Holding and serving foods safely may require different temperatures. Learn how to maintain the quality of foods using the correct holding and serving equipment and how to take the temperature. Remember, what works best in your school kitchen may take some experimenting. Finding the best method will maintain food quality and keep your students happy. Watch this video made for the North Carolina K-12 Culinary Institute with Chef Cyndie and the team.
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Holding foods safely before and during service must be a priority. Hot foods are held at 135 degrees or above. Soup should be served at a much higher temperature of 160 degrees for maximum enjoyment. Cold foods are held at 41F or below, but over-chilling fresh fruits and vegetables impacts cost and eye appeal.
Batch cook hot foods if food quality is lost when held over an extended period of time. Batch cook vegetables, breaded products, oven fried potatoes, and pasta. Vegetables lose their color and appeal after 20 minutes of holding. Breaded products and oven fried potato products turn from crispy to soggy quickly, and pasta after an hour becomes gummy and clumpy. Hot holding cabinets are essential for keeping foods warm whether it’s for 5 minutes or several hours. To maintain product crispiness, hold the food uncovered. To prevent moisture build up and sogginess, it’s best to hold crispy foods on sheet pans then transfer to steam table pans just prior to service. Prepare and serve foods in 2 inch pans. Deeper pans allow for uneven heat distribution. Food on the bottom becomes dry, while food on the top may cool. While servers may desire to change the pans less often, for many foods two inch pans maintain product quality and allow customers to have a bird’s eye view. Hot sandwiches, toast, and other breads can be shingled to prevent crushing and allow even heat throughout the pan. Use a false bottom to prevent bread items becoming hard.
Hot foods are held safely at 135 F. Determine each menu’s quality holding temperature. Use a thermometer to take the temperature of foods when removing from hot holding. Place the thermometer at the top edge of the pan farthest away from the heat source to check the temperature. Stir foods, such as beans, to distribute the heat and remove any crust formations. If crispiness is not a concern use lids to maintain quality and temperature. Be sure to remove the lids for service!
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Chef Cyndie and the K-12 Culinary Team
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Chef Cyndie & the K-12 Culinary Team provide practical consulting and training for your specific needs so that your program operates smoothly with skilled, confident staff. We work with state agencies, school districts, and industry partners.
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Culinary Solution Centers created this video with Running Pony Productions. (Oxford Cooking, 090116)