Executive Summary
5011.03.23
iii
Food Service Technology Center
The Food Service Technology Center (FSTC) tested the Groen Vortex, Model
VRC-6E connectionless electric steamer under the controlled conditions of the
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) Standard Test Method
for the Performance of Steam Cookers.
1
Steamer performance was
characterized by preheat duration and energy consumption, idle energy rate,
cooking energy rate and efficiency, production capacity, water consumption,
and condensate temperature from product testing. Cooking tests were
conducted with frozen green peas and grade B red potatoes in accordance with
ASTM test materials specifications for weight, size, and water content.
1
Since
the Vortex was not configured with an automatic water fill option or
condensate drain, researchers did not monitor water consumption and
condensate temperature for these tests.
The Groen Vortex, Model VRC-6E is one of the best electric connectionless
steamers tested to date at the FSTC. The Vortex performed outstandingly
compared with other connectionless steamers thanks to its unprecedented
heavy load (6 pan) cooking-energy efficiencies for frozen green peas (91.5%)
and red potatoes (71.0%). The Vortex also earns high marks for impressive
heavy load production capacities of 94.5 lb/h for frozen green peas and
116.2 lb/h for red potatoes.
Cooking-energy efficiency is a measure of how much of the energy that an
appliance consumes is actually delivered to the food product during the
cooking process. Cooking-energy efficiency is therefore defined by the
following relationship:
1
American Society for Testing and Materials, 1999. Standard Test Method for the Perform-
ance of Steam Cookers. ASTM Designation F1484-99, in the Annual Book of ASTM Stan-
dards, West Conshohocken, PA.
