We’ve had quite the year here at White’s foodservice Equipment. Even in unprecedented times, this year has been full of so many milestones and events. Join us as we go through our memories of 2021...

Delivery Improvements

Way back in May, we changed our main delivery method for online orders to DPD. This was due to most of our customers choosing DPD as their preferred courier. Not only do you now benefit from helpful delivery notifications, but also benefit from the super-fast service. We continue to use UPS and Parcelforce for the items they specialise in delivering safely – long and large parcels such as pizza peels and brushes.

Charity Donation

May was a busy month for us, a special highlight for us this was when White’s Foodservice Equipment director, Tim White was pleased to donate to help educate students in Ghana, Guatemala, and Laos. Through the organisations Canguro English and Pencils for Promise, Tim’s donation helped these dedicated organisations provide a quality education to children around the world.

Expansion

Not only did we grow a lot last year, but we doubled in size – literally! We bought the Unit next door to ours, so now we run across both Unit 7 & Unit 8, Padgets Lane. This meant brand new offices, even more vehicles and delivery vans, a new mezzanine, and a breath-taking showroom that has doubled in size. And with all this growth, in June, Whites Foodservice Equipment had the pleasure of being featured in an article in the Redditch Standard.

Newbies

With the expansion came the need for some newbies to join the team. In 2021 we welcomed 8 brand new members of staff! We welcomed Tom in the warehouse, Jayne and Vikki in Accounts, Sergio our new Pizza Chef, Pav in Marketing as well as Yosha, Simon, and Luke, our lovely new engineers.

Zio Ciro Area

One of our most special achievements this year is the brand new Ziro Ciro Outdoor Area we now have! This gives us an opportunity to showcase these stunning pieces of equipment and a chance to show off their full potential in a beautiful outdoor area. For a proper look, have a peek at our Instagram.

The European Pizza and Pasta show

As Autumn approached, so did the highly anticipated European Pizza and Pasta Show at Olympia London. Designed to help bring together pizza makers and pizza lovers by INTER Expos Limited in association with PAPA – Pizza, Pasta and Italian Food Association. We have many highlights from this event, for a closer look at our team showcasing their skills, you can see our photos on our website or on our Instagram.

Festive Fun

It is very clear which time of year is the favourite by all our staff here at White’s. The entire team were very enthused to get into the festive spirit. You may have already seen from this from our social media. As well as decorating the offices, the team came together to celebrate #christmasjumperday.

2021 was most definitely an eventful year for us here at White’s. We would like to thank you for all of the support we have received over this year. We hope you can continue to grow with us not only in 2022, but for many years to come.

Have you seen our new website? It was designed with you in mind!

Clean, crisp, professional - yet simple. Not only is the design new & improved, but we have made it even easier to navigate and access. Over the years we have increased our product offering, and now have hundreds & hundreds of accessories available for immediate dispatch. For this reason, our Online Shop menu needed refreshing – we hope you now find it even easier to navigate and find what you need much more quickly.

So go ahead – take a peek here!

Everything you need, when you need it.

Don’t worry – we haven’t changed our incredible range of products and services on offer . We still have everything you need on our website and more. This includes our huge range of pizza accessories, our tried & tested market leading equipment, the helpful servicing and parts section and our highly sought-after pizza consultancy and training.

Ordering made easy with our new layout!

After you find what you need, you can now order using our seamless system. Pay with PayPal Checkout, credit or debit card, or (coming soon) Pay in 3 via PayPal. Made for your convenience we have made ordering easier than ever before. But if for any reason you need to get in touch, you can easily find the Contact Us and Support buttons, also thanks to our new simple website design.

Connect to us no matter where you are. Let’s get social!

Scroll down at any time on our website and you will find our “Stay in the loop!” feature. Click on any of the icons and be instantly transported to our socials. You can follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and spend hours getting lost in all our YouTube Videos.

Now all our social media are easy to jump to.

We would love to know what you think. Feel free to let us know on any of our socials!

A peel to suit the needs of each and every pizza maker

Different sizes, shapes, materials - perforated or smooth, different head and handle sizes. Large launching peels for - you guessed it! - launching your pizza into your oven; small turning peels for turning your pizza while baking, and removing it from the oven when cooked to perfection. 

