What is the cook chill controlled technique?
In the cook chill technique, fully cooked food is immediately followed by rapid chilling and storage at controlled temperatures that can last for 5 days. When required, food can be reheated through the Rethermalization unit for immediate consumption. Cook chill techniques provide many advantages for a food business that deals with a great volume of food; however, in addition to the traditional cooking equipment, a business needs the blast chiller for adequate cold storage. When cook chill controlled system is employed, meals can be prepared, cooked, chilled and rethermalized without any loss in nutritional values, appearance and taste. You can cook and chill any of the recipes that you normally prepare or you can experiment with new ideas that you can store for 5 days.
Advantages of cook chill systems
The system can be used no matter the size of the food establishment. In fact, it can be used for households who prefer to buy food in large quantities. For food establishments, the cook chill system allows them to optimize their time because food can be prepared in advance and rethermalized when needed without compromising its quality or safety. Since food is prepared in large quantities, it minimizes the use of energy making it a more economical process. Because food only needs to be rethermalized to be ready for consumption, a wide range of foods can be served every day. Cooking can be done when the establishment is quiet so that there will be adequate time to attend to customers. It allows you to easily cope when there are a large number of customers because food only needs reheating. Portions can be reheated in the Rethermalization unit as needed which eliminates waste. When operations are efficient, customers are satisfied which results into good business.
Ways to accomplish rethermalizing
One of the quickest ways to rethermalize food is through the microwave that can reheat entire meals or portions as necessary. Another popular method of rethermalizing is through the hot water bath method that is used in a cafeteria setting where tray lines are used. The hot water bath method allows food to be reheated to an acceptable temperature for an extended period. Convection ovens can also be used to reheat bulk foods at a safe temperature for tray lines. Another effective method for rethermalizing is through the use of a thermoconvection oven that makes use of a high degree of hot air in a confined area for a specified period of time. However, the efficiency of this method is determined by space that will allow hot air to circulate.