The Three P’s of Achieving Consistent Food Quality (from HennyPenny.com)
Discover the procedures, products and programs that can help your operation serve the best with every order.
While today’s most successful foodservice operations may offer a range of menus and pricepoints, one thing they all have in common is consistency, defined as “the achievement of a level of performance that does not vary greatly in quality over time.” In fact, no facility can be considered effective or successful in the current foodservice landscape without the ability to reliably replicate customers’ favorite dishes time after time.
By implementing proven systems — including the latest procedures, products and programs for cooking — operators can more accurately control the variables that affect food quality and consistency.
Procedures:
From ordering ingredients to standardizing recipes, operators can take several steps to optimize their procedures for maximum consistency. By sourcing food products from the same vendors — at the same specs for size, brand and delivery temperature — facilities can limit the challenges that can threaten consistent results when replicating dishes.
When standardizing recipes, it’s important to consider details like unique titles, ingredients, itemized weight/volume and specific preparation instructions. Other notes about cooking time and temperature, serving size, recipe yield and necessary equipment and utensils can also be helpful to staff on different shifts as they replicate each recipe.
Products:
Cooking equipment is a critical part of the consistency equation for any operation, large or small. Whether it’s the performance and capability of the equipment itself or the information it conveys to kitchen staff, every factor plays a key role in ensuring customers get the results they expect.
For example, by using a combi oven in place of a traditional oven, operators can prepare a much wider variety of menu items without sacrificing control — plus, the latest technological advances in the category allow users to store a full range of settings and cooking programs based on food type, desired preparation and volume.
The FlexFusion combi oven from Henny Penny features the Chef’s Touch control panel with a state-of-the-art, full-color touchscreen that gives users total control with both customizable and preset AutoChef programs.
Other areas of the kitchen also offer opportunities to build in greater consistency, such as a facility’s fryer lineup. With today’s technology in place, the latest fryers can store between 40 and 160 unique programs — and with features like load compensation (adjusting cook time when the standard load is incorrect), proportional control (preventing oil from exceeding its set-point temperature) and filter tracking (giving management total visibility over filtration frequency), these advanced models can help cut costs, save labor and ensure control throughout the cooking process.
The new Evolution Elite with Smart Touch Filtration™ from Henny Penny features push-button filter activation with automatic drain operation — with on-the-fly filtering complete in just four minutes or less. With filtration being the most significant contributor to consistent oil quality, these types of automated features play a vital role in preserving the flavor, appearance and texture of fried menu items.
Programs:
Once the necessary procedures and proper equipment are in place, implementing equipment programs can help simplify workflow, reduce preparation time and ensure finished dishes are consistent when they leave the kitchen. Whether it’s a varied batch in the combi oven or a one-off fryer load, it can be extremely beneficial for operators to program select repeatable preparations based on the current menu — allowing kitchen staff to work smarter, not harder, with the touch of a button.
Consistency is a foundational goal for any foodservice operation — regardless of service style. By considering the cooking equipment, team procedures and specific programs at work in the kitchen, operators can guarantee a higher level of food quality with every order, every day.