Blodgett Pizza Oven – A Potential Owner’s Guide to Baking Perfect Pizzas Every Time

Blodgett pizza ovens are industry leaders in the field of baking and cooking. Choosing the right model for your pizza baking business will ensure that you get the best performance for any given job. The following are some excerpts from the Blodgett gas oven 1048 model manual.

Blodgett Deck ovens have set industry-wide standards in terms of excellence for baking equipment quality, performance and reliability. When the ovens is properly installed and maintained, its simplicity in design and durable construction will ensure years of trouble free operation.

Main Parts of a Blodgett Pizza Oven
1.Ultra Rokite Deck – the stone deck that absorbs heat from below and cook the bottom of the product.
2.Steel Deck – also absorbs heat from below to cook the bottom of the product.
3.Deck Supports – for holding the oven decks.
4.Deck Seal – seals the gap between the deck and the front of the oven.
5.Control Panel – holds wiring and components for operating the oven.
6.Burner Compartment – found under the cooking chamber, encloses the combustion burners.
7.Combustion Burners – supplies heat to the baking chamber and the decks.
8.Deflector – redirects some heat from the combustion burners to the flue plates.
9.Flue Plates – found on the interior side walls of the cooking chamber. They conduct heat from the burners to the oven cavity. This heat cooks the top of the product before being vented from the oven.

The following guidelines should be followed to ensure airflow:
Place the oven in an area that is free of drafts.
Keep the oven area free and clear of all combustibles such as paper, cardboard, and flammable liquids and solvents.
Do not place the oven on a curb base or seal to a wall. This will restrict the flow of air and prevent proper ventilation.
Pilot outages or yellow, floating flames on the main burners are indicative of a lack of secondary air.
The oven must be installed with the legs supplied by the manufacturer.

Oven Operation:
Operating the 1048 Series Oven is as simple as 1, 2, 3 – Lighting, Preheating and Loading.

Lighting
1.Turn the MANUAL CONTROL VALVE to OFF.
2.Push the red button on the AUTOMATIC SAFETY PILOT VALVE.
3.Apply a lighted match or taper to pilot burner.
4.After pilot burner lights, continue to depress red button for about 30 seconds and release.
5.Turn the MANUAL CONTROL VALVE to ON.
6.Set THERMOSTAT to desired temperature.

Preheating
1.On initial startup, preheat the oven to 600°F (315°C) over a period of four hours in increments of 100°F(55°C) starting at 300°F (149°C).
2.Check the oven periodically. This will temper the Ultra Rokite shelves and burn off any oil and fiberglass residue.

NOTE: The 1048 (with Ultra Rokite shelves) will require an additional 20 minutes on a preheat to 600°F (315°C).

Loading
Pizza in pans should be placed in rotation on the shelf to allow it to recover its loss of heat from the previous bake.
Do not allow pans to touch each other or sides of oven.
Open doors as seldom as possible.

The deck is intended for cooking pizza and bread products, other types of food may be cooked in
pans or containers.

Cook Temperatures
Cook temperatures vary with different products. Experiment with the initial bakes until you find the ideal combination of time and temperature.

Example: Pizza Baking
1.Run several bakes at 500°F (260°C). Make note of the time required to achieve a firm crust.
2.If the cheese breaks down too quickly or scorches, lower the temperature and lengthen the bake time.
3.If faster production is desired, run additional bakes increasing the temperature by increments of 25°F(15°C).
4.Record the results to determine the highest temperature at which you can bake and achieve quality results with maximum production.

NOTE: Pull time is critical at high temperatures.

Cook Time
Cook times vary with the amount of product loaded, the type of pan and the temperature. Raising the temperature to lower the cook time is effective to a point. Then the quality of the bake begins to suffer.

Your Reliable Companion
A Blodgett pizza oven in your restaurant kitchen is an excellent companion for meeting the demands of your customers. Once completely installed and properly configured, you are free to concentrate your time and effort on making new pizza recipes or improving your old ones.