No, a rethermalizer isn’t the kryptonite to Sub-Zero in Mortal Kombat. It’s an appliance that’s a must-have for any restaurant which needs to warm frozen food on a regular basis.
The rethermalizer slowly heats frozen food to a safe holding temperature of 165 degrees. The process takes around 90 minutes. You might ask yourself why you wouldn’t use a warmer or just let the product thaw out overnight? The answer is two-fold. First and most important, food that thaws slowly invites contamination in the product. Second, thawing with a warmer is an uneven process. You’re bound to get hot and cold spots in your frozen goods because the heating element is just on one side.
Rethermalizers look a little like a deep fryer that’s filled with water. Pumps circulate warm water around the packaged food to heat it evenly to the holding temperature. In fact, many types of prepackaged food already come ready to be rethermalized. Tube packaging is the most common form seen that’s ready to go for a rethermalizer.
Anything that you can freeze safely and put in a plastic wrapping can be put into a rethermalizer. Plop in the package, wait a bit, and your gravy, vegetables, or noodles are ready to go.
- Wide Array of Options – Because there are so many vendors which package food for rethermalizers, you have a huge array of options for items to put on your menu.
- Dispersed Workload – Sometimes you can cook some parts of the meal within the rethermalizer and some on the stove to split the workload.
- Handles Delicate Food – Because the heating elements are not placed directly on the food, the rethermalizer heats delicate foods with ease.
- Reduced Food Waste – You’ll have less worry about spoilage or burning food trying to get it dethawed. This cuts down on the waste in the kitchen.
Rethermalizers can be placed side by side with your commercial pasta makers, as both are restaurant essentials. Consider picking one up today if you need to hold a lot of meat for prep.
