BULK

FOOD PRODUCTION
 Meaning and Concept
 When food is made to cater more number of
persons, it could be termed as bulk food
production. Also, defined as “any Food
prepared for a number more than 25 can be
termed as Bulk or Mass or Volume Food
Production”.
 The terms volume cooking, quantity cooking
and bulk cooking are all synonymous and as
all three name suggests. These take place
extensively in specialized events where there
are a large number of people to be fed.
Cont….
 Even though the methods of cooking and the
selection of ingredients remain same in bulk
food cooking, what differs is the approach
(procedure).This type of cooking can be done
within the premises (of hotel or catering
establishment) or can be done off premises
(outside). In some cases the food is prepared
in one location and served in another location
for example Sky chef Nepal (airlines and
trains).
Cont….
 We all know that volume cooking or bulk food
cooking involves much more detailed planning
and organizing as compared to a la carte cooking
and it also requires a lot of care during the
preparation of food items. One cannot afford to
spoil a dish because of negligence as it would
involve lots of money, time and effort to make
that dish again. On the other hand hygiene of a
bulk kitchen also needs special attention, because
in case of food poisoning the health of a large
number of people would be affected there by
causing bad reputation and financial losses for the
organization.
Cont….
 So knowledgeable skillful and educated chefs
and trained employee need to be deployed in
this type of cooking all the time and must
monitor time to time to get the best results .
 Objectives (Goals) of Bulk Cooking
 To feed a group of people at a time
 To produce (same) uni-taste quality food.
 To minimize
 A food cost
 Labor cost
 Utility cost (fuel, energy)
  Cooking in bulk saves money and time
 To understand the application of basic principle of bulk production
of the food.
 To gain knowledge regarding selection and purchase of food.
 To develop skills in menu planning for quantity preparation.
 To understand different styles of food service in bulk/ volume
feeding
 To gain knowledge of food service layout.
 To gain knowledge to develop skills in handling equipment and
maintenance.
 Features of Bulk Food Production
 To supply hygienic and safe food to the masses.
 Quality assured and consistency on food
 Cost Effective Foods are served.
 Food is served to complement their other activities and to
fulfilment of the objectives of the institution as related to the
Industrial Canteens. The food prepared at such places is made
on a cyclic menu.
 Other outlets aiming to earn profit do the production as per
their menu and the forecast.
 A perfect planning, Proper purchasing of goods, Portion
Control and minimized wastage are the key factor for bulk
food production and service.
 Ease(comfort) of making food, ease of serving such food in a
short span of time is must as the serving time at places like
Institutions, Industries and hospitals is limited.
 Various Sector of Bulk Food Production
 Commercial
 Commercial catering establishment are those
types of organization who are profit oriented
and run solely for making profit and expanding
their business. Thy mainly focus on food and
beverage service to satisfy their guest. Their
success is directly related to the satisfaction of
the guest. Customer pay money for the
service and their requirement is more of a
luxury than need. E.g. hotel, motel restaurant,
café, pub etc.
 Industrial
 Basically it refers to shops and factories where food is
prepared to feed the employees. It is believed that
factories or companies major cause of biggest union
quarrel is poor catering facilities provided to the
employee by their company. Thus it is quite
significant to provide them tasty , nutritious and
varieties of food. So that they get satisfaction on it.
The food is served in employee dinning hall which is
also called cafeteria. In many companies the senior
employees eat food in the same cafeteria with other
employees which helps to create belongingness and
fairness among all the employee.
Cont….
 In industrial catering meals are served
between 30 to 2000 or more, generally it
depends on the organization or the member
of employees. There is use of advanced
equipments for cooking food. Mostly there is
in house cooking facilities in industrial
cafeteria and sometimes it also caters from
external agencies for day to day operation.
 Institutional Catering
 It is non profit oriented organization. It offers food
services as it is a necessity, but not to make profits. The
operation of institutional catering runs at proper time
frame. Educational institutional is included in
institutional catering. Educational institutional are of
two types. Academic Institute and Professional
Institutions.
 In academic institution like school and college students
are the main consumers of food prepared there. The
food is made and supplied by cafeteria at vary
reasonable rate. There they have their own fully
equipped kitchen in cafeteria. The size of kitchen and
the kinds of equipment would depend on the number of
meals prepared in cafeteria.
Cont….
 The main focus is given to health, hygiene
and nutrition. Some school monitor closely
while serving students in cafeteria as the
focus is also developing good eating habits.
 On the other hand in professional institution,
adults are the main consumer of food and
thus it is important to offer some variety to
them. Here kitchen are referred to as mess
which is run by a committee called mess
committee. Cyclic menus help to solve the
problem of monotonous (boring) foods.
 Transport Catering
 The provision of food and beverages to passengers,
before, during and after a journey on trains, aircraft
and ships and in buses or private vehicles is termed
as transport catering. These services may also be
utilized by the general public, who are in the vicinity
(surrounding area/neighbour) of a transport
catering unit. The major forms of modern day
transport catering are airline-catering, railways
catering, ship catering and in coaches or buses
which operate on long distance
routes.
