Meatballs in marinara

[durbancic]

I want to add a meatball sandwich and believe I will get a better tasting meatball if I pre-marinate the meatballs in marinara sauce, heated, in a double boiler. When an order for a sandwich comes up, scoop the meatballs and marinara out onto the sub, bake. The concern I am running into is this: I am going to keep a limited amount of meatballs / marinara warm at a time, but what to do at the end of the night? Can I place them into the walkin to cool back down and reheat the next day? I don’t feel like this is safe. Throwing it out at the end of the day is not a good solution either, it would lead to lots of waste. Any suggestions?

Thanks

Dan

 

[brad_randall]

Spread the mix out on a flat, shallow pan so it cools faster.

Record the amount of time it takes to get up to temp (>165f when reheating) and down below 40f again once you take it off the heat and put it in the cooler. You’re allowed 4 hours of total time passing back and forth through that danger zone before the food has to be thrown out.

This gives the general idea: http://www.health.sa.gov.au/pehs/Food/2 … r-rule.pdf

 

[Deacon_V]

Our local department is fine with us holding our marinara with meatballs basting in it all day. At the end of the night if there is enough to ‘reuse’ we set the 1/2pan into ice to speed chill, cover with plastic and foil, then into the walk-in for the night. Next morning it’s reheated, either on the stove or in the microwave, past 165, then put in the warmer for service.

You may want to be proactive and call your inspector and find out what they’d be happy with.

 

[NicksPizza]

As long as you hot hold the product above 138F/140F the whole time, you can hold it pretty much indefinitely. Quality will be the only issue for you. Safety is fine. Quick chill them using single layer, ice bath, fan, freeze ray or anything else that helps to get it down to 70F then into the cooler. Again, limit the thickness of the product in the pan so it gets down to 42F fast. Keep it all quick and in guidlines, and you’re golden.

Food Code provides for cooking and chilling product, then reheating it ONE time. You’re going to spend too much cumulative time in the bateria propagation zone (danger zone) to make it work colling and reheating a second time. Once you go through one reheating, you are committed to using or discarding. You may want to confirm that with local health . . . this my reading of the federal food code, and what I’ve been taught. Always verify locally anything I say . . . because I am a dimwit more than I want to admit.