My combi oven went haywire during a Friday dinner rush...

I was roasting 60 pounds of chicken thighs at 375 and the steamer kicked on mid-cook, turning them into soggy messes. It happened around 6:30 pm right as tickets started flooding in and I had to pivot to pan-searing everything fast. Am I wrong for thinking these combi ovens are more trouble than they're worth, or is this just my unit being junk?

2 comments

2 Comments

clark.joel26d ago

Funny thing nobody's brought up yet - you might be fighting a humidity sensor calibration issue. Those combi ovens rely on a little sensor to figure out when to switch between dry heat and steam, and if it gets bumped or crusted over with grease, it'll fire at the wrong time. In my experience, a lot of kitchen guys never think to run a self-clean cycle or recalibrate that sensor after heavy use, especially on a busy Friday. Your mileage may vary, but check your model's manual for a sensor recalibration step - it's a five minute fix that might save you from tossing the whole unit. Could just be your unit being junk too though, they're not all built the same.

the_hannah26d ago

Wait, you're telling me I've been yelling at my oven for burning my bread when it's actually just a dirty sensor? That's honestly way more embarrassing than I want to admit. I spent like three hours last weekend cleaning the whole thing with vinegar and baking soda, scrubbing every nook and cranny. Probably made it worse, honestly, just smeared grease everywhere. My manual's been sitting in a drawer since I bought the thing. Never opened it. Didn't even know it had a sensor. Figured those self-clean cycles were just a fancy way to burn off spilled sauce. Gonna go dig that manual out now. Feel like an idiot but if it saves me from buying a new oven, totally worth it.