With the winter weather come
thoughts of tropical climates and 80⁰ getaways.
For many of us, that means plans to take cruises. With these plans come thoughts of the gourmet
foods that, safely aboard, we can sample (or in some cases, over-sample at the
expense of a few pounds) around the clock.
Invariably, thoughts about quality and timeliness of the food are big
factors when considering what cruise-line to take in the Caribbean or Aegean: lukewarm
rubber chicken is not an option!
Come to think of it, you might even wonder how luxury
cruise-lines (or banquet facilities and restaurants) can possibly cook your
medium-rare prime rib or Chilean sea-bass so perfectly, and do so while
providing for dozens, if not hundreds, of other guests?
The task is quite daunting and would be impossible if not
for the development of high tech cooking systems. Modern-day ovens achieve the optimum level of
cooking and temperature at the same time for various food types, allowing chefs
(whether onshore or offshore) to prepare massive numbers of servings ahead of
time, without losing any of the gourmet quality or flavor you rightfully expect. There are even newer oven systems that allow
for this level of quality to be achieved via microwave. Imagine gourmet
lobster-tail delivered at your gas station or local convenience store!
As you can imagine, the assembly of these cooking systems is
complex: from the electronics right down to the mechanical design of the
oven. Failure, especially on a cruise
ship with thousands of people out at sea, is not an option. Paramount in the mechanical design of these
systems are the seals. Such seals need
to allow the systems to maintain even-keeled, consistent heating, and must also
be able to be cleaned quickly (in some cases while the ovens are still hot). In
addition, these ovens need to be “food friendly” and resistive to animal fats.
Finally, in the case of the new microwave systems, they must be capable of shielding
against microwaves escaping the systems.
Vanguard has solutions for all of these requirements, and
has been reliably supplying these applications for decades. We have numerous listings to NSF-51, so our
products are well recognized by the industry, and our materials have some of
the longest life, heat resistance, and fat resistance available. So next time you enjoy the “midnight buffet”
while out at sea, or savor a well-prepared tasty banquet meal, thank Vanguard
in small part.
Contact
us today for further details about how we can manufacture these types of
seals for your business.