A wide range of choice

Gi Metal offer a wide range of peels to suit the needs of each and every pizza maker. Different styles and sizes to suit:

AZZURRA
A complete line which is characterised by lightness, extreme strength and flexibility. The Azzurra line is able to satisfy any need of the professional pizza maker, and is our most popular selling line by Gi Metal. A wide range of accessories - peels, turning peels, brushes, pizza-by-the-metre peels... Azzurra has something for every professional kitchen. 

EVOLUZIONE
Evoluzione is enriched with the characteristics of the Azzurra Line - lightness and flexibility - combined with a brand new and improved perforation design. The new arrangement of the holes increase performance in terms of smoothness and draining of the flour. The new aesthetic details offer style and elegance. The Special Hard Anodising gives maximum performance in terms of heat resistance, smoothness and durability. 

NAPOLETANA
A line designed to meet the needs of pizza makers who make pizza in the traditional Neapolitan style - in ovens at very high temperatures and at the maximum frequency of use. Enhanced material, special circular perforation and laser engraving make this tool unique. AVPN Approved to make true Neapolitan Pizza.

AMICA
A complete range for residential use - designed for private users who use their pizza oven only occasionally, or as a hobby. A range of lightweight, quality and handy tools.

GLUTEN FREE
A line dedicated for pizza makers who make gluten-free pizza for their coeliac customers. This range maintains the characteristics of the Azzurra line, but distinguishes it with the green colour and easily identifiable Gluten Free logo. Exclusive use, differentiated tools designed specially to make your kitchen a safer place. Tools that are instantly recognisable in the working environment. 

Which size head?

Within all of the above ranges by Gi Metal you will be able to find a peel head size that is right for you and the pizza you are creating. Standard sizes include the following: 33x33cm, 36x36cm, 41x41cm, 45x45cm or 50x50cm. 

The Azzurra Line has a pizza peel head which is only 30x30cm - this is perfect for most home ovens and small professional electric ovens, placed inside or in your own outdoor space, garden or terrace. The Amica line also has smaller peels which are more competitively priced, such as the 32x30cm designed for occasional use. 

We also have a wide range of peels for Pizza-by-the-Metre - peels as large as 110cm x 40cm. Alternatively, we have a range of peels to suit non-standard shaped pizza, or peels for bakeries and Romana pizza. 

Which size handle?

The length of the handle depends mainly on 3 variables:

CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OVEN
In general we can say that the handle must be long enough to avoid burns. Therefore the type of oven (electric / wood / gas / tunnel), its opening and the depth of the oven mouth are the 3 characteristics that influence the choice of the peel. The shorter handle is recommended for tunnel ovens and small bar ovens. A mid-length handle is suggested for professional electric ovens, while the long handles are suitable for large artisan ovens.
We stock all peels in a standard handle length - we cut the handles down free of charge for all of our customers - both launching peels and turning peels. Just give us a call or place a note in the NOTES section when ordering online stating the total length you would like the peel - from head to end of handle. 

TYPE OF PIZZA
Gi Metal peels can be used for all types of pizza, but some are designed to be used with particular types of pizza. For the classic standard pizza we recommend the heads 33 and 36 cm, while for the maxi sizes we recommend the heads from 41 to 50 cm. For special pizza formats (by the meter, in pala, Roman) Gi Metal offers specific peels and perforated boards.

THE SPACE AROUND THE OVEN
If the movement space outside the oven is very limited, we recommend a peel/ small peel with a short handle. If, on the other hand, there are no space problems, the standard length is 150cm, which we keep stock of as standard. The maximum length available is 200cm, recommended for deep ovens and no limits or constraints for the exit manoeuvre - we can order this specially for you with an average lead time of 6 weeks, however, the standard handles suit the majority of professional kitchens.

If you need any further help choosing the peel that's right for you, your oven and your pizza, please don't hesitate to get in touch! One of our team will be happy to help: 01527 528841. 

How to make Neapolitan Pizza... using your oven at home!

(With short proving time on your dough at room temperature.)

RECIPE MAKES 3x 12" PIZZAS

You will need: a pizza stone OR a flat oven tray.

 DOUGH INGREDIENTS:

(We will leave the sauce and toppings down to your preferences!)

