What is
Cook Chill
Cook/chill is a simple, controlled system of food preparation
designed to provide more flexibility in food service. The technique
involves the full cooking of food, followed by rapid chilling
and storage at controlled temperatures (for up to five days).
When required, the food must be reheated thoroughly before service.
The production system itself is simple to operate if well managed,
and completely safe provided the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and
Critical Control Point) Guidelines on temperature control are
followed.
While cook/chill
is commonly associated with larger institutional foodservice
operations, new compact quick chill equipment designs have put
quick chill systems within the realm of all types and sizes
of foodservice operations
For large and small establishments the principles and advantages
of the system are the same. The only difference is that small
to medium sized operations do not have to invest in equipment
design to deal with volume.
For the simplest cook/chill system,all that is required in addition
to the existing cooking equipment is a blast chiller, adequate
cold storage and an understanding of the recommended safety
procedures.
The Truth
behind Cook Chill
By utilizing cook/chill technology, meals can be prepared, cooked,
chilled and rethermalized with little or no nutritional loss
and without altering its appearance, or taste.
There are several misconceptions concerning cook/chill:
Myth
- Cook/chill is only for large institutions.
It is not: Many nursing homes, function caterers, hotels,
independent restaurants, fast food restaurants and bakers are
already reaping the positive benefits of the cook/chill method.
Myth - Cook/chill requires special recipes.
Not true: You can use most of your favorite recipes without adaptation. What.s more, you can try out new and more exotic ideas because blast chillers give you more time allowing you to store meals for up to five days.
Myth - The equipment is large and expensive.
Not necessarily:
The equipment required by hospitals, prisons and schools,
which produce large volumes of food, is large and can therefore
be costly. But this is not the case for small or medium sized
establishments. Many of these operators will already have suitable
ovens and storage facilities, so they will only need to acquire
a blast chiller.
A chiller capable of handling over 250 meals a day can be
purchased for about twice the price of a reach-in refrigerator.
Myth - Cook/chill limits the professional chef.
On the contrary: Cook/chill allows you more time to utilize creative skills than any other method. Instead of spending valuable time on boring tasks, the professional operator can use that time to improve presentation, create new dishes and attend to all the other detail that makes a successful foodservice business.
Advantages of Cook Chill
Suitable for most foodservice operations
The system can be utilized effectively by establishments of
any size or type.
Effective
time management
The system allows foodservice establishments to better organize
their time. Prime cooking can take place when the business is
quiet, leaving less to do when you have customers to attend
to.
Effective
resource management
Equipment can be used more energy efficiently while ingredients
can be bought in larger quantities, providing economies of scale.
You can also prepare meals for several establishments from one
kitchen.
Menu
extension
The flexibility of the system allows you to prepare a greater
selection of dishes, offering your customers more choice while
still maintaining or improving quality. In addition, since you
are preparing meals in advance you can afford to experiment
on a variety of different recipes.
No
modification of recipes
A cook/chill system allows you to use most recipes without alteration.
Improvement
in service
Because most food will be prepared in advance, the foodservice
operator will have more time to improve on presentation and
attend to customers.
Flexibility
in service
Because all dishes simply have to be reheated before service,
operators can serve a wide variety of food all day and can easily
cope with the fluctuating numbers of customers throughout the
day.
Reduced
waste and improved portion control
Portions can be made up precisely and meals can be rethermalized
as needed, eliminating waste.
Increased
profitability
Cook/Chill can make your operation more efficient while offering
customers greater choice and better service. You will be able
to cope with larger numbers of customers and at short notice.
This will result in increased turnover and profitability.
Fantastic
opportunity for expansion
If the meal turnover of your business is limited by the number
of meals you are presently able to cook and serve, cook/chill
is a fast way to increase your capacity without necessarily
expanding your kitchen or employing extra staff.
The System
What You Will Need
If you are already serving hot food, the only additional equipment you will require for a small to medium sized cook/chill operation is an appropriately sized blast chiller. You will also need a suitable reach-in or walk-in refrigerator for the storage of finished product.
As with
any cooking operation, a cook/chill system requires care to
ensure that food does not become exposed to harmful bacteria.
Staff should, therefore, be given specific training on the cook/chill
operation, in addition to basic food hygiene training. Your
equipment supplier should be able to help you with this.
It is easiest to view a cook/chill system as a series of stages.
Each of these should be regarded as equally important to guarantee
food safety, and good quality dishes.
How it Works
1. Selection
of raw materials
2. Storage of raw materials
3. Preparation
4. Cooking
5. Portioning
6. Blast Chilling
7. Storage of chilled foods
8. Distribution of chilled foods (if applicable)
9. Rethermalization/reheating of food
10. Service
1. Selection of raw materials
If raw materials are below standard when you buy them, they
are not going to improve with cooking. It is vital, therefore,
that you check your supplies and, if necessary, check on your
suppliers handling and distribution methods.
2. Storage
of raw materials
Having purchased top quality raw materials, it makes sense to
keep them in proper storage and in top condition before they
are needed. This means following basic food safety principles,
to ensure that the appropriate temperature and humidity levels
are met.
