RATIONAL : teams up with top Indian chef using intelligent technology to enhance classic cuisine.

Rational has teamed up with one of the UK's most influential Indian chefs, Rehan Uddin of the Asian Restaurant Owners Network (ARON), as part of Rational's global Expert Chef programme. The collaboration will see Uddin present a series of demonstrations, initially online, showing how modern, multifunctional cooking systems can both replicate traditional Indian cuisine cooking techniques and elevate the cooking results.

'ARON is all about the modern dining experience,' says Uddin. 'It's about new ideas and new concepts, about helping our members reach new levels.'

Adam Knights, Rational's marketing director, is delighted with the partnership. 'Rehan is the perfect Expert Chef,' he says. 'He's enthusiastic, passionate and a natural, engaging presenter. He has used our cooking systems to push the boundaries of Indian food preparation, by using the latest technology to reinvent traditional cooking methods.'

While these Expert Chef online programmes are aimed mainly at Indian restaurateurs and chefs, Knights expects participation from many other sectors of the foodservice market. 'Indian dishes are hugely popular, which is why they're on menus in pubs, hotels, universities, schools…. Everyone can enjoy and learn from Rehan's contagious enthusiasm and expertise.'

As well as being passionate about Indian cuisine, Uddin is also a passionate advocate of Rational cooking systems. He first heard of Rational combi ovens from friends working in hotels. Later, when he founded his own restaurant, the Bombay Express in Torquay, he knew they could elevate Indian cooking processes. 'For example, a tandoori oven is flawed - the bottom cooks faster than the middle and the top,' he says. 'Plus, it takes two and a half hours to heat up. The Rational iCombi Pro cooks all the food perfectly, and it takes minutes to get to temperature. The results are outstanding and so easy to achieve.

'It's not just the fantastic cooking results. It's also things like the ease of use and the energy saving - ARON has a big push on sustainability, and these systems fit in perfectly with that. We're bringing a new image to Indian cooking - it's all about smart food dining, and food that makes you smile!'

Uddin's partnership on the Expert Chef programme will initially focus on the iCombi Pro combi steamer, but having also installed an iVario Pro multifunctional cooking system at Bombay Express he is looking to produce his entire menu using the Rational iKitchen concept. 'The iVario is so straightforward to use, even before they had training on it our chefs were cooking with it. One of the best features on the iVario Pro is iZoneControl, which lets you set different temperatures in the same pan, so you can cook different things at the same time. We also use the iVario for sous vide and it's brilliant for stocks - we pressure cook them and it's saving us hours.'

Knights says, 'Rehan's values align with Rational, we are both pioneers in introducing modern cooking processes to kitchens and that makes him the most authentic partner for supporting Indian cuisine in the UK and Ireland.'

The inaugural Expert Chefs Live online: Indian restaurants takes place on 21st June, with further dates planned throughout the year. To register for these events visit www.rational-online.com/gb/live and scroll down to the 'Expert Kitchen' link, or contact [phone] option 3.

For more about ARON and becoming a member visit https://aron.today