 Airline Catering
 Catering to airline passengers on board the air
craft, as well as at restaurants situated at airport
terminals is termed as airline catering. Modern
airports have a variety of food and beverage
outlets to cater to the increasing number of air
passengers. Catering to passengers en route is
normally contracted out to a flight catering unit
of a reputed hotel or to a catering contractor or
to the catering unit operated by the airline itself
as an independent entity(individual).
 Railway Catering
 Catering to railway passengers both during
the journey as well as during halts (stopped)
at different railway stations is called railway
catering. Travelling by train for long distances
can be very tiring; (feel tired)hence a constant
supply of a variety of refreshment choices
helps to make the journey less tedious
(boring). On-board meal services are also
provided on long distance
trains.
 Bulk Food Production System
 They are grouped in 4 types
 Unit Preparing fresh cooked food which are
then dispatched:
 Cook Chill: Food is cooked ten chilled and
regenerated when required
 Cook Freeze: Food is partly prepared or
cooked then frozen and regenerated when
required
 Sous Vide :Food is sealed in special casing,
vacuumed sealed, cooked and chilled etc.
 Food Production and Preparation
 Fresh Cooking:
 While preparing fresh food we always need to
purchase quality ingredients and materials
according to the organisation policy and cook
and dispatch or feed the food in the right
temperature so that people does not become
sick. If you dispatch the fresh food your
transport should be clean and maintained
thoroughly and HACCP Certified.
 Cook Chill
Cook/chill is a simple, controlled system of food preparation
designed to provide more flexibility in food service. The
technique involves the full cooking of food, followed by
rapid chilling and storage at controlled temperatures (for up
to five days). When required, the food must be reheated
thoroughly before service. The production system itself is
simple to operate if well managed, and completely safe
provided the HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control
Point) Guidelines on temperature control are followed.
Cook Chill Systems are used by many types of food service
organizations including Fine Dining Restaurants, Fast Food
Restaurants, Restaurant Chains, Hospital Food Service
Departments, School Food Service Departments,
Institutional Food Service Departments and Caterers.
Cont….
 Cook chill is controlled production system of food
preparation that involves ten basic steps.

 1. Selection of raw materials

2. Storage of raw materials
3. Preparation
4. Cooking
5. Portioning
6. Blast Chilling
7. Storage of chilled foods
8. Distribution of chilled foods (if applicable)
9. Rethermalization (Reheating)
 10. Service
Cont….
 It provides more flexibility in food service and is the
safest way to keep the food hygienic and free from any
contamination. The techniques is to cook the food, chill
and then store fast as possible because microorganism
grow at a rapid rate between 5 degree C to 63 degree C.
This temperature zone is also called temperature
danger zone. If the food item is left outside to cool it is
prone (likely to suffer) to bacteria attack. So the time
that the food is exposed to the danger zone should be
minimized and hence large equipment known as blast
chiller or blast freezer are used. This equipment can chill
or freeze food in short period of time in safe way.
Cook Chill Equipment
Vacuumed Packing
 Cook Freeze System
 Cook freeze is a specialized food production and
distribution system that allows caterers to take
advantage of the longer life through blast freezing
at -18degree C to -20 degree C and stored at that
temperature until required for resale or
consumption for up to 3-6 months. Blast freezers
have increasingly been introduced with success
into catering operations. The ability to freeze
cooked dishes and prepared foods, as distinct from
the storage of chilled foods refrigerator or already
frozen commodities in deep freeze allows caterer
to make more productive use of kitchen staff.
Cont….
 Cook freeze is the process of cooking meals until they are
almost done and then rapidly freezing them.
 The process involves the preparation and cooking of meals at
a central factory, rapidly reducing temperature to -20 degrees
centigrade for storage until they are needed.
 Cook Freeze foods need to be packed in shallow trays to make
the process more efficient. The food is cooled to storage
temperature within 90 minutes of cooking and stored at a
maintained temperature of -20 degrees Celsius. The meals can
then be transported in refrigerated transport to where the
food is to be reheated (regenerated) and consumed when
needed.
 The length of storage depends on the food but typically it can
be stored for months. For longer storage the food may be
subjected to pasteurization (heat it for fix period of time for
long self life)after cooking. 
Cont….
 The main target group for these products is people who
have no time to spend cooking. These products are ideal
because they are so easy. Typical categories would be
schools, pensioners and possibly hospitals.
 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
Example
 Sous Vide Cooking
 The Sous Vide technique involves ingredients being
vacuum packed and then slowly cooked in water at an
accurately controlled temperature.
 The exclusion of air in the vacuum bag greatly reduces the
growth of aerobic bacteria, and this delays the contents
from spoiling.
