How to Cool Foods Correctly

When cooling foods, it is imperative to cool the product as soon as possible. Bacteria thrives between 41° F and 140° F and the FDA code dictates that cooked foods must be chilled within the time limits of your local health department. Foods are at their best flavor and texture when first prepared. Slow cooking of foods draws out the moisture of the products through steam and evaporation. This can ruin the quality of the food and often creates a "left over" taste and texture. Standard refrigeration is not designed to cool food quickly enough to preserve the hard work that you do to give your customers great food. In addition, according to the National Restaurant Association, the number one cause of food borne illness is improper cooling.

The best method of quickly chilling foods (and the least labor intensive) is to utilize a blast chiller. Blast chilled foods are cooled so quickly that the cooking process is stopped almost immediately. The foods are below the danger zone temperature of 40°F before moisture has time to escape from the product. The end result: Food has more of its own flavor, moisture and natural juices. Compared to cooling in traditional refrigeration, blast chilled food will gain an additional 5 – 10% in weight due to the lack of moisture loss, thus giving you a better yield and more profit from your products.

Blast chilled foods will not only taste better, but will also last longer (increasing shelf life from three to five days), decrease the amount of labor needed to produce a week’s volume of food, and result in a safer and higher quality product. It is a must for anyone who has to cook large amounts of food. Banquet departments, caterers, healthcare, hotels, restaurants and schools are just a few types of operators that can benefit from blast chillers. The additional savings will often pay for the blast chiller in just a few months and then continue to contribute right to the bottom line, thus increasing profits.

For foods such as sauces, stews, or other liquid a Rapi-Kool from San Jamar is the ideal product to get your food down to proper and out of the harmful temperature danger zone of 41° F and 140° F. These paddles are filled with ice water, or even frozen in order to bring your food down to temperature quickly before putting it in a refrigerator or freezer.