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Seafood
Fish - Prepare all fish fillets according to recipe for breaded, baked, broiled, steamed, etc. Be careful not to overcook. Blast chill immediately.
Shrimp/Scallops/Shellfish - Prepare according to recipe and blast chill immediately. Be careful not to overcook. If prepared with a sauce (creole, etc.), cook the sauce separate and mix together prior to retherm.
Casseroles and Stews
Stew and casseroles are very successful in cook/chill and rethermalization. Most recipes should require little change for cook/chill. Products should be moist but hold form when plated. Prepare and blast chill in
Lasagna - Brown off convenience lasagna to remove extra moisture and blast chill. Prepared from scratch, follow the recipe; do not overcook. Blast chill.
Beef Stew/Stroganoff, etc. - Cook/steam meat until tender. Prepare as stated in recipe. Blast chill.
Chicken/Turkey/Beef Pot Pie - Prepare the chicken/turkey/beef and vegetable sauce separately from the crust, pastry, or biscuit. Top product after chilling or at point of rethermalization.
Stir Frys – Sauté / steam until meat is done and vegetables are crisp.
Pasta Casserole (Mac & Cheese, Turkey Tetrazzini) - Prepare sauce separately from pasta. Blast chill. Mix product together chilled and rethermed.
Sauces and Gravies
For conventionally prepared gravies and sauces, substitute a portion of the flour or cornstarch with a modified starch. A substitute of 30 to 50% by weight is recommended. In preparing these sauces and gravies with the modified starch, the product must reach 170° F. (76° C.) and be held at the temperature for a minimum of 5 minutes. If this is not done, the gravy or sauce will thicken during the chilled storage. To reduce the risk of rancidity during refrigerated storage, use broth bases rather than meat or poultry drippings. Commercial gravy or sauce bases contain modified starches and can be substituted for conventionally prepared products.
Sandwiches/Specialty Items
See CresCor Retherm Oven Time and Temperature chart on Page 60 in CresCor cookbook.
