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FOOD SERVICE MANAGEMENT – I

NDT 2242

Food chilled Procedures

Dr. Shanthi
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics

:03-27317302
 What Is Food
Chilled ???
 Cook-chill complete catering system preparing food in bulk
using rapid chilling techniques store the cooked food served
when needed..

 At a central unit the food is prepared and cooked to a safe

temperature kill any bacteria present Chilling Process
stored at between 0oC and 5oC five days

Food preservation method in which it is prepared and portioned,

cooked, and then chilled to 5oC in a central kitchen. Cook Chill
preserves food for up to four days before it is reheated for eating.

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 Types Of Blast
Chiller

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 The Benefits of
Cook-Chill
Labour Savings

Cost
savings
Increased
menu flexibility

Higher quality meals

Improved food safety

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 Types Of Chill Cook
System
Background Information
There are several types of chilled food, including:

The
Nacka System
The
AGS Food System
The
Régéthermic System

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 The Nacka System
In the Nacka system, food is prepared in the usual manner to an internal
temperature of 80oC and packed hot into a plastic pouch. Air is then
extracted and the pouch is sealed. The pouch is placed in boiling water for 3
minutes and then passed through a cooling tunnel of running water for 1
hour, during which the temperature is lowered first to 10oC and then to 5oC.
After quick drying, the food is stored below 5 oC. When required, the food is
reheated in boiling water.

Cooked Food
Packed Sealed
80 oC

Running
Chill Store
Water

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 The AGS Food
System
The AGS food system is used by the Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg
hospitals in South Carolina, USA, and is a development of the Nacka
system. Quality is said to be improved by the process, in which the items
are partially cooked, packed in airtight containers, pasteurised for 5-10
minutes, then cooled quickly to prevent microbiological growth and, finally,
stored at 5 oC or lower. On demand the food is heated in boiling water,
which also completes the cooking cycle

Partially Cooked Packed Running Water

Chill Store Reheat

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 The Régéthermic
System
 The Régéthermic system is a chilled food system that has been
developed in France. The food is cooled immediately after cooking to
5oC. When required the food is heated in infrared heating cabinets.

Cooked Food Blast Chiller Reheat

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 Sodexo Assembly
Chain

Chef Cooking Packed Storage

Delivery Reheat & Food Serve

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 Basic principles of the
cook-chill process
All food should be cooked completely to ensure there will be no
bacteria stages of any pathogenic microorganisms

The chilling process should be begin ASAP after the cooking and
portioning process - definitely within 30 minutes of completion.

The food should be chilled to 5oC and below within the next 90
minutes if not storage life cannot be longer than 5 days.

The food should be stored at a temperature between

0oC and 5oC

upon removal of food from chilled conditions and the temperature

should be raised to a level of at least 70oC.

The food should be consumed as soon as possible and not

more than 2 hours after regeneration if not should be discarded

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 Advantages of Cook-
Chill
Production
Less daily Better Usage Can Be
meal wastage Of Equipment Schedule and
& Labor Prepare In
Advanced

.Improved staff opportunity to

Lower food implement
working
costs based quality control
conditions
on bulk over the
buying Reduce peak
meal tension suppliers.

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 Disadvantages of A
Chilled Food System

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 Food Chill Video Slide

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qJtWN5
Tr8w&feature=related

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 Temperature
Calibration

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 Main Important
Process

Preparation Areas And Equipment Are Ready For

Use
Portioning and packing
Blast-chilling
Storing
Keeping samples of each
food
Cleaning and Sanitising

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 Mis-en-plus
Remember
Hands must be washed before and after preparation to maintain a high standard of
hygiene.
Areas used for the preparation of food items must be clean with no visible signs of food
debris or food particles.
Stainless steel shelving, counters and tables need to be cleaned and sanitised daily or after
each service.
Clean as you go is always the best policy.
The three key steps to follow when cleaning food preparation areas are:
wipe up spilled or splashed food immediately to avoid creating a safety hazard (e.g. slips
and falls)
spray with detergent or sanitizer solution and then wipe clean
dry with a clean cloth or allow to air dry.
All work surfaces must be sanitised after use.
When cleaning equipment, special attention must be given to any equipment that contains
areas where food particles may become lodged, e.g. food processor components and
chopping boards.
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 Quality of Food
Bacteria start to die at temperatures above 63C. In the cook-chill process;
food passes through this danger zone several times:

chilling after cooking

reheating before service.

The quality of the food will be greatly affected if bacterial growth takes place :-

•food which has dried out

•food which is burnt
•sauces which contain lumps
•food which has separated or broken down
•food in poorly sealed or damaged containers

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At all times you must follow the recipe specifications of your organisation.
Quantity of food will depend on:-

work load
in the near
future.

number of
portions
required/number
of people being
catered for

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 Quantity of Food
When determining quantity of food to be prepared, remember that cook-chill food can
be kept for up to 5 days under correct storage conditions

P/S :
Ideally food must be chilled to below 5oC within 30 minutes of cooking (slightly
longer for larger joints of meat or chicken). Never prepare large quantities of
food if you are not able to chill it within the recommended time.

