I have the great opportunity to work as an intern at High Sabatino & Associates over the winter. On my first day, I was thrown into the excitement of a Rational Demonstration for their combi-oven called the SelfCookingCenter.

I was tasked with taking photos and videos of the demonstration. At first, I wasn’t too excited, that is until I was given my first plate of food.

The demonstration was performed by Rational Area Sales Manager, Chef Pete Schellenbach and the end-result (food) of the demo was amazing. Here are my top four takeaways from my first day at High Sabatino & Associates.

1. Combi-ovens are incredible machines.

I have cooked with steam and I have cooked with a convection oven, however, until beginning this internship, I had never really heard of a combi-oven. What it does is take all the great aspects of steam and convection ovens and combines them into one fantastic machine. When you steam something such as chicken, it cooks quickly but it doesn’t have that golden-brown color on the outside that we all crave. When you cook with a convection oven, it uses dry, hot air to cook the chicken, causing it to lose a lot of moisture but giving the chicken that crispy, golden outside. A combi-oven is going to give you that tender, juicy chicken AND that beautiful golden outside. This brings me to my next point.

2. Rational is a step above the rest.

You could say that Rational has several competitors out there that are producing combi-ovens, but none compare to the Rational SelfCookingCenter. Chef Pete Schellenbach says “you don’t need to know how to cook something in a Rational to get it to come out right”. The best part about the SelfCookingCenter is its ease of use. From the photos on the control panel to the self-adjusting cook time feature, it is almost impossible for you to fail. All of this makes sense considering Rational only produces combi-ovens, meaning that every engineer they employ is working to better the combi-oven that they invented in 1976. 

3. Every kitchen needs a Rational SelfCookingCenter

I have worked in several restaurants over the last six years, and I’ve never seen something quite like Rational’s SelfCookingCenter. This piece of equipment saves you major money! It saves time, food cost, and allows for a better utilization of labor. Features such as overnight roast and the ability to cook multiple different items at once are major time savers. Food cost is one of the biggest money factors in the restaurant business; the SelfCookingCenter increases yield by 20% or more. It also cooks with such consistency that it reduces the amount of waste produced. The SelfCookingCenter optimizes labor by allowing the chefs’ time to be used more efficiently. Instead of spending their time making sure that the chicken is cooked perfectly, they can be doing something more productive. The machine essentially pays for itself with all of the money it saves you.

4. I am going to gain 20 pounds if High Sabatino & Associates continues to have these demonstrations

I was probably handed about six different plates of food while I was working during the demo. Chef Pete cooked just about everything under the sun to show what the SelfCookingCenter could do. He started out with the most beautiful rare roast, then he “pan-fried” breaded chicken tenders and eggplant, which turned out deliciously crispy and juicy. After that he steamed salmon, which was cooked perfectly, with some vegetables. The fourth entrée of this 7-course meal was filet mignon with golden potatoes. The most surprising thing he made, though, had to be the basil pesto tortellini with shrimp, asparagus, and goat cheese. I have never even imagined being able to cook pasta in an oven, it blew my mind. Of course, the last course was everyone’s favorite, chocolate chip cookies.

To recap: Chef Pete roasted, steamed,” fried”, boiled, and baked several different types of food in one incredible piece of equipment; Rational is the top of line when it comes to combi-ovens; if you are planning on opening a restaurant, plan on getting a Rational SelfCookingCenter; and lastly, if you are going to be attending a Rational Demo at High Sabatino & Associates, show up with an empty stomach.

Don't take my word for it. Check out the Rational SelfCookingCenter for yourself.