Qualitaly_106

AUG. SEP. 2018 XIII at the time of service and also allow you to plan your spending. The only problem is that of storage: if it is bad, it can affect the quality of the product purchased. For this reason, it is essential to respect the cold chain, avoiding defrosting, even partial defrosting, which compromises the sensory quality of the product, while not necessarily causing problems in terms of food safety. The cold chain should be maintained both during transport, which must be carried out using a suitable means at a controlled temperature, and in the places of administration. By law, frozen foods should be stored in the freezer at temperatures below -18°C. To be sure of achieving this goal, it would be advisable to set the instrument at a temperature between -20°C and -25°C, opting for models with automatic defrosting systems, to be checked and maintained periodically. “It is important that the cook who uses the frozen foods,” underlines Gagliardi, “is trained and knows how to manage them correctly, if this happens the results are noticeable. Poor management of the frozen food penalises the restaurateur himself”. CHEFS LIKE IT Roberto Carcangiu, President of APCI Professional Association of Italian Chefs, is in favour of the use of frozen foods in professional kitchens. “For me,” he says, “it’s exactly the same approach as the fresh one: the question is not whether to use it or not, but to choose the quality one. In deep-frozen food, in fact, as in fresh food, there is a first, a second, a third choice and the quality of the product depends both on the raw material used and on the deep- freezing process used”. The discerning chef has the tools to recognise a quality frozen food, these are empirical tests - in a sense “homemade” - but indicative. “To evaluate the ingredient used - explains Carcangiu - we look at its colour, size and consistency. For example, if a vegetable is tenacious and compact it is of good quality, if it gives an “empty” feeling then it isn’t. It is also possible to evaluate the quality of the production process used, even before tasting the product. Just take the frozen food, wrap it in a paper towel and see how much water is leaking and thawing. The more water lost, the worse the freezing process has been. In any case, it is preferable to choose frozen products with IQF technology, i.e. in small pieces, rather than in tile form. IQF technology, in fact, guarantees a better quality of the deep-freezing process (faster because the surface/ volume ratio of the product to be deep-frozen is more favourable) and allows only the quantity needed to be thawed.” The advantages deriving from the use of frozen foods in catering are different: there is no waste (only the quantity needed is taken from the packaging), the product is ready to be cooked, there is no need for pre-treatments, such as the bleaching of vegetables, there is no need to dedicate staff and working hours to the preparation of ingredients, there is no need to do the daily shopping. “And let’s talk about saving water,” stresses Carcangiu, “to clean a spinach case it takes an average of 400 litres of water. I believe that adding all these operational savings compensates for the higher price of frozen food compared to fresh food, without compromising the quality of the final result”. THE ASTERISK QUESTION A knot remains to be untied, that of the obligation to place an asterisk on the menu next to dishes prepared using frozen foods. “I believe that we should “make war” more on additives than on the frozen ingredients - he comments -. Customers are still very sensitive to the “asterisk” theme. It is obvious that 30 or 40 years ago, frozen food was different from what it is today, so the law should be adapted. We restaurateurs and chefs are working to clear the way for the use of frozen foods in the menu, I’ll be in on it. And I believe that catering and industry must work hand in hand to help inform the consumer. What matters is whether a dish is good or not, not so much that it is made with frozen foods or fresh produce. The agreement with the world of production is there. “The issue of the asterisk - says Vittorio Gagliardi - continues to be a hot topic, because it is penalising both for the category of products as well as for those who use them. By law it is necessary only in Italy and Crete, nowhere else in the world. I feel I can say that this is at least anachronistic and unusual. However, it is mandatory and we must find a way of conveying it in a positive way: by asterisking we mean quality and food safety. Just as frozen food is eaten at home (as market data shows), it can also be eaten in a restaurant with the same peace of mind. The restaurateur must