Polentera
Polentera
Polentera
Useful and innovative system to cook and store polenta: serve it any time as if freshly made.
- Easy to use
- Easy ordinary maintenance
- Easy extraordinary maintenance
Quality without compromise: professional motor
- body in stainless steel AISI 430
- pan in stainless steel AISI 304
Polentera
Polentera.
Polentera is a very useful and innovative system to cook and store polenta, maintaining it hot and fluid for hours, ready to be served on tap as if freshly made.
A winning idea, entirely designed and manufactured by Hyppocampus in Italy.
Polentera was created for food trucks, market stalls, restaurants, fast-food and take-aways, canteens and community kitchens. It is a great opportunity for anyone wishing to add a naturally gluten-free novelty to their menu with little effort.
Fitted with a simple tap to serve the polenta, Polentera can be made with different types of flour to create new alternatives. Employing this machine to cook polenta does not change the final result: polenta is as good as if hand-cooked but made with a much more practical approach.
Polentera is entirely made of stainless steel, easy to take apart to facilitate cleaning.
- Stainless steel trolleywith braked wheels.
- Removable plate holder to fit on the trolley.
- Stainless steel body: covers and protects the unit, as well as offers a surface to apply your logo or label.
- Protecting sides: remain cold and insulate the machine sides, so it can be placed also in other working environments apart from professional kitchens, with no risk for staff and operators.
| P.5 | P.15 | P.30 | P.60 | P.100 | P.150 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Max polenta production | 7 kgs | 15 kgs | 30 kgs | 60 kgs | 100 kgs | 150 kgs |
| Energy consumption | 220V 50/60HZ 1100W | 220V 50/60HZ 1800W | 220V 50/60HZ 2200W | 380V 50HZ 4000W | 380V 50HZ 5500W | 380V 50HZ 5500W |
| Dimensions WxLxH cm | 21x73x62 | 24x75x66 | 25x100x66 | 35x100x90 | 35x153x93 | 45x135x93 |
| Weight (kgs) | 25 | 29 | 50 | 60 | 115 | 125 |
| Controlli | Cooking thermostat + mixer rotation control | Cooking thermostat | ||||
| Flour - Min/Max | 1.5 kg - 1.5 kg | 2 kgs - 3 kgs | 3.5 kgs - 6 kgs | 8 kgs - 12 kgs | 15kg - 20 kg | 20 kgs - 30 kgs |
| Cooking time | 1h | 1+1/2 h | 2 h | 3 h | 4 h | 4 h |
| Other voltages available | 110 V - 60 Hz | 220 V 50/60 Hz | not available | |||
| Average number of polenta servings | 28 | 60 | 120 | 240 | 400 | 600 |
| modello da banco | modello da banco | modello da banco | modello che necessita di carrello | modello che necessita di carrello | modello che necessita di carrello | |
FAQ
What does the machine do?
Autonomously cooks and stores polenta, ready to serve it as if freshly made for the whole shift/service/opening hours (up to many hours).
How long can the unit store polenta for?
Technically, for as long as there is polenta inside and the unit is switched on. Polentera was designed for this reason: to store polenta at the best temperature and consistency, ready to be served at any time.
Is polenta still good after being stored in the Polentera for many hours?
The longer you cook polenta and the better it gets, even easier to digest as well. From an organoleptic point of view, polenta will be tastier after three hours compared to one that has cooked for only one hour.
Which ingredients must be used?
Just add water, flour and salt, in this order.
What is the cooking time?
This depends on the model, i.e. how much polenta is cooking, and on the type of flour. Cooking time spans from one hour for the small unit, to about three hours for large ones.
Do you need a specific flour?
No, Polentera has no special needs as far as flour is concerned. You can use the type you like: yellow, white, with buckwheat, finely or coarsely ground, stone-ground, etc. Some flour types are better for long cooking stages and maintain a compact consistency, while others become too soft. There are many types of flour available on the market, it is advisable to test them personally. As a general guideline: a coarse, stone-ground, wholemeal flour will sustain a long cooking time better than a finer, industrial flour, but there can be exceptions.
