The fact that restaurants can keep hot food hot is a testament to how much time, resources, and technology goes into this specific service. Some of the most iconic dishes have been around for more than 5,000 years, and an NPR news article has reported that these ancient dishes are still being served up in restaurants everywhere today.
One example would be the beef tartare, which originated in Ancient Rome, where a raw beef dish was served with oil-cured anchovies and caper berries. Though the menu has changed over time, the Ancient Romans have kept it simple, using nothing more than beef and capers. Here are some reasons given below why hot and cold foods are kept the same:
Reasons Why Hot and Cold Foods Are Kept the Same
- Hot food kept hot is usually served at a cooler temperature than one hot. It means that a restaurant has to expend even more resources to keep the food at an optimal temperature for customers. When there are too many people in a restaurant, and everyone wants their food now, one can assume that it will be served quickly. However, to keep it hot, not only does the restaurant have to have a way to keep the food hot, but they also must have a way of keeping it on the table while customers are still eating.
- One of the most challenging aspects of preparing food is how quickly it can be cooled down once it is plated. The faster a plate is brought to your table, the more likely it is that you will receive your food at an optimum temperature, hot and tasty. But once it is on the table and you start to eat, it can cool down quickly. It means that there are two types of hot food waiting to be served in a restaurant- freshly cooked and pre-cooked.
- Pre-cooked food is usually kept warm in a warming oven until ordered. Though it may not appear as fresh, because of the way ravioli is made, for instance, customers will still find it more flavorful than when they bite into something that has just been cooked. However, once the food is cooked and brought to the table, it can be kept in the hot zone until it is ordered. Likewise, the boiling water that keeps pasta warm can be used once the food has been eaten.
- However, once the food is cooked and brought to the table, it can be kept in the hot zone until it is ordered. The boiling water that keeps pasta warm can be used once the food has been eaten. It allows for more time to prepare more food and ensures that customers will be served freshly prepared food.
- Instead of cooking and serving on the fly, restaurants can plan as much as a week in advance as to how many people will be ordering a chicken salad and which types of salads they will need to prepare. It allows food prep to begin when an order has been placed to be ready in time. In addition, having a more extensive inventory of food on hand is always beneficial.
How Hot and Cold Food Is Kept the Same?
- Most restaurants have a walk-in refrigerator that is optimal for storing food. All the food, whether hot or cold, is stored until used. In most cases, it will be stored on shelves and stacked neatly so that there are no concerns about food being crushed or mixed up. Customers might find the hot food and cold food kept in the same section of the same refrigerator.
- Most probably, the cold food that is being kept in this section of the refrigerator is prepared pre-cooked. This way, it does not have to be cooked as soon as customers order, and it can be put into a warmer oven which will keep it at a perfect temperature for serving. If a restaurant does not have a warm kitchen, it can heat large refrigerators like most small cafes.
- There is the question of what temperature the food should be, which depends on which foods are being served. In most cases, it will be about 140 degrees Fahrenheit and hotter for items that need to be cooked thoroughly. Restaurants need to periodically monitor the temperature of their refrigerators with thermometers to see if there are any issues or problems with them. Hot food can turn nasty quickly without a consistent temperature, making it unsafe to consume.
The hotter a dish is, the less likely you are to eat it because of how it leaves your mouth. It means that the food will be colder. Also, if there is any spillage from a hot dish brought out before your order, you can assume that it will be cold as soon as you bite into it. Most rashers are cooked when they are ordered to be immediately served in a hot zone.
