Conventional baking in the kitchen – Igor Macchia

“A technologically advanced oven not only allows us to obtain healthier and tastier products, but also helps us to standardise processes and facilitate the work of the whole team”.

The in-depth appointments on baking with the great professionals belonging to our #RoadToSmartBaking community is back. After Chef Franco Aliberti, we propose an interview with Chef Igor Macchia of La Credenza Group, to which SP143 and Casa Format – the sustainable cooking and responsible hospitality project in Orbassano (TO) – are linked.
In this interview, the Chef reveals how the energy efficiency of serieS was crucial in obtaining the Michelin Green Star:

 serieS is SP143’s oven, the Group’s contemporary pizzeria: how do you use it?
Casa Format and SP143 are in the same complex and in a continuous culinary exchange. With serieS we mainly bake different types of pizza, as well as preparing bread for Casa Format with the pizzeria’s dough.

How does the oven help you in the preparation of the line?
A technologically advanced oven with a performance as good as that guaranteed by serieS not only helps us obtain healthier and better products, but also standardises processes and facilitates the work of the whole team.

What is your experience with Moretti Forni technology?
The SP143 project, as a pizza restaurant, was our first experience. Being able to work with such a high-performance professional oven was a surprise when we started to use it, because the oven immediately proved to be very high-performing and with a very important production capacity, allowing us to work very well. In addition, I was very pleased with the efficiency of the after-sales service, which is certainly a key aspect for any business.

You work every day with serieS and we have also seen you at work on the new serieX range with the ‘Pork Loin in Three Cookings’: why did you choose a deck oven for this preparation?
We presented an idea, rather than a dish, linked to the three restaurants in our group: a gourmet restaurant, La Credenza, a more sustainable and green restaurant, Casa Format, and the SP143 pizzeria.
Hence the decision to take full advantage of serieS technical features, which, by keeping all the heat inside the chamber for a long time, not only reduces consumption during service to a minimum, but also gives us the possibility of exploiting it for subsequent cooking such as the one we have proposed.
The pork loin, in fact, can be placed directly in the switched-off oven after having been used for pizza: instead of the classic low-temperature cooking in the roner, to be even more sustainable, we use the residual heat of the oven, put the loin in the oven and let it cook. Once ready, it is divided into three parts: the ‘nobler’ cut for La Credenza, the side cut for Casa Format, and the ‘trim’ part of the whole loin is used in the pizzeria.
A way to use 100% of the pork loin, have no waste and be more sustainable.

What is the added value of a deck oven in this preparation?
The versatility of these ovens allows us to bake both leavened products and gastronomy in the best possible way. The loin, in fact, is cooked entirely ‘in caduta’ – when the temperature of the oven slowly decreases ed. – and then regenerated at the moment of serving, obviously always with serieS. By increasing the power of the top heating elements, we bring the loin back to its original state, so that it keeps the same crispness on the outside and softness on the inside, preserving and retaining all the cooking juices and liquids.
The pizza, on the other hand, is first pre-baked, then cut in half and at the time of serving and regenerated in the oven with the toppings inside, in this case the loin.
In general, I think that conventional baking is also an added value in food service. Today, with the launch of the latest, more compact models, Moretti Forni has also managed to overcome the issue of fitting into smaller kitchens, taking a further step forward.

Did you enjoy this interview? Don’t miss the next one, we will be hosting Chef Aurora Mazzucchelli!