Expert: Arthur Mallett - 1/20/2004

Question
Dear Mr. Mallet,

My wife and I currently operate a catering company out of a 650sf commercial kitchen.  We have been approached by the  Chef of the Convention Center's comissary kitchen to produce pastries and desserts for their four restaurants.  We are interested in the business, but we would need a machine which presses short-crust dough into tart shells automatically.  We have a 140gt Hobart mixer and a full size rondo sheeter but recently spent four man-hour days lining 300 tart shells. The convention center often places orders for 500 to 1000 units. Do you know of such a machine and if so what kind of capital comittment is there?

Thanking you in advance;
Howard  

Answer
No problem, there are several machines which vary in size cost and throughput. Your best option is to contact a company called John Hunt in Bolton UK, you should find them via the web site or directory enquiries. Or look under second hand machines for this make. there are usually several available in the market place. Trade magazines usually have them in the for sale section at the back of the magazine (British Baker or Bakers Review are the two most common in the UK.
I think the best one for your requirements would be the 5 station model, which revolves around five moulding stations on a table top machine. I am not sure of the price but a new one would cost several thousands of pounds but a second hand one should be available for a few hundred.
Good hunting, dont gorget to stipulate the size and type of pastry case you need as there are quite a few different sizes and shapes and the heated version is best so that the pastry does not stick when it is being pressed