What Speed Oven Do I Need?

In Europe’s competitive food service landscape, speed and quality are inseparable.

A coffee shop at rush hour, a Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) during the lunch peak, or a convenience store on a busy motorway all face the same challenge: meeting demand quickly without compromising consistency.

Speed ovens are designed to deliver on this promise, combining microwaves, impinged hot air, and sometimes infrared to reduce preparation times. But there is no “one-size-fits-all” oven.

From cavity size to magnetron configuration, airflow control to accessories, the right choice depends on your menu, throughput, and operational environment.

The most common—and expensive—mistake is undersizing: buying a unit that cannot handle your demand or your product profile.

This basic guide merges practical know-how with technical expertise, so you avoid undersizing and choose the right oven for your business.

1. Core Principles: What to Know Before You Buy

Raw and Fat-Rich Products

Speed ovens are not designed for cooking raw fatty proteins such as chicken with skin, raw sausages, hamburgers, or bacon.

These foods shed grease that contaminates cavities, wave guides, and heating elements, creating smoke, odours, and even fire risk.

Although microwaves can technically cook raw foods, in a speed oven the process involves multiple steps, repeated handling, hot accessories, and wasted time.

The speed advantage disappears.

The proven solution is to use pre-cooked, pre-baked, pre-fried, or grilled ingredients.

Ventless Technology Has Limits

Catalytic converters transform grease and smoke into water vapour, allowing ovens to be ventless-certified.

However, they are not designed to cope with all-day raw fatty protein loads.

Ventless certification excludes these items, and operators must check local Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning regulations (HVAC) for compliance.

Certified Accessories

Accessories are not extras—they are operational and safety enablers.

Certified trays, baskets, pizza screens, and liners help protect the operators, the cavity, maintain grease control, and reduce cleaning time.

Using unapproved accessories increases risk and compromises people and food safety.

2. Understanding Products and Menu Needs

Product Size and Geometry

Your product must fit inside the cavity.

If your products are 40 cm long, a smaller cavity will not be suitable.

Lower cavity ovens are ideal for flat items such as mini pizzas, panini, and flatbreads, while taller sandwiches require more internal clearance.

Volume and Thickness

Large or thick products require more energy and longer dwell times.

For these, dual magnetron ovens are necessary; single magnetron units cannot maintain throughput.

Frozen vs. Chilled

• Frozen foods need stronger microwave power. Dual magnetron ovens are strongly recommended.
• Chilled foods can often be handled efficiently with a single magnetron, provided demand is not excessive.

Raw Dough vs. Pre-Cooked Dough

• Raw dough reacts poorly to microwave cooking, as microwaves vaporize water in the dough and steam it instead of baking. This is especially problematic for yeast-based recipes that require proofing. For items like raw pizza dough, use impinged-air ovens and keep the microwave mode disabled.
• Pre-baked or chilled doughs are excellent candidates for speed ovens with microwave support, ensuring fast and even finishing.

Special Case: Puff Pastry and Croissants

• Puff pastry bakes well from frozen, as long as airflow is controlled.
• Traditional proofed croissants should be purchased fully baked and frozen, then finished gently to preserve their crisp crust. Keep in mind that the classic recipe tends to darken quickly when exposed to high impinged-air speeds.

3. Operational Scenarios

Multiple Products at Once

Menus with diverse products benefit from two ovens.

Stackable ovens are ideal, providing two independent cavities in the same footprint.

Space Constraints

Urban operations often require compact solutions.

Models around 659 × 386 × 693 mm (H × W × D) fit comfortably on countertops while maintaining professional capacity.

Electrical Limitations

In heritage or restricted buildings, installing new circuits may be costly or prohibited.

Single magnetron ovens can serve as an entry point, though frozen-heavy menus will struggle.

For higher volumes, dual magnetron units with dedicated circuits are the long-term solution.

4. Matching Technology to Your Business

• Single Magnetron: lower energy draw, gentler heating, useful as an entry-level or training-friendly unit; limited for frozen-heavy menus.
• Dual Magnetron: faster heating of frozen/dense items, higher throughput, suitable for volume operations.
• Air Impingement: essential for achieving a crisp finish and for baking raw pizza dough or other pizza-related products.
• Automation: look for programmable recipes, cloud connectivity, and role-based access to ensure consistency and compliance.

5. Training, Workflow, and Allergen Control

• Use icon-based recipes for easy operation.
• Standardise accessories by SKU (pizza screen, mesh tray, solid tray) to avoid errors.
• For allergen-sensitive menus, segregate accessories and use colour-coded systems.
• Keep mise en place ready to minimise door-open time during peak hours.

6. Cleaning and Maintenance

• Daily: allow the oven to cool down, wipe the cavity, clean accessories, and check the gaskets. Inspect catalytic converter*. Alternatively, use the oven liner accessory to simplify cleaning — the liner can be removed and washed in the sink or dishwasher.
• Weekly: deep-clean cavity and check airflow.

Cleaning routines should be adapted to the intensity of daily use.

On particularly busy days, a more thorough cleaning may be required to address the higher levels of residue and ensure optimal oven performance.

*Proper cleaning extends catalytic converter life and maintains ventless certification. Using the right accessories drastically reduces grease accumulation.

8. Example Setups

• Coffee Shops: mixed frozen bakery, snacks, panini → dual magnetron, consider stacked ovens for SKU separation.
• QSRs: pre-cooked proteins, frozen and chilled items → dual magnetron with strong air impingement.
• Convenience Stores: chilled pastries and sandwiches  → single magnetron may suffice, dual magnetron if frozen-heavy.
• Pizza-Focused Operations: stackable pizza-specific ovens (40 cm pizzas), with up to four units (two stacks side by side) for maximum demand.

9. Common Challenges Observed

Even experienced operators can encounter certain challenges when implementing speed ovens in demanding environments.

Among the most frequent are:

• Selecting equipment that is not fully aligned with peak-hour requirements.
• Assuming ventless certification extends to all product categories, including raw fatty proteins, which is not the case.
• Reducing the role of certified accessories, which are essential for consistency, hygiene, and reduced maintenance.
• Overlooking the advantages of stackable units when menu diversity and simultaneous preparation are required.
• Underestimating the impact of electrical infrastructure limitations until late in the installation process.
• Neglecting regular cleaning protocols, which may compromise performance, shorten catalyst lifespan, and affect warranty coverage.

Each of these points, while common, can be effectively addressed with careful planning, open communication with suppliers, and a structured approach to training and maintenance.

Key Takeaways for Decision-Makers

A speed oven should not be viewed as a simple appliance, but rather as a strategic production element within a modern food service operation.

The appropriate model ensures quality, accelerates service, and reduces training demands.

When making a decision, it is recommended to:

• Align oven technology with the characteristics of your menu and ingredients.
• Calculate throughput based on your busiest service periods.
• Consider dual magnetron models when frozen products form a significant part of your offer.
• Employ certified accessories to safeguard both performance and brand reputation.
• Integrate cleaning routines, spatial planning, and regulatory compliance into your operational design from the outset.

In Europe’s dynamic and highly competitive food service sector, where guests value both speed and consistency, the right choice of speed oven is not an indulgence—it is a strategic investment in competitiveness and reliability.

Understand the key differences between conventional ovens and speed ovens—read our full content.