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When you are catering for a large number of people, food has to be prepared in advance. After food preparation, it can be kept inside the refrigerator to ensure food safety. However, cooked food cannot be served direct from the freezer; it has to be reheated to proper temperature to be edible. Lucky enough for catering services, technology has produces the rethermalization unit that efficiently reheats cold and frozen food that have been prepared earlier for food service.

Methods of Rethermalizing Food

Prior to the rethermalization process, it is critical for food that has been cooked in advance of the time of service to be in a refrigerated state so it does not become contaminated and remains safe to eat. It is important for hotels, restaurants, catering services and fast food stores to have the right equipment that can safely perform the task of rethermalization. There is a couple modern versions of the rethermalization unit that includes a smart controller that will automatically hold food in a refrigerated state overnight. The controller can be programmed to a specific time so that it will turn off refrigeration and start the rethermalizing process. The rethermalization unit will bring food to a safe temperature after which the controller will turn the heat down to a safe holding temperature to ensure that it is warm when served. However, aside from the rethermalization unit, there are other methods that can be used to reheat food so that it can be served in a safe temperature.

In most homes, the method of reheating food that comes directly from the refrigerator is through the microwave. Sometimes the microwave is the only kitchen tool that is at your disposal to reheat leftovers. However, microwaves have their limitations; food is not heated evenly because places in the food where water is more concentrated heat faster. Sometimes, you will see steam rising from the surface but after you remove the food, it is still cold in the middle. Rotating trays do help but to ensure that food is reheated evenly, make sure that you always check its progress.

Convection ovens exhibit better uniformity in rethermalizing food. The convection system supports food quality when reheating all types of food. Since the system makes use of a flat tray it allows food to be safely moved. Unlike traditional ovens, the convection oven includes a fan that continuously circulates air through the oven cavity. Food tends to heat more quickly and evenly because hot air is blown into the food as opposed to merely surrounding it. The convection oven is effective equipment that can be used when there is a need for rethermalization. The oven is versatile and it can efficiently bring food to the right temperature.  

It is important for commercial kitchens to have the right equipment so that they can save time and efforts in food preparation. When food is prepared on a large scale, it is critical to have technologically advanced equipment for bulk rethermalizing otherwise reheating of small portions may consume more than the necessary energy. Food safety should always be the major concern and this means being prepared with proper kitchen equipment.