• 500g of 00 italian flour (medium strong)
• 300ml cold water
• 15g fine salt (sea salt preferably)
• 15g extra virgin olive oil
• 5g white sugar
• 2g fresh yeast

When making authentic Neapolitan pizza we do not normally use any oil or sugar. However, as we are making Neapolitan pizza using a home oven (which cannot reach the usual high temperature for Neapolitan pizza), we will use these two ingredients to help colour the dough. If you don't add these two ingredients when cooking at 220°C we will have a pale, dry crust - we are looking for a golden, fragrant crust with a soft and fluffy crumb.

METHOD:

First, we take the large bowl and add all of the water.

Next, we stir the sugar into the water.

Add 250g of the flour and the yeast to the sugar water.

Mix it all together with a large spoon.

Once the mixture is all formed together, we can add the salt and the oil.

Now, keep mixing while adding the remainder of the flour.

Once the ingredients are all mixed together fully, remove the mixture from the bowl and place on a clean work surface.

Once the dough is consistent and smooth, you can cover with a damp cloth for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes, cut and divide the dough into 3 smaller dough balls. Each dough ball should weigh approximately 260g each.

Round the dough into balls and put them in a small plastic container. (If you don't have one you can use a damp cloth again, however make sure to keep the cloth moist otherwise the dough balls will lose moisture and get a dry skin which will ruin the pizza.)

Leave the dough to prove at room temperature for 6-8 hours before baking.

Up to 1 hour before baking, heat your pizza stone/flat oven tray as hot as you can get it.

If you have a pizza paddle and pizza stone, stretch out the pizza, load it on the paddle (dusted with flour first), add the sauce and the toppings and slide the pizza into the oven on the hot stone. Cook for 5/6 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

If you do not have a pizza paddle or pizza stone, stretch then load the pizza onto the hot flat oven tray covered with baking paper, put on your sauce and toppings and place in the oven until the crust is golden brown.

In every pizzeria beside the oven you will find the dough mixer! These two pieces of equipment are essential in every pizzeria and bakery. There are three different types of dough mixers commercially available: 

–     Fork Mixer

–     Twin arm Mixer

–     Spiral Mixer

The most widely used for pizza dough are the twin arm and the spiral mixer for their ability to oxygenate the dough and create a tight gluten mesh, giving better structure to the dough and allowing flour hydration (up to 100%).

The fork mixer, despite its success in the past the is now not widely used by the pizza chef. One reason is that it is a slow mixer (increased heat energy) and it can only mix dough with water content up to 58% – 60% maximum. The other reason why the fork mixer is in decline is due to the advancements in the spiral mixer – the pizza world and market has evolved, pizza chefs now have more knowledge and approach dough-making in a different way. They are less likely to follow the crowd and more inclined to research and learn themselves.

We will look at the twin arm mixer later in a future blog and for this one we wish to concentrate on the spiral mixer.

THE SPIRAL MIXER 

Used in both artisan and industrial environments the spiral mixer is a machine that mixes flour with water, yeast and other ingredients.

The spiral mixer consists of a steel cylindrical-shaped bowl with a shaft in the middle and a steel spiral which is the main working organ. What distinguishes this machine from the planetary mixer is the double movement. Both the bowl, which rotates clockwise or anticlockwise on its axis during the mixing phase, and the spiral that rotates around its vertical axis. This double movement therefore facilitates the kneading, making it soft and homogeneous. To give greater elasticity to the dough is the fixed central shaft, that is, a dough-breaker arm that prevents the compound from becoming a single block of dough.

The spiral mixer is recommended especially for dough that needs a good structured mixing process, such as soft doughs, for example that of bread or pizza.

Which type of Spiral mixer to choose for Pizza?

There are hundreds of different spiral mixers commercially available on the market with different dough capacity and different prices. So, which one is the best mixer?

Benjamin Franklin once wrote:

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

Using a professional spiral mixer has its tangible and certainly quantifiable advantages. A professional spiral mixer is certainly vital to support an important amount of work, having a more robust motor and more suitable to continuous use daily.

Other features that distinguish a professional mixer from a medium-low end one concerns the materials and strength. Weight is certainly a factor that offers an indication regarding strength and components but observing the quality of materials used in the production is an important part of an analysis that should be as accurate and thorough as possible. In a professional machine designed for use in pizzerias., the bowl, the rotation shaft, are all components produced in heavy duty stainless steel.

