Irene Jiang / Business InsiderA video of Panera staff making mac and cheese by dunking a plastic bag crammed with frozen cheese and noodles in scorching water went viral, sparking disgust from prospects. Preparing dishes by heating them in plastic baggage – in eating places or central kitchens – is widespread observe at chains together with Chipotle, Starbucks, and Taco Bell. The method permits chains to minimize down on staff’ work, create constant outcomes, and keep away from meals poisoning. Visit Business Insider’s homepage for extra tales.
Panera’s mac and cheese is dealing with backlash after an worker posted a viral TikTok video of the dish being ready. But, Panera is far from the one chain to prepare dinner meals by placing it in a plastic bag and dunking it in scorching water.
A TikTok video went viral final week after being reposted on Twitter, the place it was considered greater than 10 million instances. In the clip, Panera staff take sealed plastic baggage of mac and cheese and place them in scorching water. Each bag is eliminated, and its contents are dumped onto a plate and served.
Many responded to the video with disgust.
Panera staff have lengthy grumbled about how the chain makes its mac and cheese. Three staff instructed Business Insider earlier this 12 months that they’d by no means eat the mac and cheese from the chain, partially as a result of it arrives to areas in a bag, prepared to prepare dinner.
Panera’s mac and cheese is made offsite, in a centralized kitchen. The mac and cheese is then shipped frozen to areas. Employees reheat baggage of the mac and cheese individually when prospects order the dish.
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Panera is far from the one chain to have meals cooked or reheated by having staff dunk it in scorching water. Many chains prepare dinner vacuum-sealed baggage of meals in central kitchens, then ship the luggage to eating places for workers to reheat. In reality, many chains model this as “sous vide,” reframing the observe as a cultured French cooking method.
Sous vide is a preparation methodology during which meals is vacuum-sealed, then sluggish-cooked in scorching water, permitting meals to prepare dinner at a gradual temperature and preserve moisture. For some chains, sous vide can assist be sure that meat is totally cooked, avoiding meals-poisoning considerations.
Chipotle started pre-cooking pork and steak earlier than it arrived at eating places utilizing sous vide after the chain’s E. coli scandal; it was a part of the corporate’s up to date security rules. With the brand new methodology, Chipotle cooks sure meat in central commissaries. Employees then marinate and sear the meat in shops.
Courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks additionally prepares some gadgets – akin to its Sous Vide Egg Bites – utilizing sous vide machines. The egg bites arrive to shops pre-cooked, so staff solely have to reheat the blobs of egg.
While Taco Bell doesn’t refer to its preparation model as sous vide, it additionally prepares its meat by packaging it right into a bag, which is shipped to eating places and positioned in scorching water.
“We prepare it much the same way you prepare taco meat at home: after simmering, it is drained of excess fat and pre-seasoned with our signature blend of 7 authentic seasonings and spices,” Taco Bell states on its web site. “It is then packaged with added water to lock in the flavor and for added moisture, and then shipped to our restaurants.”
Panera has been cooking turkey and beef utilizing sous vide since a minimum of 2012. According to staff, pastas and soups are reheated in an analogous method to the mac and cheese.
Putting components in a plastic bag and dunking them in scorching water doesn’t match up with prospects’ extra romantic concepts of what meals preparation ought to appear like, particularly at chains like Panera that emphasize the standard of their components.
At the identical time, there is nothing inherently unsuitable with the observe. Preparing gadgets in a central location, to be reheated in shops, reduces staff’ workload and removes variables that might compromise high quality.
