New GEA CookStar 1000 for roasted, crispy-coated & smoked products

GEA launches its new CookStar 1000 spiral oven for manufacturers of roasted, crispy-coated, and smoked products. The new oven is the next generation of the same trusted technology that has led the market for nearly 30 years, now with more power, precision, and performance.

GEA engineers have refined each aspect of the CookStar 1000 to deliver higher capacity, increased yield, improved product quality and consistency, more flexibility, and greater efficiency than its predecessors. These enhancements allow manufacturers to dry, steam, cook, roast, and smoke products in the same oven while increasing production, improving product quality, variety and reducing energy. Combined, these benefits add up to the most efficient spiral oven in the market.

More power, less energy consumption

According to GEA, the new CookStar 1000 generates up to 25% more heating capacity than previous versions, thanks to improved heat exchanger technology. This also translates into increased throughput – up to 25% more – along with improved color and crispiness, and all within the same footprint. The additional power is tempered to ensure optimal airflow across the entire 1000mm width of the belt, horizontally and vertically, which guarantees more even cooking, resulting in fewer over-cooked products and higher yield. The improved airflow and additional capacity also increase overall efficiency and reduces energy consumption.

Greater precision and control

Three-zone cooking with improved booster impingement and airflow efficiency, combined with a unique patented oven balancing system, opens up completely new regulation opportunities, said GEA. The active, intelligent exhaust concept moreover offers oven control with lower consumption of steam. The CookStar maintains the required dewpoint in each cooking chamber independent of external influences. Dewpoints can be set between 45 and 95 degrees Celsius (113 and 203 degrees Fahrenheit) at temperatures ranging from 50 to 250 C (122 to 482 F), as required by the recipe.

The updated, more intuitive, and larger control panel monitors all critical parameters improving the operator overview. Smart automation features enhance precision, improve technical availability and make the oven less dependent on the operator.

One for all

The CookStar 1000 is the only spiral cooker on the market that can dry, steam, cook, roast, and smoke products in a single machine while giving manufacturers ultimate control over each cooking zone for improved product quality and consistency, guaranteeing faster and more accurate roasting. Hence, products remain juicy on the inside, and breaded products remain crispy on the outside.

Smoking in minutes versus hours

Already available for third-generation GEA CookStar 600, but now also introduced on the CookStar 1000 is the possibility to in-line smoke products. This makes CookStar 1000 the world's only in-line spiral oven that can introduce freshly generated, purified natural smoke (from market-leading specialists in liquid smoke, Kerry/Red Arrow) into its airflow. This option opens many opportunities to create a distinct and customized flavor and attractive color while maintaining quality, consistency and meeting extended shelf-life requirements. Smoking time is cut from hours to minutes, making it easy for manufacturers to expand their portfolio to include fully-cooked, smoked products.

Longer life and less maintenance with Endurlon guiding strips

GEA introduces a new low-friction material for the guiding strips for the CookStar spiral ovens. The material, marketed under the name Endurlon, lasts up to four times longer than Teflon due to harder wearing and better temperature characteristics. Endurlon extends the guiding rails' service life by as much as four times, which significantly reduces maintenance costs while promoting high belt speeds (up to 30m/min) for products that require minimal cooking time.

The new CookStar 1000 complements GEA equipment for upstream operations such as: defrosting, marinating, loading, brine preparation, injection, mixing, forming, and coating; and downstream processes including freezing, packing, and oil recovery. A broad portfolio, combined with GEA's extensive process knowledge, allows manufacturers to configure entire lines from a single source, ensuring absolute consistency across all production parameters.