Among the inventors of catering equipment, there has never been a shortage of highly inventive people.
One of these (unfortunately I don’t know who exactly) is the inventor of the Salamander.
To baptize this portable appliance useful for toasting food or simply heating (whether food or dishes), he even used a mythological creature: the salamander, a symbol of fire and high-temperature processing.
Salamander grills, which are practical and lightweight, are usually mounted directly on a wall or shelf, in between the main thermal equipment and the extractor hood. This allows the cook to monitor cooking more quickly while doing other kitchen tasks.
And, despite what we would intuitively be led to believe, it does not hinder the efficiency of the hood’s capture.
On the contrary, it makes its work easier.
This can be read in the guide “Improving Commercial Kitchen Ventilation Systems: Optimizing Makeup Air“, published by Southern California Edison. Architectural Energy Corporation and Fisher Nickel Inc. (downloadable HERE):
“Mounted to the wall, the plume from the salamander is closer to the hood filters and farther away from the front edge of the hood, aiding in capture and containment performance. The plume from the appliance underneath the salamander is also easier to capture since the wall-mounted salamander does not disrupt its flow. In some cases, the wall-mounted salamander can act as a rear seal, helping to draw air from the front and sides of the cooking equipment rather than from the gap behind the appliances”.
Obviously, this applies to other small thermal equipment, such as the wall-mounted cheese melter or toaster.
But I prefer equipment with a cool name!
However… for your professional kitchen, choose an Aluminox hood (which, if you think about it, is also a cool name)