F O O D H O L D I N G a n d S A N I TAT I O N
FOOD HOLDING - FUNCTION & VALUE
In the previous section s, cooking procedure s in the Halo Heat Low Temperat ure Cooking and Hol ding Ove n have been emph asized. If pract ical to the individu al food servi ce operati on, thes e ovens can also be used wit hout the cooking function to hold foods at proper serving
temp eratur es. Individua l holding cab inets can also be used to accomplis h this fun ction.
Food produ ction in most food servi ce facili ties | |||
is accomplish ed in a varie ty of differe nt coo king | |||
equi pment. | Food quality can be easi ly lost | ||
between the time a produc t is remov ed from an | |||
oven and the time of direct serv ice. | Regar dle ss of | ||
the met hod of preparation , proper handl ing of foo d | |||
within this | tim e period is of crit ical | importance to | |
the food service | operat or. Halo Heat hot food | ||
hol din g equipm ent is able to support any typ e of | |||
food preparation | by ext end ing the longest poss ible | ||
hol din g life | for the widest vari ety of products . |
For maximu m efficienc y, hot food holding | |
equipm ent shou ld be selected on the basis of the | |
full range of functions this equipme nt can provid e | |
to the individ ual operation. | For example, dough |
proofing, bulk food holdi ng for buffet service or | |
other situa tions and the transportation of hot foods | |
are some of the major funct ions of thes e cabine ts | |
for multipu rpose utilit y. When prop erly plan ned, | |
Halo Heat holding equipment can be a time | |
manageme nt aid, support the food service | |
opera tion by extending prepar ation times outside of | |
peak prepara tion hour s, and prov ide a qualit y | |
product in prolonged holdin g situations . | |
Con sult an Alto- Shaam | representativ e for |
infor mation on compatible | hold ing equi pment or |
for recomm endation on ful l systems tail ored to | |
meet specific requ irement s. |
|
C AUTION
TO MAINTAIN SAFE TEMPERATURE
LEVELS, COLD FOOD FOR
RETHERMALIZATION OR REHEATING
MUST NEVER BE ADDED TO THE OVEN
WHILE HOT FOODS ARE BEING HELD.
GE NE RAL HOL DI NG GUID EL IN ES
Chefs, cooks and other speci alized food service person nel employ varied method s of coo kin g. Proper holding temperatures for a specif ic food produ ct must be based on the moist ure conten t of the produ ct, produ ct densi ty, volume, and proper serv ing tem pera tures. Safe holding tem per atures must also be correlated with palatability in
deter mining the length of hol ding time for a speci fic produ ct.
Halo Heat mainta ins the maximum amoun t of produ ct moi sture conten t withou t the addit ion of water , water vapor, or stea m. Main tain ing
maxi mum natural produ ct moistu re pres erves the natural flavor of the product and provi des a more genu ine taste. In addition to produc t moist ure retenti on, the gen tle properti es of Halo Heat
mai nta in a con sistent tem pera ture througho ut the cabinet without the necessi ty of a heat distrib utio n fan, thereby preventing furth er moistu re los s due to evapora tion or deh ydra tion.
In an enclosed hol ding env ironment , too muc h moi sture conten t is a condi tion which can be relieved. A produ ct achieving ext remely high tem peratures in preparation must be allow ed to decr ease in tem pera ture bef ore bein g pla ced in a cont rolled hol ding atmosphere. If the produ ct is not allowed to dec rease in temperature, excess ive cond ensa tion will form increasing the moist ure cont ent on the outs ide of the produc t. To pres erve the safet y and quality of freshly coo ked foods how ever, a maximum of 1 to 2 minute s must be the onl y time period allowed for the initial heat to be released from the produ ct.
Mos t Halo Heat holding equipment is provided with a thermosta t control betwe en 60° and 200 °F (16 ° to 93°C). If the unit is equ ippe d with ven ts, clo se the vents for moist holding and open the vents for crisp hol ding.
If the unit is equipped with a thermosta t indicating a range of between 1 and 10, use a thermometer to measure the internal temperature of the product(s) being held. Adjust the thermosta t setting to achieve the best overall setting based on internal product temperature.
SECTI ON 7 • FOOD HOLDING AND SANITATION
72.