The spiral, which generates a pressure from top to bottom (based on the shape of the spiral itself), and the presence of a central shaft that serves to hold and better expose the dough to the spiral itself. The spaces/distance between spiral and shaft in a high performance mixer is very tight.

The round bowl in heavy duty stainless steel helps to gather the flour from the bottom of the bowl, moreover the heavy duty stainless steel bowl reduces the vibrations to a minimum, lowering the heat during the kneading phase. The more economic mixers tend to overheat the dough much more compared with a more expensive, professional mixer.

SINGLE SPEED OR DOUBLE SPEED?

Another important factor to be assessed is the speed. Professional high-performance spiral mixers have 2 speed or in certain cases there are some machines you can regulate the speed of the bowl and spiral up to 18 different speeds.

Having the option to change the speed is essential in order to produce high hydration dough or indirect method such as using “biga” or sourdough. In most top range spiral mixers with more than one speed, they will be equipped with a bowl-reverse system which allows the bowl to rotate in both directions. This is vital to create “biga” or to help take the dough out from the mixer once it is ready.

The first speed is generally used for the initial mixture of ingredients, the second for giving structure to the dough creating a stronger bond between the gluten’s proteins. Moreover, it helps to oxygenate the dough giving a bigger volume to the final products.

In summary, using a professional high-performance professional mixer allows us to:

–      Make every kind of dough easily.

–      Obtain more yield from our flour.

–      Have longer shelf life in our dough.

–      Reduce the mixing time.

–      Increases quality and consistency of our dough.

–      Increases profitability and productivity.

“For me, it is a simple recommendation to make and that is, if you want to run a professional pizza business – buy a professional mixer!”

–      Davide D’Auria

The very first wood oven… without wood!

The Scugnizzonapoletana Electric Pizza Oven.

White’s are delighted to add the Scugnizzonapoletana professional electric pizza oven to their range. The Scugnizzo is the very first oven that cooks like a woodburning oven… without using any wood!

Designed and created in Naples by Giuseppe Krauss, the oven uses only high quality materials and components to produce an oven that bakes perfect Neapolitan pizza in 60 seconds time after time. The open fronted oven is designed to be a centre piece of a pizzeria. It was created not only to give the wow factor, but to be able to cope during the busiest periods in a restaurant. It is perfect for premises where the extraction of gas or wood ovens proves expensive or problematic.

The oven operates at a constant temperature of 440-460 degrees Celsius without the need for an oven door. Perfect insulation enables the oven to offer maximum performance with minimum energy.

Available in 3 sizes with chambers that hold between 4 and 9 33cm diameter pizzas. The oven can be supplied complete or in 2 pieces to be fitted together on site if access is difficult.

We shall be exhibiting the oven and cooking live at the forthcoming HRC Show at ExCel London – 3^rd-5^thMarch 2020. Stand number P431.

The oven is also available to test in our fully operational showroom in Redditch.

Available exclusively in the UK from White’s Foodservice Equipment Ltd.

To view more information on these ovens click here.

A busy week last week saw us install 2 new Marana ovens in quick succession:

Back in September 2019 we installed a Marana Forni 150 rotating genius oven in Yard Sale Pizza's new Hackney Road store. Loving everything about it, they asked us to remove their current UK manufactured oven in their Walthamstow store and replace it with yet another 150 Marana oven. With a quick turnaround in a tight space the work was finished in a very busy 18 hours, and after some time for curing they re-opened for business 2 days later, serving up their fantastic pizzas to existing and new customers alike. 

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Last year the guys at Baz & Fred purchased the rotating Marana Forni 95 and 110 models. One was installed in one of their wedding venues, and the other in their now famous pub in the Cotswolds - The Stump. So when Baz & Fred were looking to re-locate to a new stall at Flat Iron Square they only had one oven in mind. On Friday we installed the model 95 Marana Forni rotating oven and after curing and testing over the weekend, they opened on Monday the 20th January 2020 - much to the delight of their pizza-starved patrons!

We wish both stores best of luck and lots of fun with their new Marana Forni pizza ovens! 

Did you know we offer Extraction & Duct Cleaning Services? 

One of our stores asked us to carry out extracting and duct cleaning services for them. Here's the result:

If you'd like to enquire about this or any of our other services please call 01527 528841 and one of our team will be happy to help.