OUR CUSTOMERS
David Powell of Rich Bakery Products in the UK has seven Magnacoolers. What he particularly likes about the Magnacooler is that cooling time doesn't take any longer than the baking time, while products have better flavour and extended shelf life.
George McKay of SM Baynes, near Edinburgh, says 'it’s the best piece of bakery equipment he's ever bought.'
Siobhan and Maura Kearney run Kearney's Home Baking in Ballyhahill, Co Limerick. They formed their scratch bakery in 1992, after achieving diplomas in bakery production and management at the National Bakery School in Dublin. Now they supply many of the leading convenience stores and foodservice providers. They were among the first customers to buy a Magnacooler. Siobhan explains: "We first saw the Magnacooler at IBA in Germany six years ago, then again at the last IBA bakery show. Before we bought one, we used to cool the bakery products down with fans, transferring them from baking trays to cooling racks, like most bakers do. But now the racks go straight from the oven to the Magnacooler, where filtered cool air is brought in from outside the bakery and mixed with the air in the cooler. As the cool air mixes with the warm moist air coming from the products, it prevents any more moisture migrating from the products, giving better and more moist goods with a naturally longer shelf life of approximately 20%."We don't use preservatives, mould inhibitors or artificial colours," says Siobhan. "If our breads, tarts, scones and porter cake lasted 5-8 days before we had the Magnacooler, we now gain an extra day or two."
Another advantage pointed out by the Kearneys is that, as moisture is not released from the product, it can be scaled at a lower weight at least 2% lower. There are also fewer bacteria, and cooling complies with HACCP standards. Other benefits, according to Siobhan's sister Maura, are a better flavour and texture, while using the Magnacooler also saves on labour, space and cleaning and you can slice and pack the goods faster. So an item that might usually be ready in 16 minutes is actually ready in six when you have a cooler. If the baker is using a deck oven, then the trays should be placed on a cooling rack and wheeled into the Magnacooler. Antoon adds that the Magnacooler works as well in Seville, Spain where the ambient temperature can be +47°C, as it does in Helsinki, Finland, where it might be -42°C. "The Magnacooler is a mighty piece of equipment and comes in different sizes for different bakeries. It certainly pays its way, it boosts competitiveness and profits and, like all the best equipment, will last a lifetime.
Sylvia McDonald – British Baker Magazine.