3. Preparation
Again, basic food safety principles apply. Separate surfaces
and separate utensils should be used for the preparation of
raw fish, meat and poultry to prevent cross contamination. Ideally,
food preparation should take place in an area separate from
the cooking and post cooking.
If some
raw materials arrive in a frozen condition, they should be thoroughly
thawed out before use.
Rapid high temperature thawing can encourage the growth of pathogens
and may leave cold spots at the core of the food. For this reason
we do not recommend thawing products with a microwave oven unless
the oven is specifically designed to ensure thawing. In order
to make chilling more efficient after cooking, beef or packs
of meat should not weigh more than 5.5 lbs, or measure more
than 4. in thickness.
4. Cooking
Whatever the food product you are cooking and by whatever method,
it is essential that the core temperature of the food reaches
at least 160°F, and is held at this temperature for at least
two minutes. This is to ensure that any pathogenic microorganisms
that may be present are destroyed. To check the core temperature
of food use a probe thermometer. (Check the accuracy of this
and any other thermometers used, every three months).
You will not find it necessary to modify your usual recipes
for a cook/chill system.
5. Portioning
Once the food is cooked, the chilling process must start as
soon as possible, and at most within thirty minutes. This leaves
time for portioning prior to chilling. However, handling of
food should be kept to a minimum. Meals can be portioned from
individual components after chilling. Usually, the ideal containers
for chilling food should be no more than 2 1/2. deep.
Other containers may only be used if the blast chiller is capable
of chilling the food to the required temperature in the required
time. Note also that some containers are made of materials which
can insulate the food, thereby affecting chilling times.
If disposable containers are used, it is essential that they
have been stored under proper hygienic conditions.
6. Rapid
Chilling
Whatever the type of blast chiller you use, it should be capable
of chilling the food between 33°F and 38°F within 2
to 4 hours of placing the hot food in the blast chiller and
commencing the blast chill cycle. This is not only to ensure
safety, but also preserves the appearance, texture, flavor and
nutritional value of the food. Your blast chiller should be
equipped with a food probe or probes, with which you can monitor
the temperature of the food during freezing.
Large pieces of meat, etc., may not chill as quickly as required.
In this case, the meat should be portioned while hot and then
chilled. Alternatively, the temperature of the meat must be
reduced to 50°F or below within 150 minutes, and then portioned
before final chilling to 33°F and 38°F.
The speed at which chilling takes place will be affected by
the shape, size and density of the food, its moisture content,
heat capacity and entry temperature. Therefore, placing lids
on containers or stacking them on top of one another, will increase
the chilling time. However, covering food can protect against
contamination, and is thus sometimes appropriate as long as
chilling can still be achieved within the time limits.
7. Storage
of chilled foods
Blast Chilled food should be stored immediately in a chilled
storage cabinet at a temperature between 33°F and 38°F,
in order to control growth of micro-organisms.
Ideally, you should use a reach-in or walk-in cooler designed
for chilled food storage, and use it solely for your cook/chill
products. Refrigerators not capable of holding the chill food
below 40°F are not suitable. It is recommended to havestorage
cabinets featuring alarms which will alert you if temperatures,
for any reason, rise above the recommended levels.
Chilled food may be kept under the above conditions for up to
five days. To ensure that products are not allowed to go over
this time span (and are therefore not wasted), a system of stock
rotation should be employed. The simplest method is perhaps
to use color-coded labels, a different color for each day with
a .use by. date, production date and product description marked
on each label. A .first in,
first out. policy should be used. If, for any reason, the food
(in store or during distribution) reaches a temperature over
40°F but not more than 50°F, the food should be consumed
within 12 hours.
Should any food in the store exceed its expiration date or reach
a temperature over 50°F it should be thrown out as it will
be unfit for consumption.
8. Distribution
If you intend to operate a cook/chill system in one location
and supply one or more other locations, food must be transferred
to the other site while still in their chilled state. The use
of refrigerated vehicles is recommended, or at the very least,
prechilled insulated containers for short journeys.
If chilled food is being transferred to other sites, it must
not only be transported at the correct temperature, but on arrival,
it must also be placed in appropriate refrigerated cabinets
until required.
9. Reheating
Cooked and chilled foods that are to be eaten cold or at room
temperature, should be consumed within 30 minutes after removal
from storage. If the food is to be reheated (rethermalized),
this should start no more than 30 minutes after the food is
removed from chilled storage. Reheating must take place close
to the point of consumption.
Appropriate reheating equipment, includes forced air, steam
convection ovens and specialchill/reheat carts. Traditional
types of hot-air ovens may be used, but care must be taken to
ensure that exposed areas of food do not become dehydrated.
Commercial microwave ovens may also be used, and we recommend
these for the rethermalization of individual or small numbers
of meals. Ideally, of course, it is preferable to install matching
rethermalization equipment.
In order to ensure the destruction of any pathogens present,
the core temperature of the food must reach at least 160°F,
and be held at this temperature for at least two minutes. To
check that this temperature has been reached, insert a probe
thermometer into the slowest heating point (usually the center).
10. Service
Once food has been reheated to the required temperature, it
should be consumed as soon as possible, and preferably within
15 minutes of reheating. The temperature of the food should
not be allowed to fall below 150°F.