Putting Berkel 818 Through Its Paces

CTMike

Picked this monster up for $360 on Craigslist. All it needed was a few parts, and a good cleaning. Got all that done yesterday. I also smoked a beef roast yesterday with some Oakridge Black Ops rub and a Worcestershire injection. 

Picked up the cart from Uline. Wanted SS but it was out of the price range. 

So I have $700 into this, but it is a beast that'll last my lifetime. I like the idea of controlling what goes into my cold cuts. 

GregW

Excellent find.
Where I run into trouble is storage.
I have a commercial mixer, blender and food processor as well as a huge hand cranked tamale machine.
And a bunch of Sous Vide equipment and vacuum sealer.
It all takes up a lot of space, but I couldn't live without all of it.

CTMike

I agree with you about storage. This lives in a closet in a guest bedroom that is just done the hall from the kitchen. 

Ozzie_Isaac

Nice machine!

DMW

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

Ozzie_Isaac

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

Looks like a Samsung Chef series range.

CTMike

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

It is a Kitchenaid 36" commercial style 6 burner gas range. We looked at Wolf and a Viking, but this model came out on top in Consumer Reports by a large margin. We wanted the 48" version but would've had to sacrifice too much cabinetry to make it fit.

Here is another photo during the kitchen remodel process. It seems to be a great product, living up to CR's rating.
 

EastTNBGE

CTMike said:

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

It is a Kitchenaid 36" commercial style 6 burner gas range. We looked at Wolf and a Viking, but this model came out on top in Consumer Reports by a large margin. We wanted the 48" version but would've had to sacrifice too much cabinetry to make it fit.

Here is another photo during the kitchen remodel process. It seems to be a great product, living up to CR's rating.
 

I am getting ready to do a kitchen remodel in the next year.  I have been looking for something exactly like this.  Looks great.

Thatgrimguy

That's awesome!! I bought a big ace slicer but it needs more work than I know how to do!  

NPHuskerFL

Built like brick s#ihouse. Excellent unit. Enjoy

CTMike

NPHuskerFL said:

Built like brick s#ihouse. Excellent unit. Enjoy

You aren't kidding. This thing weighs in at 135#, hence the cart. 

Focker

CTMike said:

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

It is a Kitchenaid 36" commercial style 6 burner gas range. We looked at Wolf and a Viking, but this model came out on top in Consumer Reports by a large margin. We wanted the 48" version but would've had to sacrifice too much cabinetry to make it fit.

Here is another photo during the kitchen remodel process. It seems to be a great product, living up to CR's rating.
 

Nice setup!  36" is plenty at home.  Looking at a Bosch 36" cooktop(best  bang for the buck in reviews compared to the Wolfs, Themadors, KAs).  Not sure on hood, but trying to get the most CFMs for the $$$.

CTMike

Focker said:

CTMike said:

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

It is a Kitchenaid 36" commercial style 6 burner gas range. We looked at Wolf and a Viking, but this model came out on top in Consumer Reports by a large margin. We wanted the 48" version but would've had to sacrifice too much cabinetry to make it fit.

Here is another photo during the kitchen remodel process. It seems to be a great product, living up to CR's rating.
 

Nice setup!  36" is plenty at home.  Looking at a Bosch 36" cooktop(best  bang for the buck in reviews compared to the Wolfs, Themadors, KAs).  Not sure on hood, but trying to get the most CFMs for the $$$.

Go with the biggest blower you can. Mine is 3-speed, highest is 1200 cfm. Sounds like a windstorm when in high speed, but it will definitely clear any smoke, heat, etc. My HVAC guy charged my $800 to install the stove, which included running a new gas line and installing the duct for the blower. I thought it was a good deal. 

GregW

CTMike said:

Focker said:

CTMike said:

DMW said:

That slicer is legit, but I want to know more about your oven/range in the background.

It is a Kitchenaid 36" commercial style 6 burner gas range. We looked at Wolf and a Viking, but this model came out on top in Consumer Reports by a large margin. We wanted the 48" version but would've had to sacrifice too much cabinetry to make it fit.

Here is another photo during the kitchen remodel process. It seems to be a great product, living up to CR's rating.
 

Nice setup!  36" is plenty at home.  Looking at a Bosch 36" cooktop(best  bang for the buck in reviews compared to the Wolfs, Themadors, KAs).  Not sure on hood, but trying to get the most CFMs for the $$$.

Go with the biggest blower you can. Mine is 3-speed, highest is 1200 cfm. Sounds like a windstorm when in high speed, but it will definitely clear any smoke, heat, etc. My HVAC guy charged my $800 to install the stove, which included running a new gas line and installing the duct for the blower. I thought it was a good deal. 

Exhaust fans are definitely needed. Also important is a source of makeup air.  
1200 CFM is roughly equal to 3 tons of cooling going up the exhaust hood.
Does your hood have any outside air makeup?
Most homes can't handle the extra cooling load from bringing in that much outside air for an exhaust hood.

It's great to have a high CFM hood as long as you don't wind up exhausting all the cold air the AC is producing 

My home's 1st floor only has 2 tons of cooling. A 1200 CFM hood would be equivalent to opening all the doors and windows on a hot day. My home would quickly begin increasing in temperature.

The actual CFM on the exhaust will be greatly influenced by the exhaust duct restriction. The rated CFM may be a free air rating with no duct attached. With any duct restriction the actual CFM may be 1/2 or less than the rated flow.



 

nolaegghead

Very nice equipment!

I've done more than my share of hood ventilation HVAC design and balancing for a number of laboratories.  We have one room that costs $6000 a month in electricity just to temper supply air because we have so many hoods.  But it beats smoke in the house.  Sometimes you don't need as much ventilation depending on what you have on the range - be nice to have a variable speed fan with an auto-balancing supply system.