MASTERRANGE SMOKEHOUSE
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I’m Ken Trosterman, from Town Food Service Equipment. Today, I’d like to introduce you to Town wok ranges, our signature line of equipment. In the near-century we’ve been in business, Town Wok Ranges have become the preeminent wok range manufacturer in the United States. Our thoughtful customizations of the units bring Town to the forefront of Chinese ranges.
Town Wok ranges are listed by ETF and NSF for use in the United States and Canada.
The MasterRange is our top-of-the-line wok range. It features firebrick insulation, which is very durable. These bricks have infrared characteristics, allowing them to absorb heat, and then radiate it back to the wok pan. Fire bricks allow you to achieve higher heat levels, which cooks the food faster, and keeps the wok chambers consistently hot. This insulation is ideal for high-volume restaurants, as cooking times are faster.
The York range is our most popular range. York ranges have all the features that the MasterRange does, and can be customized the same way, except instead of firebrick insulation, the York has fiber ceramic insulation. While fiber ceramic doesn’t absorb heat like the fire brick, it excellently contains it, and focuses all the heat to the wok. The ceramic insulation is easily-replaceable.
The EcoDeck is our patented, waterless wok range. This range doesn’t require water to cool the deck, as traditional wok ranges do. On the EcoDeck model, the spray bar is mounted underneath the plate shelf. A timed plunger valve, mounted on top of the plate shelf, gives on-demand water bursts, allowing chefs to wash the deck throughout the day. A bypass valve, located on the front panel, can be used to release water for an extended period of time, allowing for end-of-service cleaning. Based on the national average utility bill, a 2-3 chamber EcoDeck nearly pays for itself within 2 years, due to the water-saving efficiencies. This unit has fewer options available, due to its specialized engineering.
Our wok ranges can be supplied to use either natural or propane gas. They’re pre-plumbed with a water regulator. Depending on the gas pressure in the building, a first-stage gas line regulator might also be necessary. They are not included.
You have a choice of either our standard steel deck, or a stainless steel deck. The standard deck is made of 3 /16″ thick steel, making it more cost-effective, though it may require an annual painting to ensure it doesn’t corrode. The standard option requires more maintenance, and is best-suited for prep areas, where use isn’t as high volume.
Most people opt for stainless steel decks. The 12-gauge stainless steel deck is laminated with a 12-gauge hot rolled steel plate, to prevent warping. This feature extends the surface life of the range. The stainless steel deck easily accommodates continuous, high-volume use. It’s self-sustaining and easier to maintain, which is why it’s the preferred material by most end users. The stainless steel decks also look nicer and more polished, making for a beautiful presentation for front-of-the-house cooking. All ranges come with a stainless steel spray bar, which is used to clean the deck and for active cooling. The spray bar is mounted underneath the plate shelf, or, with the waterfall backsplash option, on top of the backsplash.
We have standard rear gutters, but offer the front gutter as an option. The front gutter, with waterfall, is stunning if your wok range faces your guests. The functional waterfall is lovely, and makes the unit extremely attractive to your clients. Waterfall backsplashes use more water, so they’re not recommended for EcoDeck models. We also have low-height backsplash ranges, or low boys as they’re commonly called, as an option. If the wok range is on display, pedestal faucets are ideal for this setup, so the faucets aren’t obstructing the view of the chef at work.
A front-access, pullout stainless steel mesh strainer collects debris, captured in the water wash flow, for easy removal. A 5″ wide strainer is standard, with a larger 10″ wide version available, as an option.
We have flue non-flue options available. The flue system takes excess heat from the chambers, and a exhaust it upwards, away from the shaft. Without a flue, excess heat is vented from the chambers themselves, without being directed upwards. Flues certainly make the chefs more comfortable, but they also require a deeper footprint. We also have casters as an available option. We might recommend cross-bracing some units, to ensure long-term stability.
We have both Mandarin and Cantonese chambers available. Each range is fitted with the number of chambers you need. We can fashion ranges from one to six chambers, and, sometimes seven, depending on the size of the chambers. If more than one ranges is necessary, we can use what we call a battery, to seamlessly connect multiple ranges together.
Wok rings are made of solid cast iron, which is far more durable than welded stainless steel. They also retain heat well. These rings give chefs something more substantial to rest their woks on, and can withstand the constant use of a busy Chinese kitchen. The Mandarin wok ring is slanted, which works with the chef, helping them to flip and toss food in the wok. Our wok ranges come standard with standing pilots. We also have the option of a pilot-safety system, which is mandated in some jurisdictions.
In Asian cooking, it’s all about the heat, and the quality of the heat. To a chef, this is as important as the tools he uses. The chef wants to attain wok hei, which literally translates into “breath of the wok.”
Town offers as an option, several small, uninsulated warming chambers. They can be used for water, soup, stock or oil. They can be supplied with gas heat, flue heat or residual heat, just of the deck, retained from the heat of the other wok cooking burners in the range.
Chinese Auto-Flo faucets come standard with each chamber on our ranges. Chinese faucets only run water when they’re placed over the wok chamber. When the chef no longer needs water, he or she usually uses a shovel or a ladle, to whack them over to one side or the other of the wok, to shut them off. Chinese Auto-Flo faucets come standard with each chamber on our ranges, though we have manual faucets for increased flow volume, with the use of accessories such as stock pots. We also have several types of remotely-controlled faucets, that can be controlled by a foot pedal, or valve-controlled.
Solid brass gas valves, with molded, cast-aluminum, knee-operable “L” handles, last longer than plastic, and stay tight and secure, even after prolonged usage. The only valve maintenance, is to periodically clean and lubricate the valves, to keep them from corroding, over time.
Along with working strongly with our dealers, we enjoy creating and collaborating with restaurateurs, and consultants, in order to educate them on Asian equipment, resulting in the perfect design specifications. However, when all is said and done, Town is always here for our family of range owners. For any questions, or issues that may arise, simply call or write us an email sales@townfood.com. Town also offers all of the accessories that complement our wok ranges. We carry beautiful, authentic wok pans, shovels and ladles, steamer baskets, stock pots, chopsticks, strainers and skimmers, and so much more! All of our products are available online.
You can also confighttps://townfood.comure your own custom wok range on our website.
