Cook & Chill system with Sammic's sous-vide solution

The catering industry is evolving and nowadays it is not enough to offer a carefully prepared high-quality product. Customers are looking for a complete experience, where the agility and personalisation of the service are crucial. Furthermore, in this historic context in which we find ourselves, safety and hygiene have taken on vital importance. And if all this were not enough, restaurants want to control the entire production process in order to obtain a standardised, profitable and stress-free result. This is why the Cook&Chill system has more and more followers

But what is the Cook&Chill system? As the name suggests, this system is about cooking food and then cooling it and preserving it until it is used. That is, in this process the food is prepared, cooked, and then quickly chilled to preserve it in a safe manner, so that it can be regenerated at the time of service. This optimises preparation time, standardises processes and ensures food safety by reducing waste in the kitchen.

 

1. Sous-vide cooking

The first step of the Cook&Chill system is the application of heat to the food, that is, what we commonly understand as cooking. At this point, the product, which has been previously portioned and vacuum-sealed using a packing machine, is cooked sous-vide in the SmartVide. Following the recipe, the time and temperature that the product needs to be cooked and pasteurised is adjusted and the product is then left to cook. It is advisable to standardise the maximum number of recipes at the same temperature to maximise the potential of the equipment.  

 

2. Rapid chilling

Once the food is removed from the tank, it is immediately chilled or lowered in temperature to ensure that it is kept in optimum conditions. Sammic chillers allow you to quickly cross the dangerous temperature range, reaching +3ºC to the heart of the product in less than 90 minutes (chilling) or even reaching temperatures of -18ºC to the heart of the product in less than 240 minutes (deep-freezing). In both cases, it is possible to reduce the bacterial load present in the food and obtain a safe quality product, monitor its traceability, optimise your food stocks and extend its useful life.

 

3. Regeneration

Finally, at the time of service, the previously vacuum-cooked bags are removed from the chamber and returned to the water tank. The desired temperature is set and the bag is kept in the water bath until the order arrives. Depending on the product, sous-vide cooked products can be finished by sealing or marking the products before plating.