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 Selecting food of the type,
quality and quantity required
Type of Food Suitable for Cook-Chill Not Suitable for Cook-Chill
 Roasted, boiled, steamed, stir-fried or Vegetables with high water content,
fried vegetables. e.g. lettuce and watercress
 Peaches and apples and other food
Fruit & Vegetables
which can be cooked.
 Fruit that does not require cooking,
e.g. fruit salad.
 Sauces and soups which can be easily
Sauces and Soups reheated.
 Emulsified sauces, e.g. béarnaise sauce.
Stews, casseroles, roasts, burgers, pies,
stir-fries, shallow or deep-fried meat or
poultry.. Joints over 2.5 kilos because they take
Meat and Poultry Roasted or boiled joints of beef, lamb, too long to cool after cooking.
pork and chicken.

Poached, shallow, deep-fried or

Fish and Seafood Grilled fish, as it will be too dry.
steamed fish..
 Friedor poached eggs, as the yolk
Egg dishes Scrambled eggs or omelettes.
overcooks.
Pancakes crêpes, fruit sponges, egg and
rice-based puddings, pies and tarts - any
Desserts desserts that can be easily reheated.
Cold desserts such as jellies mousse
and trifles .
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 How blast-chilling
works
At a central kitchen, the food is prepared and cooked

• The food is placed in suitable food grade containers. Hot food items are brought
down to the required temperature before blast chilling takes place in accordance
1 with organisational requirements

• The food will stay in the blast-chiller for the time prescribed by the manufacturer's

2 instructions. The type and weight of food will determine this time.

• The food is stored at just above freezing point 0 - 5C.

3

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 Blast-chilling
Temperature
There are several reasons why time and temperature must be controlled
during the cook-chill process :-

To achieve standards which

set by the establishment

To avoid bacteria growth that will

effect food quality

Avoid food cost increased due of

discarded item that not correct
temperature

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 Factors When Blast-
Chilling
Important Factors When Blast-Chilling And Cooling Food

The blast-chiller must be available for use at the required time.

 The food is chilled to between 0 - 5C within 90 minutes from the start of the
chilling process. Some larger volume items, e.g. 20 litres of minestrone soup, may
have to be broken down into smaller quantities (say 4 x 5 litre containers) to hasten
the chilling process.

Mixed loads (different dishes) consist of dishes that will chill to appropriate temperature
in the same time. are required to be stacked so that air can circulate around

Containers, once filled, them. Most cook-chill operations have specifically designed
holding trolleys to do just this operation.

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 Correctly sealing and
labelling food containers

Correctly sealing and labelling food containers

At all times, food containers must be sealed and labelled in accordance with organisational
requirements and customer specifications.

The label should be placed where it can easily be read during handling, storage
and reheating.

Colour coding systems can be used which provide information such as type of dish,
day of packaging, or dietary information.

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 Labeling
The label may include the following information:
type of food
number of portions
use-by date
dietary information(vegetarian dish,
gluten-free dish, etc.)
service or garnish suggestions
required heating times
quantity/weight of food
date on which
it was cooked
date on which
it must be used.
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 Food Transportation
Transporting food containers area within the required time

Food must be transported from the blast-chill area to the holding area in the time allotted
to ensure that the temperature of the packed food does not exceed 5C.

After the labelling process, the containers are transported and placed into the normal
refrigerator, which is set at 0 - 5C

When transporting food you may load it onto a trolley or carry it manually. If it is carried
manually, always be sure to observe safe lifting techniques.

Some organisations have a set-up whereby trolleys of food can be pushed into the blast-
chiller at one end and then when ready they can be pushed out the other end directly into
the chill store. If you do not have a system like this, you should establish the quickest
route from the blast-chiller to the holding area. You must be sure to avoid interruptions
along the way as it is crucial that transporting times be kept to a minimum.

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 Cook Chill Process
Timing is essential in a cook-chill process so you must be organised. The basic sequence is as follows:

Preparation

Cooking

Portioning

Blast-chilling

Storage

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 Summary

 Ideally you should allow no more than 30 minutes to portion and pack the food
and 90 minutes to reduce the temperature of the food to below 5C. Wasting
time or inefficient work could mean that the process would take longer and the risk of
bacterial growth would increase.

To increase hygiene standards, staff movement is often restricted in a cook-chill

operation. You must be organised so that you will not need to move unnecessarily
between areas. Always have food labels, containers and equipment ready
before you start portioning food.

When determining quantity of food to be prepared, remember that cook-chill food

can be kept for up to five days under correct storage conditions

P/S :
Ideally food must be chilled to below 5oC within 30 minutes of cooking (slightly
longer for larger joints of meat or chicken). Never prepare large quantities of food if
you are not able to chill it within the recommended time.
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 Self
Assessment
Question 1
Explain the basic principle of cook-chill.
Question 2
What are the main benefits of the cook-chill system?
Question 3
What are the main disadvantages?
Question 4
Why do cook-chill operations keep samples of all food produced?
Question 5
Discuss foods, which are not suitable for the cook-chill system, explain why.
Question 6
What information should appear on labels?

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 Acknowledgement
38

I thank Sodexo malaysia

for permitting me to use some of the
contents compiled by them.
Any questions?

Principles of Food Preparation (NDT 2231)