Nilma’s Turbover & Turboidrex: Automatic Vegetable Washers that Safely Increase Efficiency for Restaurants, Hotels and Delicatessens
Beyond delivering pristine vegetables at the push of a button, these washers enhance kitchen efficiency while driving cost savings for small businesses.
03 February 2025
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Nilma’s Turbover (L) and Turboidrex (R) vegetable washers are an innovative way to maximise a small kitchen’s efficiency. Photo credit: Nilma
Since its founding in 1956, Parma-based appliance and plant manufacturer Nilma has been a trusted partner to industrial kitchens worldwide. More recently, the company has expanded its reach into smaller professional kitchens— including restaurants, hotels, and delis— with its Turbover and Turboidrex automatic vegetable washers. These machines — showcased at FHA 2024 in Singapore — have benefitted these businesses beyond just being an easy way to clean vegetables. Increased labour efficiency, better water management and cost savings on ingredients are some of the advantages seen by Turbover and Turboidrex users.
User-friendly and versatile vegetable washers, the Turbover and Turboidrex utilise a patented whirlpool system inside their universal washer that can also wash fruit, meat and fish as simply as it washes vegetables.
Additionally, the Turboidrex has an attached spin dryer which dries vegetables in under a minute.
The Turboidrex includes a 750 rpm spin dryer, which translates to appreciable savings on dressing. Photo credit: Nilma
Having previously seen commercial success with their larger ATIR range of washers, a decision was made amongst the Nilma ranks approximately 40 years ago to create a similarly effective washer for smaller establishments which require approximately 100 meals per sitting. These cater to restaurants, hotels, small caterers, delis and even grocers, making the Turbover and Turboidrex the smallest washers available in the Nilma catalogue. Ten years later, they were introduced into the Asian market with sights now set on South America.
The Turbover and Turboidrex deliver remarkable efficiency, capable of washing up to 4.5kg of leafy greens or 15.8kg of heavier vegetables in just three minutes. This performance is driven by a unique, adjustable whirlpool system that ensures a thorough yet gentle wash, preserving the taste and texture of even the most delicate leaves.
Washing Capabilities
The importance of thoroughly washing vegetables cannot be overstated.
Most vegetable products come into contact with contaminants such as chemicals, larvae, dirt and grub in their lifetime and may contain harmful foodborne bacteria or viruses such as listeria, E. coli and salmonella.
As it is every distributor’s personal and lawful responsibility to ensure that their products are safe to consume, the Turbover and Turboidrex represent a simple and reliable tool for small establishments.
An illustration of Nilma’s patented whirlpool washing system which “attacks” impurities with turbulent water as the products remain enveloped in a water circulation. Photo credit: Nilma
As far as washing efficiency goes, the Turbover and Turboidrex are unrivalled.
Bacteriological analyses showed a 90% reduction in bacterial load on fresh vegetables washed using the Turbover and Turboidrex washers. This productivity is achieved with the use of Nilma’s exclusive and patented whirlpool system which “attacks” impurities with turbulent water as the products remain enveloped in water circulation or a whirlpool. This removes impurities from the products, which pass into the counter-drum and drain out. No additional chemicals or cleaning agents are used in the process. With the pump intake close to the water inlet, water is constantly being cycled ensuring that the washing water is clean at all times. No filters are used throughout the process, as they are ineffective against bacteria and would require maintenance. Meanwhile, the drum capacity of the washers is 85 litres, and each washing cycle takes between two to three minutes.
A More Efficient Kitchen
Beyond the convenience of effortlessly ensuring clean and safe-to-consume vegetables at the push of a button, the Turbover and Turboidrex also enhance overall kitchen efficiency.
From a labour-efficiency perspective, the need for kitchen staff to painstakingly wash delicate leafy greens by hand is eliminated. Instead of being underutilised at a washing station, they can be redirected to more productive tasks, maximising operational efficiency with a simple press of a button.
These washers are fairly user-friendly. In its control panel sits just two buttons and two knobs – washing start/stop button; spin dryer start/stop button, only for the Turboidrex; washing intensity regulator knob; and drain regulator knob. No special maintenance or intensive cleaning is required, as clean water is constantly being cycled into the washer.
A demonstration of the Turboidrex’s capabilities and user-friendliness. Video credit: Nilma
Designed with space efficiency in mind, the Turbover and Turboidrex are compact and double as work surfaces when not in use. The Turbover measures 55cm x 55cm, while the Turboidrex, which features a built-in spin dryer, occupies 100cm x 60cm. Both stand at 91cm in height, making them ideal for seamless integration into kitchen workflows.
Like a commercial dishwasher, these washers use significantly less water than manual washing, ensuring each drop is utilised efficiently. The Turboidrex further enhances efficiency with its 750 rpm spin dryer, delivering perfectly dry, crisp produce—reducing excess water and optimising dressing usage.
Priced at €5,700 and €11,200 for the Turbover and Turboidrex respectively, they have since been procured by the likes of five-star hotels The Oberoi Bangalore and Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in India, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort and MGM’s Cotai Resort in Macau, among others.
For establishments that serve up to 100 meals per sitting in today’s F&B industry, streamlining your business by cutting waste and maximising efficiency is not only ideal but possibly necessary in this economic climate. Investing in a Turbover or, especially, the Turboidrex is a surefire way to ensure your kitchen efficiency, and hence business efficiency moves up a notch in a safe and environmentally-friendly way.
Author: Julianna Hedger
Julianna is a seasoned content specialist who started her writing career in unscripted television production and broadcast news at FOX Sports Asia and the Associated Press. She has since added various writing skills to her repertoire, such as long-from articles, SEO-driven blogs and social media copywriting. She is driven by her personal passions in content creation, food and sports media.
