Hotels look set to embrace cook-chill
By Angela Frewin
Top hotels and restaurants are increasingly turning to cook-chill methods to cater for banquets because it saves money and needs fewer chefs, say industry observers.
Forte has already introduced the controversial cooking methods at several prestigious restaurants and hotels, including the Café Royal, and more look set to follow.
While sceptics such as Ashley Meyerowitz, banqueting manager at the May Fair Inter-Continental, London, see a deterrent in high equipment costs and fears that food standards will fall, the signs are that cook-chill is spreading beyond contract catering and restaurant chains.
Practitioners say it is a worthwhile investment for hotels that regularly cater for more than 200 people - and London's Mount Royal, which has used cook-chill for 17 years, says it recouped its costs in a year. Users insist quality is as good as the ingredients used, but agree that some foods - such as sauces, fried fillets or veal escalopes - do not chill well.
Forte's Café Royal, together with the Excelsior, Russell and Cumberland hotels in London, all use cook-chill for banquets, while the London Marriott uses cook-chill to offer a choice of meals at big events.
Leo Lyons, executive head chef at the Mount Royal, finds chilling and storing meals prepared in advance improves control and cuts down on stress, hours worked, energy used, wastage and labour costs. Lyons needs only one chef per 100 guests on the night (against three per 100 for freshly cooked banquets) and chef numbers have fallen from 25 to 15.
Jan Peacock, vice-president for food and beverages, Hilton International UK, believes cook-chill is more popular in Europe because labour costs there are higher. However, he sees signs of a slow expansion among UK hotels.
