I was driving down Turnpike Road as I do every Saturday morning and noticed umbrellas and customers dining outside of the new Lighthouse Coffee at Turnpike Center, the home of Vons Market, Rusty’s Pizza, and several other eateries coming soon. Last February Turnpike Center lost the area’s only java joint, Goleta Coffee Company, which closed after decades in business.
Photo by The Restaurant Guy
Yes, and as I heard it, Goleta Coffee Co. was forced to change their concept, when the owner of the center decided to accept the offer from Lighthouse Coffee and didn’t want two coffee shops in the center. Are the landlords in unincorporated Santa Barbara following the lead from State Street?
I stopped going to Lighthouse when I realize they use microwave to cook many of their food dishes.
Also not a fan of their coffee. I don’t see them surviving against Handlebar and Dune in the long term.
Lighthouse Coffee uses a sophisticated convection oven NOT a microwave.
The differences between a microwave and a convection oven are distinct and noticeable as well in how they heat food or cook. The microwave oven heats the food directly from a distance via microwave radiation. The convection oven uses hot air and fans to cook the food efficiently at a faster rate. The convection ovens utilize heat circulation through fans while microwave ovens rely on radiation to heat and cook food.
How a Convection Oven Works
A convection oven works by circulating heat in the oven by the use of a fan. When the heat is distributed in this manner, it leads to food being evenly cooked which is not always possible in a regular oven. The results that you get when you use convection are usually really good because of this even heat distribution.
Pros
A convection oven cooks food 25% faster than in a regular oven. In comparison to food made in a microwave oven, a convection oven can give you better results as you are able to brown food and, I can’t overstate it, cook the food evenly.
Cons
It’s difficult to find any cons on the convection oven but since we are comparing it against a microwave oven, it cooks food slower than a microwave oven. It more than makes up for it by when compared against traditional ovens.