Snap freezing
Encyclopedia
Snap freezing is the process of cooking
meals until they are almost done and then rapidly chilling them.
The process involves the preparation and cooking of meal
s at a central factory, rapidly chilling them for storage until they are needed. Cook chill foods need to be packed in shallow trays to make the process more efficient. The food is cooled to a temperature under 3 degrees Celsius within 90 minutes of cooking and stored at a maintained temperature of 0 to 3 degrees Celsius. The meals can then be transported in refrigerated transport to where the food is to be reheated and consumed when needed.
The length of storage depends on the method used but is usually five days. For longer storage the food may be subjected to pasteurization
after cooking.
The main target group for these products are people who have little time to spend cooking. Typical categories would be school
s, pensioner
s and possibly hospital
s.
These processes have the advantage that the preparation and cooking of the meals is not tied to the times when the food is to be served enabling staff and equipment to be used more efficiently. A properly managed operation is capable of supplying high quality meals economically in spite of the high initial equipment costs. There are potential problems, however. In particular, careful attention has to be paid to hygiene
, as there are a number of points in the process where food pathogens can gain access. This requires careful attention to both the control of the process and to staff training.
Snap-freeze is a term often used in scientific papers to describe a process by which a sample is very quickly lowered to temperatures below -70°C. This is often accomplished by submerging a sample in Liquid nitrogen
.
Cooking
Cooking is the process of preparing food by use of heat. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary widely in skill and training...
meals until they are almost done and then rapidly chilling them.
The process involves the preparation and cooking of meal
Meal
A meal is an instance of eating, specifically one that takes place at a specific time and includes specific, prepared food.Meals occur primarily at homes, restaurants, and cafeterias, but may occur anywhere. Regular meals occur on a daily basis, typically several times a day...
s at a central factory, rapidly chilling them for storage until they are needed. Cook chill foods need to be packed in shallow trays to make the process more efficient. The food is cooled to a temperature under 3 degrees Celsius within 90 minutes of cooking and stored at a maintained temperature of 0 to 3 degrees Celsius. The meals can then be transported in refrigerated transport to where the food is to be reheated and consumed when needed.
The length of storage depends on the method used but is usually five days. For longer storage the food may be subjected to pasteurization
Pasteurization
Pasteurization is a process of heating a food, usually liquid, to a specific temperature for a definite length of time, and then cooling it immediately. This process slows microbial growth in food...
after cooking.
The main target group for these products are people who have little time to spend cooking. Typical categories would be school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
s, pensioner
Pensioner
In common parlance, a pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom and Australia where someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP. In the United States, the term retiree is more...
s and possibly hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
s.
These processes have the advantage that the preparation and cooking of the meals is not tied to the times when the food is to be served enabling staff and equipment to be used more efficiently. A properly managed operation is capable of supplying high quality meals economically in spite of the high initial equipment costs. There are potential problems, however. In particular, careful attention has to be paid to hygiene
Hygiene
Hygiene refers to the set of practices perceived by a community to be associated with the preservation of health and healthy living. While in modern medical sciences there is a set of standards of hygiene recommended for different situations, what is considered hygienic or not can vary between...
, as there are a number of points in the process where food pathogens can gain access. This requires careful attention to both the control of the process and to staff training.
Snap-freeze is a term often used in scientific papers to describe a process by which a sample is very quickly lowered to temperatures below -70°C. This is often accomplished by submerging a sample in Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen
Liquid nitrogen is nitrogen in a liquid state at a very low temperature. It is produced industrially by fractional distillation of liquid air. Liquid nitrogen is a colourless clear liquid with density of 0.807 g/mL at its boiling point and a dielectric constant of 1.4...
.