1. Understanding Cook-Chill
and Sous Vide Temperatures
ThermoWorks Webinar Series with Special Guest Brian Nummer, Utah
State University
Sept 16, 2021

2. What is Cook-Chill?
Cook-chill is a process where foods are
cooked, bagged, and rapidly chilled to
extend shelf life. Alternatively, foods can be
bagged, cooked in the bag and chilled,
termed “sous vide.”
(Brian Nummer, 2010 Food Safety Magazine)

3. What is Sous Vide?
Sous vide packaging, in which raw or
partially cooked food is vacuum packaged in
an impermeable bag, cooked in the bag,
rapidly chilled, and refrigerated at
temperatures that inhibit the growth of
psychrotrophic (cold-loving) pathogens.
(2017 FDA Food Code)

4. Sous Vide Demonstration

5. What Common Foods are Cook-Chilled by
Restaurants?
Meats Fruits/Vegetables Stocks/Sauces/Condiments

6. What are the Primary Benefits to Cook-Chill?
Extends Shelf Life Large Batch Cooking,
Saves Time
Commissary-Satellite/
Consistency Across Brand
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
Shelf Life (Days)
30

7. Other Benefits to Cook-Chill?
Prepare Ahead of
Peak Times
Safer Handling Better Pathogen
Control

8. Fresh-Mex Cook-Chill Foods Case Study
(100-unit chain)
• What Products We Cook-Chill?
• Sweet pork, shredded beef, green chile sauce, red enchilada sauce, cilantro
sauce, chile verde, black and pinto beans, tortilla soup
• Why Cook-Chill is so Important?
• Cook in large batches, controls pathogens, consistency across brand, shelf-life
control, time/temperature control, end to end food safety with checks and
balances

9. Fresh-Mex, Sr. Director of Supply Chain &
Food Safety
“Cook-Chill is so important because it enables us to cook in big batches. It controls
Listeria and botulism and creates a continuous monitoring system to control time
and temperature. Cook-Chill is a series of critical control points and critical limits
set to keep our food safe while ensuring that we take into mind that ‘it is not if but
when’ there will be an issue.
“Cook-chill is the lifeblood of our prepping system and allows us to cook
consistently. We have 2 different programs. One for the restaurants who still cook
in their own kitchens with a 7-day shelf life from Day 0 at 41°F or below. The other
is a 30-day program meant to monitor our products at 34°F or below.”

10. Cook-Chill Food Safety Concerns
• Pathogens:
• C. botulinum and L. monocytogenes (Cooling)
• E. coli and Salmonella spp. (Cooking)
• HACCP Requirements – Prep, Cooking, Cooling, Storage, Usage
• Cooking Temp – bagged over 135°F (57°C)
• No Secondary Barrier, Temperatures are Critical!

11. Cook-Chill Cooling Temperatures
• Chart of temps and times for cooling—
135-70°F: 2 hours, 135-41°F: 6 hours, 41-34°F: 48 hours

12. How Long Will It Keep? Flow Chart (Downloadable)

13. Common Cook-Chill Systems
Commercial Blast Chiller 55g Heavy Duty Trash Can

14. Cook-Chill Demonstration

15. ThermaData WiFi
Date Logger
Recording Cooling Temperatures
• Continuous monitoring with data logger
• Accuracy
• Calibrated
• Auto archiving
• Time saving
Waterproof Pouch, Type K
PTFE/FEP Tip Probe (K-37X-T)
Thermapen ONE
Instant-read

16. Next Session:
• Is Your Food Safety Thermometer Even Accurate?? How to Know...
• Featuring Tom Wiandt, Chief Metrologist, ThermoWorks
This Session:
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