Accelerated-Cooking Pioneer Unveils 'Matchbox Oven'

DALLAS -- Phil McKee, the inventor of the original TurboChef oven--the first entry in what became an entirely new class of products referred to as accelerated-cooking technologies--has developed his next "step-change innovation" in the field. As founder and CEO of Ovention Inc., McKee is introducing the Matchbox oven, built around a change in product handling and oven management that he said enables a new level of cooking performance, throughput, menu diversity and ease of use for a single device.

"When I founded Ovention, we had one goal in mind: to bring world-class innovation to commercial operators to help them dramatically grow their businesses," said McKee in a statement released by the company. "To meet that goal, you have to be willing to break through preconceived technology limitations if you are to create new solutions to the old problems that have doggedly hampered operator growth. The Matchbox does that in spades."

The Matchbox features two cooking surfaces that broil, bake, grill or toast. The dual cooking surfaces and temperature controls make the oven suitable for use across a variety of cooking applications and kitchen environments, including those found in convenience stores, fast-casual restaurants, pizza chains, burger joints and fine dining.

According to the Dallas-based company, benefits of the Matchbox include:

• Superior Cooking:Imagine cooking a breakfast sandwich, pizza, fresh veggies, chicken panini, chocolate chip cookies and fresh shrimp one after another, perfectly and nonstop.
• Immediate Variable Temperatures:Change temperatures by up to 100 degrees instantly; cook at 450 degrees, bake at 375 degrees and then cook again at 465 degrees in a matter of seconds.
• Self-Loading/One-Touch Controls:Through a breakthrough in product handling and oven management, the Ovention Matchbox establishes a new standard in ease of use.
• Faster Service Times:The Ovention Matchbox moves food quickly in and out of the oven. Food is done much faster than if cooked in any conventional oven platform.
• Lower Operating Cost:Ovention ovens are so efficient, energy usage and heat extraction costs drop by 50%, saving thousands of dollars annually.
• No Hood Required:With Ovention's revolutionary closed cooking system and UL certified ventless operation, operators can install the Matchbox anywhere, including stacked on one another.
• Smaller Kitchen Footprint:Variable cook times, temperatures and heat profiles mean the Matchbox does the work of conveyor, convection and toaster ovens, as well as broilers, grills and Panini presses.
• No Microwaves:Food quality is exceptional when cooked in an Ovention Oven, even though service times are comparable to traditional rapid-cook ovens.