Technology plays a central role in today’s kitchens, it is contributing to its evolution and bringing with it new consumer behaviour and lifestyle patterns. One of the big developments concerns fine dining, which is at the cutting edge of innovation. HostMilano asked three leading figures in Italy’s food service industry for their thoughts on technology and innovation – two key elements at the International Hospitality Exhibition being held at fieraMilano Rho, from 13 to 17 October 2023.

“Technology in the kitchen should not be an end unto itself, but rather should serve to keep energy costs down and reduce cooking times, which are what cause the most waste,” says Palermo-born chef Filippo La Mantia. “I’m not one who thinks everything should be hi-tech, but prefer a programmed use of technology that makes it possible to respect the way ingredients need to be cooked.” A concrete example would be a dishwasher with two separate wash chambers so that you can wash many more items simultaneously. Fundamental now, though, is the Roner, “which 90% of kitchens now have. But very soon, because I fry a lot, I will be getting a fryer that changes the oil automatically and in no time at all.”

“I’ve been convinced that technology is of fundamental importance for some time,” says Mirko Ronzoni, “Aesthetic Chef” and Food Consultant. “It has made possible a more precise calibration of the many stages in the work of a chef, from preserving and treating the basic ingredients to cooking them and then preserving the result. It has meant some very basic mistakes can now be avoided and taken a lot of pressure off the cook. For me, though, technology in the kitchen is also about proper ventilation and lighting, the use of things like induction hobs that don’t heat up the room, and water baths for a specific type of cooking.”

Ronzoni says sous vide is what has really revolutionised kitchens in the new millennium: “it ensures constant hygiene and an excellent shelf life, but also a targeted organisation of different cooking processes with different instruments, such as Roners or steam ovens. To say nothing of the fact that preserving food has become so much easier and safer. I find it indispensible for my catering and culinary consultancy services.”

“Technology is important in the kitchen, as everywhere else, making work easier and more efficient. I do, however, think that the thought processes of a chef are the only thing that really matters; it’s what makes all the difference. Technology helps you and optimises your work, but it should never limit manual dexterity, because that would simply cancel out the chef’s personality. Artificial intelligence should be there to give support to creativity, to thought processes, and to the human touch, not take over from them,” believes Daniel Canzian, chef of the like-named restaurant in Milan. He goes on: “I’m all in favour of using useful instruments to treat and extend the life of ingredients, in a way that is environmentally and economically viable. A blast chiller, for example, is a way of avoiding food waste and improving quality. It doesn’t do the work of the chef, it supplements it, and make what he does smarter. This is the only kind of tool we really need.”