An Easy Guide to Batch Cooking Fall Favorites

No other season can come close to the unique flavors that arrive with the changing leaves and cooler temperatures of fall. While you sip on a pumpkin spice latte, consider the other dishes that pair so well with the time of the year that gives us amazing foliage, Oktoberfest, and Halloween, and how foodservice operators can prepare these fall favorites using bulk and batch cooking.

WHY COOK SEASONAL FOODS IN BULK?

By preparing seasonal items like the foods below in advance of when they're needed, it frees up kitchen staff to prep and cook more standard menu items, and not overwhelm the kitchen by adding on top of an already busy operation. This saves time by having your fall menu ingredients ready to cook, without the prep, and prolongs the ability to have these limited-time offerings available to guests.

SQUASH SOUPS

Let's be honest, fall doesn't officially begin until you have that first bowl of soup on a chilly day. Squash soups pack a lot of fall flavor into a small bowl, but that's not the only autumn flavor that chefs like to boil up. Pumpkin and sweet potato soups also make great fall menu options. But preparing small batches of soup can be time-consuming, which is why making these seasonal soups in bulk allows the kitchen staff to spend less time on daily soups and more time on the main course.

Butternut Squash Soup Recipe

PUMPKIN DESSERTS

It's hard not to find pumpkin flavor on a menu during the fall. And the demand for our favorite squash is perfect for almost any type of baked good that can be cooked in bulk for the fall. Pumpkin muffins, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin rolls, pies, cupcakes, donuts, even pumpkin ice cream - all sweets that rise in popularity when the leaves turn. By batch or bulk cooking these pumpkin favorites, operators will be one step ahead of the pumpkin demand.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffin Recipe

MEXICAN FARE

Día de los Muertos is celebrated right after Halloween, and food plays a big role in the festivities, for both the living and the dead. In addition to traditional Mexican dishes like tamales, the holiday's food offerings are lead by a Mexican sweet bread called pan de muerto and is eaten throughout the season leading up to Día de los Muertos. Cookies and pies also hold a place at the table during this celebration, and all of these foods can be batch cooked well in advance of the fall holiday.

Tacos de Carne Asada Recipe

BATCH COOKING FALL FLAVORS MADE EASY

How can you capture the freshness of seasonal flavors and have them ready to serve throughout the fall? The first step is knowing the right process to lock in the flavor and aroma that make these fall dishes so appealing. Blast chilling reduces temperatures through rapid cooling, much faster than conventional refrigeration, and thus preserves freshness and prevents moisture loss.

Blast chillers allow operators to plan and prepare food in bulk days in advance all while saving on labor, quality, and extending shelf life. That means your seasonal fall menu doesn't need to be limited by time or staffing, extending the window for offering special dishes that leave guests wishing it was fall all year round.

Is a blast chiller right for your commercial kitchen? Find out using our Blast Chiller & Shock Freezer Assessment Sheet below.