to Pleasant Hill's CR folks I'll relate the great news I found out….
It is true that Rofco states 482f is max operating temp. But that recommendation is for continuous, all day, operation.
It will heat up to 572f, but it is not for continuous operation. 'Continuous' is the operable word.
So, I ordered one today and I am excited. Especially after seeing you great results.
Additionally, the people that I talked with at PH were very nice, concerned, and helpful. It is always a joy to drop into a basket of Customer Relations folks that care and work for answers. These folks worked with the parent company for good explanations and had not noticed the contradictions in their ad brochures.
They sent the Owner Manual and verified that the warranty is a full two years. Wonderful experience doing business with them.
Should have it in about ten days…… Gonna put it on our patio. Need to string some 240v, build a stand, fire it up and bake some bread.
Thanks for your positive input.
I've been on holiday for a week or so and just realised there were some new posts here.
The B40 has 2 temp. dials - one for the top shelf and one for the bottom 2. Both go up to 300°C (572F) and there is no mention of continuous or intermittent in the manual. I run mine at 210-220°C - taking it up to 250°C is somewhat scorchio on the breads - although I'll be trying pizza in it soon and will crank it up hotter for that.
The B40 needs a good 2 hours to get to temperature and even itself out. The manual (ie. the few sheets of paper they give you!) does have heat-up times for all the ovens in the range. I seem to recall that you cook on residual heat in the B5, but I've not read the manual for a while - the B40 has elements top and bottom of each deck - I've run 3 loads through mine more or less back to back (maybe 5 minutes between loads) and they've all turned out OK. I'm now trying to get into the habit of making sure I have something else to bake after the bread, if possible - and just using the top deck for empanadas, cakes, etc. but that takes a bit more planning...
Your gas powered bakes look great - I'm sure that after a trial run or 2 you'll be reproducing them in the Rofco once you've found the temperature sweet-spot for your oven.
Happy baking!
-Gordon
Gordon,
Received my new Rufco….. good stuff. I posted a new thread titled 'New B5 Oven It Arrived" Take a look……
Thanks for all the input!!!!
Mike