The Benefits of Using a Retigo Combi Oven to Dehydrate Fruit
The Benefits of Using a Retigo Combi Oven
to Dehydrate Fruit
A Retigo Combi Oven is far more than a cooking appliance. It’s dehydration function allows hospitality venues to make better use of surplus fruit, reducing waste whilst creating attractive products that benefit both the kitchen and front of house.
Reduce waste and save money
Fruit that is nearing the end of its shelf life can be dehydrated instead of being thrown away, extending its life for several months when stored in airtight mason jars.
Benefits Across the Venue
- Garnish cocktails, mocktails and hot drinks.
- Decorate desserts with a professional finish.
- Enhance afternoon teas and buffet displays.
- Create attractive bar or café displays using airtight containers.
Because dehydrated fruit has a much longer shelf life than fresh fruit, staff spend less time preparing garnishes during service whilst maintaining a consistent presentation.
Reduce waste and save money
Dehydrated fruit adds natural colour, texture and visual appeal to desserts and drinks, helping create a premium guest experience. At the same time, making better use of surplus ingredients supports sustainability by reducing food waste and improving the return on every purchase.
Buy it, or make it?
Many hospitality businesses purchase ready-made dried citrus slices for cocktails and drinks. With a Retigo Combi Oven, you can produce the same premium garnishes in-house using fresh fruit, reducing purchasing costs and food waste at the same time.
Example: To produce approximately 200 dried citrus slices
| Buy Ready-Dried | Make in Retigo | |
|---|---|---|
| Fresh fruit required | N/A | 30 oranges, lemons and limes £12.00 |
| Electricity (dehydration programme*) | N/A | £1.80 |
| Labour (preparation and slicing – 20 mins) | N/A | £5.00 |
| Buy 200 ready-dried slices | £40.00 | N/A |
| Total Cost | £40.00 | £18.80 per batch |
In-house dehydration
£21.20 per batch saving
Annual Example
If your venue uses just one batch each week:
• Annual saving = £1,102
A business with 10 sites could save approximately
£11,020 per year saving
Additional Benefits
✔ Reduce food waste by using surplus fruit before it spoils.
✔ Produce premium garnishes whenever you need them.
✔ Eliminate expensive purchases of pre-dried citrus.
✔ Consistent quality and appearance.
✔ Support sustainability goals by making better use of existing ingredients.
Cocktails
- Gin and Tonic – dried lime wheel
- Negroni – dried orange slice
- Aperol Spritz – dried orange slice
- Espresso Martini – dried orange or lemon twist
- Mulled Wine – dried orange and apple slices
Desserts
- Lemon Cheesecake – dried lemon slice
- Sticky Toffee Pudding – dried apple crisp
- Pavlova – dried blood orange
- Cheesecake – dried lime wheel
- Ice Cream Sundaes – dried orange or apple crisps
- Afternoon Tea – dried citrus and apple garnish
