Pac Food cook chill bags

Pac Food’s Cook Chill bags are specially designed high-gauge bags with an extra barrier to be able to extend the shelf life of wet dishes. The most susceptible part of cook chill bags is the seal, which is tubular with two seals on the bottom and 115 micron thick.

The basics of the cook chill method are to: hot fill Cook Chill Bags (up to 95°C) with wet dishes (soups, sauces etc) by hand scooping; pump filling or vertical form filling; seal the bags (using a clip seal or heat seal); chill the bags and content using an ice bath, blast chiller or tumble chiller; store the bags in a cold room, the most suitable temperature is 0–2°C then regenerate in a steam oven (up to 95°C) or boiling water.

The basic idea behind the product is that bacteria are brought through the food temperature danger zone very quickly to avoid growth, meaning a longer shelf life of wet dishes can be achieved. The danger zone refers to the most dangerous temperature for foods, between 4 and 60°C. This range of temperature is dangerous because it’s below the temperature at which heat destroys bacteria (above 60°C), yet above the cooling range (below 4°C) where the growth of bacteria is slowed.

The Cook Chill bags offer economies of scale; soups and sauces can be made in larger volumes, ingredients purchased in bulk and kitchen maintenance is labour saving.