Can you use precooked or instant polenta flour?
From a technical point of view, you can, but the machine was developed to work with traditional flours.
Can you cook a harder or softer polenta?
Yes, the consistency of polenta is determined by the water/flour ratio. Ingredients can be dosed according to taste, provided you comply with the minimum and maximum unit capacity.
Can you cook less polenta than the unit's maximum capacity?
It is important to underline that all Polentera units work best when full. That's why there are different units to meet different needs. That said, it is possible to cook less polenta, please refer to the table above for minimum flour quantity to be used with each unit.
Can you add more flour if the polenta in the unit is about to finish?
Yes, it is possible to add more flour and water to the cooked product inside the unit. Clearly, you must wait for the newly added ingredients to cook as well before serving.
Can the machine cook more rounds of polenta in one day?
From a practical point of view, you can, but this will stress the unit and should be avoided. For example: two cooking rounds mean double wear and tear of the components, that will see their durability cut in half. If you need to cook 30 kgs of polenta per day, you should employ a P30 unit, not a P15 twice a day.
Can you add other ingredients like butter or cheese?
Technically, yes, you can add any other ingredient that is soft or ground. You cannot add hard ingredients (hard cheese with a crust, for example) as the mixer would stop. You must evaluate if the addition of these ingredients will interfere with the machine main task: keep polenta hot and soft for many hours. Cheese that is cooked and kept hot for a long time looses its consistency and changes flavour. We suggest to add cheese only when you know that all polenta will be served within a short time (30 minutes, 1 hour max).
Is it better to have two units to offer two types of polenta? For example, yellow polenta and Taragna (enriched with buckwheat flour).
Only if you must serve them at the same time.
Can I use the machine to cook something other than polenta?
Yes, you can. Although we can only guarantee the result for polenta, a variety of alternatives can be cooked with our Polentera, like sauces, soups, marmalade, mashed potatoes (from flakes/powder), etc.
Come lavora Polentera?
Semplificando, la macchina ha due momenti di lavoro: ?cottura? (temperatura alta e particolare ciclo di miscelazione) e ?mantenimento? (temperatura più bassa e conseguente configurazione di miscelazione). E’ l?operatore che deve settare i due momenti di lavoro, ruotando le manopole di controllo, una volta che reputa cotta la polenta.
Di che controlli dispone polentera?
Polentera monta controlli semplici e intuitivi. Una manopola che permette di settare la temperatura di lavoro, passando da cottura a mantenimento, e un’altra che permette di selezionare la tipologia di miscelazione, continua o alternata.
Does the machine signal when polenta is ready?
No. La macchina rimane in modalità ?cottura? fino a quanto l?operatore, constatando l?avvenuta cottura, la porta in modalità ?mantenimento?.
Can I leave the machine on unattended?
Absolutely not. It is good practice never to leave any cooking machine unattended for a long time. Polentera is no exception.
Do you have to clean the unit?
Yes, after every cooking cycle, when service is finished. Switch the Polentera off, take it apart, remove the pan and wash it. The operation takes about 40 seconds. Cleaning takes about 8/10 minutes. You do not need to clean the unit if you wish to start a new cooking cycle immediately after a previous one. In this case, you can simply add all the new ingredients.
Can you leave some polenta in the machine overnight?
No, the machine must be emptied and cleaned every night.
Is it better to have one large Polentera or two small units?
In theory, one large units is better, compatibly with space and management. One large unit means one cooking cycle, one serving point, one cleaning operation, etc. Two small units deliver the same quantity of polenta but double all the above issues.
Can I test the machine? (Italy only)
In Italy, yes. We have a showroom where we can demonstrate the functioning of any of our machines. By appointment only. Or you can request a demo machine free of charge. For more details, please contact the Italian sales department.