Short answer
Cook-serve plates hot food right before delivery and needs carts that keep hot and cold sides at temperature. Cook-chill prepares and plates meals in advance, holds them chilled and reheats them on a retherm cart, which separates production from service times.
What cook-serve means
Food is cooked, plated hot and sent to the unit right away. The delivery cart keeps hot items hot and cold items cold during the trip. Cook-serve works well when the kitchen is close to the units and service times are predictable.
What cook-chill means
Food is cooked, chilled quickly and stored, then plated cold. Trays travel and wait under refrigeration, and a retherm cart or station reheats the hot portions shortly before service. Production can be scheduled during normal working hours instead of around every meal.
Where retherm carts help
Retherm is useful when units are far from the kitchen, when service times vary, or when the kitchen wants to produce meals in fewer, larger batches. Patients and residents receive hot food at the right temperature even if the meal is served later than planned.
Questions to settle before choosing a cart
How many trays per cart and per unit? Which tray and dish format do you use? Does the cart dock to a powered station or carry its own heating and cooling? What electrical supply is available on each floor, and will the cart fit your elevators and corridors?
Kitchen equipment that supports each workflow
Both workflows benefit from combi ovens for consistent batch cooking. Cook-chill also needs rapid chilling capacity and cold storage sized to the number of meals produced in advance.
Equipment covered in this guide