When Frozen Food is the Best Option for Your Restaurant

When Frozen Food is the Best Option for Your Restaurant

Food suppliers say that frozen food is healthy, nutritious and economically sound, but should you consider it for your restaurant business? There’s a big emphasis on fresh food in the catering world but the advantages of using frozen ingredients are hard to ignore. When times are tough, caterers use frozen food for the money-saving benefits and the convenience these foodstuffs provide.

Here we look at the place for frozen food in the restaurant trade and discuss when is a good time for your establishment to use frozen food.

Frozen Food is Nutritious and Healthy

Frozen food often gets a bad review from consumers and the industry. People claim it is not as healthy as fresh food and it doesn’t contain the same amount of nutrients. But this is not true. With modern freezing methods, frozen food retains freshness and nutritional benefits even better than transporting items fresh. You can determine so for yourself by using food safety rapid test kits to check the nutrient level of the purchased frozen products.

Frozen food has, in the past, equalled poor quality. It was once seen as the low-cost, low-quality alternative to the more desirable fresh ingredients, for good reason. But there is now a better understanding of frozen food and how it does not equate automatically to bad quality. There is a greater acceptance of frozen items and their place in the modern restaurant kitchen, providing that those in the kitchen know how to handle it correctly, and that those who perhaps only need Level 1 food hygiene (such as front of house) know enough about it to know what to look for when it comes to food that maybe is unsafe. Potential bad feedback from customers should be minimised if you use frozen food appropriately in your dishes. In many cases, no one will be able to tell the difference.

Practical and Economic Benefits of Frozen Food

In the current economic climate, restaurants struggle to make a profit and continue running successful enterprises. It can be challenging to source in-season fresh ingredients at the right price. Frozen food components give you the flexibility to maintain an interesting menu by providing seasonal ingredients all year round, at a steady price. You can save money by making a dish using frozen items over creating the same dish with all fresh elements.

Restaurants also experience intense consumer demand for cheaper food and better deals when eating out. Many restaurants are unable to offer the choice and prices that diners expect without using frozen ingredients. Diners also demand choice in menu items all through the year, with an emphasis on different flavours and exciting ingredients. It can be difficult to meet this demand consistently without at least some reliance on ingredients which are frozen. If your restaurant is in need of new and better refrigeration equipment, it might be worth taking a look at Nella Online to see what options of freezer are available there to keep and preserve produce and foodstuff in which is required to be kept frozen on-site.

If your dishes require individual fruit or vegetable pieces, quick-frozen food is the best option to preserve the shape and texture of the food. Look for IQF vegetable suppliers UK restaurants use, for flash-frozen items that enhance the attractiveness and taste of a dish.

Frozen Ingredients are Convenient

There is no escaping the fact that using frozen ingredients is often more convenient than using fresh. Preparation times are considerably shortened, which makes it easier to maintain fast and efficient service in a busy restaurant. And using frozen helps to cut down on the problem of food waste. This makes a difference to the environment and to your restaurant budget. There is a clear place for frozen ingredients in the modern caterer’s kitchen. All you need to decide is in which dish to use them.

Kelly Tate
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