 Sous-vide is French for "under vacuum".  It is a method of
cooking that is intended to maintain the integrity of
ingredients by heating them for an extended period of
time at relatively low temperatures. Food is cooked for a
long time, sometimes well over 24 hours. Unlike cooking in
a slow cooker, sous-vide cooking uses airtight plastic bags
placed in hot water well below boiling point (usually
around 60°C or 140°F). Food can last for 21 days.
Example
Cont….
Holding Food
 To hold the food we need to maintain the
temperature that prevents microbial activity
and ensure their safety for consumption. Foods
must therefore either be held above 63 degree
C if you are serving hot or below 4 degree C of
you are serving cold as a general rule. It would
be safe to serve hot food boiling or piping hot
and cold foods must be chilled or frozen.
 Holding techniques must maintain the quality
characteristics of food such as quantitative,
(determine) sensory (impressive) and
nutritional.
 Methods of Holding Foods
 Salads, desserts sauces milk and milk base
foods must be held at refrigerated equipment
between 1 degree C to 4 degree C.
 Soups curries, hot dessert and custards should
be held in preheated Bain maries designed to
maintained food at safe temperature above 63
degree C.
 Cover up cold and hot food when holding them
with a lid plastic wrap or foil. The cover helps
prevent foreign particles or pest from getting
in.
Hot Holding in Bain Marie
Cont….
Cold Holding
Cont….
 Storage Problems and Solution
 Storage areas are places that are designed to
store the raw or cooked food before or after
the cooking and service operations. Storage
of foods items in any catering establishment
is like saving money in the bank. So it is
important to ensure that food items
purchased with care and research are stored
properly to preserve their freshness.
 Storage Problems:
 No sufficient storage rooms or facilities.
Cont….
 Ventilation and lightening.
 Adequate storage equipments.
 If you order more quantity of products at a
time.
 If you prepare more food at a time.
 Pest and rodent problems in storage facilities.
 Not applying the strong control system in
place.
 Not designing storage room properly for
different storage system.
 Solution
 Well equipped and ventilated store.
 Free from pest and rodents and low in humidity (low in
wetness).
 The cold food should be stored cold , frozen food in
frozen storage and dry food in dry shell.
 The stored food must be applied FIFO and LIFO
system.
 Cooked food should be covered and labeled use by
dates.
 Foods should not be kept in the floor.
 Always maintain the temperature of storage rooms or
equipments.
 Cooked and raw food should be kept separately.
 Cont….
 Beverage should be categorized in local and imported and
keep in separate room.
 If you're having a buffet, keep the food refrigerated until you're
ready to serve it.
 Cool down leftovers as quickly as possible (ideally within 90
minutes), store them in the fridge and eat them within two
days.
 Store food in the trays or container and cover it.
 It should facilitate the monitoring in store.
 The spacing between shelves and storage cabinets should be
kept in mind and the required space for them needs to be
available.
 All storage areas have to be kept clean and tidy all the times.
 Invalid Cooking
 In the past time there was system of Invalid
Cookery. Every housewife knew how to cook for
ill and convalescing people (the people in the
stage recovery). In fact there were many books
written about Invalid Cookery. The sick people
were likely to be given liquid diets like broth,
barley water or bread dissolved in milk. When the
condition progressed a sufferer was given soft
foods like oysters, boiled eggs, meat jellies ,
custards, mashed vegetables etc and finally they
got well and cured totally then they never wanted
to see such soft food again.
Cont….
 This type of cookery has crucial place in the sector of
cooking. It is valuable as the quick recovery of any
sick people depend to a greater extend to any on the
diet provided to them which should contain proper
amount of nourishment. In Invalid Cooking
everything should be well cooked and dressed plainly.
Due to illness the digestive organs of a sufferer are
weakened so they need to be fed punctually but not
given extremely. All food should be served in punctual
way. Careless in this case has tiredness. A good nurse
has to watch her patients carefully and provide good
food at the right time to make them quick recovery.
Cont….
 In this cooking everything should be done
sincerely and wisely. The food should not be
prepared in a large quantity at a time. All fat
should be carefully removed from different
types of soup and other products like broth
etc. And it can done in better way when the
product is cold. Moreover everything like tray,
clothes glasses cups cutlery should ne
spotlessly clean and bright looking.
 Rules of Invalid Cooking
 All the kitchen utensils used in the preparation of
invalid food should be properly and delicately
cleaned. If it is not so the disgusting flavor may
be imparted to the food preparation which
prevents patients from taking food happily
and satisfactorily.
 Never prepare more quantity of the same food
at one time as they seldom(occasionally or
infrequently) require much at a time. Try to make
different varieties of food for them as it is a
desire of every patient.
Cont….
 Always keep clean tray-cloth over the tray and
keep clean and bright spoons, cups, saucers etc
over there.
 If the patients are allowed to eat vegetables, never
serve them undercooked or half raw and always
serve small quantity arranged in a dish. It should be
kept in mind while preparing food for invalid that
he is more likely to enjoy his food if small soft
pieces are served to him. Similarly in boiling eggs
for invalids, let the white be just set; if boiled hard,
they will be likely to disagree with the patient.