Increasingly caterers are aware that cook-chill offers the opportunity to prepare banqueting menus in advance with no loss of quality, nutritional quality, flavour or appearance. When applied to banqueting, cook-chill methods can save time and money, and increase profitability and turnover.
Cook-chill banqueting at a glance
There are seven main stages in the cook-chill process:
- Menu planning and selection of raw materials.
- Cooking
- Portioning (when hot)
- Rapid chilling/Blast chilling from 70°C to 3°C
- Storage of chilled foods 0°C to 3°C
- Regeneration
- Serving
The main advantages of using cook-chill for banqueting are:
- Meals can be prepared in advance with no loss of quality.
- Easier menu and event planning.
- Reduced food wastage.
- Time saving and better time management.
- Effective Food Hygiene regulations management and compliance.
What you will need for cook-chill banqueting
You can build up a cook-chill operation system from scratch or you may already have some equipment and can just add on as necessary.
To start with you need an oven or ovens capable of cooking in the quantities required, a blast/rapid chiller, refrigerated storage, a regeneration oven and possibly heated trolleys or cupboards to transport the hot food from kitchen to the dining area. If you have a combi-oven this can be used for both cooking and regeneration.
There are drawbacks, however, to using existing equipment and purchasing add-ons. For example, standard commercial gastronorm refrigerators are often not suitable in terms of storage or cooling capacity.
Another option is a mobile high-tech multifunction unit that combines a rapid-chiller, fridge, regan oven and hot cupboard in one. These units can offer savings in staff time and don’t tie up existing kitchen equipment. Once the meals are plated up they remain in the same unit for chilling, regeneration and rolling into the function room.
Cool-chill and HACCP
Using cook-chill for banqueting breaks the process down into a series of logical steps that make it simpler to record data and comply with regulations.
At the preparation stage basic Food Hygiene and HACCP guidelines apply. During the cooking stage you need to ensure that the core temperature of the reaches at least 70°C and is held at this temperature for two minutes. Ideally the chilling process should start within 30 minutes of the food being cooked and the blast/rapid chiller must be capable of chilling the hot food to 3°C within 90 minutes – both for safety and to preserve the quality of the food. The food can be stored in chilled conditions (0° – 3°C) for up to 5 days.
For regeneration the requirements are the same as for cooking and once regenerated the food should preferably be consumed within 15 minutes, and it is to be held ready for serving the temperature should not fall to below 63°C.
Cook-chill banqueting and energy use
If you are using separate items of equipment in your operation, regular servicing ensures each item is operating at its peak efficiency. Combi-ovens are an extremely energy efficient way of cooking and regenerating the food, but if the serving point is some distance away and it needs to be transferred into a heated trolley you may find a mobile regeneration oven is a more energy-efficient option.
Look at your operation and pinpoint areas where energy is being wasted. If you have a large regen oven but you’re only doing a small function, fill the empty shelves with empty plates. This helps distribute the heat evenly. Consider the route the trolley takes from kitchen to dining area to minimise transfer time. Over a year this can make surprising savings both in energy and staff costs.
The above is exraction from the CESA equipment buying guide 2009. See the December issue of Eat Out magazine for more details.
