5 benefits of a cook-to-hold approach – Henny Penny

08/03/2024

In the fast-paced world of foodservice, commercial kitchens must be efficient, precise and consistent. 

Without efficiency, an operation will struggle even more to remain profitable. Without precision, cooks will be wrong, orders will be incorrect and confusion will creep in. Without consistency, customers won’t be able to depend on your quality. 

Fortunately, Henny Penny holding equipment can help in each of these areas, improving your ability to be profitable, predictable and delicious by cooking to hold. Take a look at the chart below to learn a bit about how it works: 

Here are five benefits kitchens can see from a cook-to-hold approach: 

 

1. Precision cooking

From inconsistent heat sources to mistakes and dozens of other problems, kitchens are always looking for ways to reduce unnecessary errors in their cooking. 

Using insulated heated cabinets like the Henny Penny SmartHold allows for a more precise approach in a kitchen. Not only do they give you the ability to complete cooks ahead of time and hold at temperature, their customizable settings mean you can hold food at the perfect temperature, giving customers the quality they expect. 

For instance, you can set your SmartHold to keep barbecue ribs at a temperature between 140 and 160 degrees with about a 75% humidity, tenderizing the meat while you wait and even infusing additional flavor. But if you need to proof dough in a very specific way, you can set the SmartHold to sit at 95 degrees and 90% humidity. 

These ovens remove the guesswork, creating easily reproduced recipe programs and helping you avoid inconsistency. 

 

2. Time and labor efficiency

In a busy, noisy, bustling kitchen, efficiency is always the goal. 

Cook-to-hold equipment helps you prepare complex or time-consuming menu items in advance, reducing stress during the busiest times in the kitchen, without compromising on quality. This is referred to as batch cooking. 

In some cases, this can mean requiring fewer cooks on hand at the busiest times. In other cases, it can mean that shifts are easier to schedule because you don’t have to predict exactly when you’ll be preparing specific menu items. 

Batch cooking can become one of your team’s best resources, and help both your labor costs and staff stress levels. 

 

3. Consistent quality

Amid that bustling kitchen, it’s easy for quality to drop. 

Maybe one of the items is taking too long, allowing another to get cold. Maybe your oil needs to be filtered right in the middle of rush time. Maybe you need that entree, but it could use a bit more time in the oven. 

These are all issues that can be mitigated by a cook-to-hold approach. Crews can pre-cook elements of the menu during slower periods, holding them at the precise, ideal temperature and condition before assembling. No more rushed orders or choosing between delays and quality. You can have both with cook-to-hold equipment. 

 

4. Operational flexibility

As is the case with most things in life, flexibility can be key for a restaurant. 

If everything on your menu needs to be prepared at a specific time, in a specific way and immediately after the customer orders it, you’ve become inflexible. This can make it challenging to plan shifts, control costs and even create a menu. 

But if you can be assured that multiple components of your menu will be available to you at their ideal temperatures whenever you want them, you can be flexible, meaning more customization options for your guests and reallocation of labor for the kitchen. 

 

5. Energy and cost savings

Like the majority of our products, Henny Penny’s holding equipment is designed to provide a fast return on investment, saving you money the more you use it. 

Food waste alone is a $2 billion profit hit for restaurants in America. If you can ensure that your menu items will not spoil as quickly and remain fresh for longer, you will throw less of it away. 

Meanwhile, by utilizing precise temperature control and holding capabilities, our holding cabinets reduce the need for constant reheating and refrigerating, saving energy and lowering operational costs. 

Across the world, kitchens are realizing that cook-to-hold strategies represent a leap forward in the industry, providing owners and chefs with more tools, better quality and more consistency. 

If you’re curious about how our equipment can help your company take that step forward, FoodServ Solutions is a distributor of Henny Penny in South Africa and is ready to show you how your kitchens can benefit from batch cooking.