Posted on Monday, 24th November, 2025
An Australian Christmas blends the hearty, traditional dishes of a northern hemisphere winter with our love of light, vibrant foods suitable for our warm summer climate.
For aged care chefs, this season brings a special opportunity: creating a festive menu that celebrates both tradition and wellbeing, without adding extra pressure to the kitchen.
Perfectly caramelised, every time: Glazed Ham
A festive menu isn’t complete without a beautifully glazed ham. With the RATIONAL iCombi Pro, this centrepiece is easy to prepare and delivers consistently impressive results.
The unit automatically adjusts temperature, airflow and humidity based on the ham’s size, browning and core temperature. Once cooked through, it seamlessly transitions to the glazing phase, creating a golden, caramelised finish without the need for manual basting or supervision.
For busy aged care kitchens, this intelligent process is less labour intensive, reduces raw material loss and provides outstanding quality every time. The ham can even be cooked alongside other dishes (including your perfectly roasted turkey!) thanks to intelligent production planning, which optimises timing and energy use.
Short preheating times and precise cooking deliver up to 70% lower energy consumption than conventional equipment, helping teams serve festive favourites efficiently, safely and consistently.
Light and flavourful: Hot Smoked Salmon
Hot smoked salmon is a lighter festive option that adds variety to your Christmas menu. With the RATIONAL iCombi Pro and the VarioSmoker accessory, smoking and cooking happen simultaneously, without the need for a separate smoker. Salmon portions are gently cooked as aromatic smoke is infused, creating a tender texture and distinctive flavour.
The system provides rapid, precise temperature control for perfectly cooked results, while different cooking zones allow chefs to smoke salmon on one rack and prepare sides on others, such as prawn skewers, garlic butter potatoes, green beans and other nutritious Christmas side dishes, which saves valuable time and space during service.
The integrated, plug and play design simplifies the smoking process and significantly reduces energy use, making it easy to deliver premium, nutritious dishes during the festive season.
Nutrition and hygiene at the forefront.
In aged care, nutrition, hygiene and operational efficiency go hand in hand. Gentle steaming retains up to 95% of vitamins and minerals, while reduced oil use supports healthier menus without sacrificing flavour.
RATIONAL delivers sophisticated simplicity, enhanced cost and energy efficiency, and exceptional food quality, giving kitchen teams complete confidence during the festive rush.
Suggested recipes
Bring dishes like these to life in your commercial kitchen this Christmas and holiday season:
- Glazed Ham
- Roast Turkey
- Hot Smoked Salmon
Interested in learning more?
Experience RATIONAL live. Register now for free and see how intelligent cooking systems can help your team deliver a memorable Christmas service with less stress and more flavour.
RATIONAL Australia PTY LTD | Subsidiary of Comcater Pty Ltd | 191 Salmon Street | Port Melbourne | Victoria 3207
Tel. 03 8369 4600 | sales@rationalaustralia.com.au | rationalaustralia.com.au
Disclaimer: The content of this article is created for inspiration purposes only. It is not intended as clinical, medical or nutritional advice.
