Re: Ferris Wheel Style Ovens…A well beated down subject.
Reel type ovens are commonly used in the Chicago area for baking pizzas. One great advantage of the reel type oven over other oven designs, is their capacity when long baking times are the order of the day. Keep in mind that in Chicago, it is common to bake a thin crust pizza for 25-minutes or more, and a pan style may be baked for 40-minutes or more. I was raised with these ovens in both the baking indusrty (they’re the back bone of many retail bakeries) and in the pizza industry (I’m from Chicago). I few things that “mother” never told you about these ovens will help you to keep repairs to an absolute minimum, over the life of the oven, which is historically, a very long time. Always run the onen in reverse (shelf moves from top to bottom when viewed at the door) during the warm-up and cool down periods. Yes, you read that right, cool down period. When you are done baking, turn the heat off, and reverse the rotation direction of the oven while it is cooling down. The reason for this is to allow the shelf bearing to wear evenly. Periodically, lubricate the shelf bearings. Check with the manufacturer for the type of lubricant (generally graphite), and the frequency of lubrication, and you should be good to go for many years. Also, the stone, or composite deck is the most commonly used when baking pizzas.
Tom Lehmann/The Dough Doctor
