Help Feed Our Starving Children
Sep 21
In the United States, we live well. Most of our citizens make enough to be able to feed themselves. In other parts of the world, they aren’t so lucky. What is worse is that many of these poor are children, who did not ask to be brought into this world. After all, if our children are our future, we must protect and nurture them.
This is why Schweppe is a proud sponsor of Feed My Starving Children, an organization that delivers life-saving food to children who have nothing. Schweppe donates a portion of it’s profits to Feed My Starving Children, in hopes to make a difference. On August 11th, 2010, a group of Schweppe employees, including President Jeff Schweppe, helped pack food for Feed My Starving Children. That night they helped feed numerous children for a year.
Schweppe encourages you to help in any way possible, whether it is through donation or to actually help pack the food in the Manna Packs, which will directly feed our planet’s children. Please make sure to visit Feed My Starving Children on the web and participate.
The Fast And The Hungry
Sep 21
Get an up close look at the legendary Schweppe, Inc. classic drag racer – one of the top three fastest Nostalgia Superstock cars in the U.S. – Saturday, Sept. 25th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Schweppe Foodservice Supply, 376 W. North Ave., Lombard – 1/2 mile east of I-355.
Visitors will be able to look under the hood and sit in the driver’s seat of the 1963 Dodge Polaris. This car is custom from the ground up – built to 25.1 chassis certification specifications by LRT Racing in Streamwood and able to go 1/4 mile in 7.5 seconds.
Driver and crew chief Michael Singleton will be on hand to answers questions about the car and five years of racing it at America’s top speedways. Come hungry because Schweppe will be offering hotdogs inside. If it rains, the event will be rescheduled.
How To Use A Manual Juicer
Sep 14Bill Beshilas is seen here demonstrating the simplicity of a manual juicer, and a toaster by Focus Food Products. With moving stainless steel parts, the juicer is one of the most simple products to use in its class. The toaster has a bagel setting, which uses a defrost stage, and a reheat stage to prevent burning of the outside of a slightly frozen bagel. You’ll also see here a garlic press that features a compartment for slicing, as well as an avocado pitter/slicer, both by AmcoHousworks. These are stock products at Schweppe’s store in Lombard, IL (1/2 mi. East of I-355) or can be found online at www.schweppeinc.com by searching for the following part numbers:
Juicer – #751280
Toaster – #752550
Garlic Press/Slicer – #751840
Avocado Pitter/Slicer – #750750
CORRECTION: Store hours are: 8:00 AM — 6:00 PM, Monday-Friday, and 9:00 AM — 5:00 PM on Saturday. We are closed on Sundays.
What’s In A Fryer?
Sep 10Food, Time, and Space
In any commercial application, a fryer is essential to quickly and effectively cooking food to get to your customers. But with so many options, what is truly important for your needs? We will break it all down in this guide.
Selecting the right fryer for your needs depends on several issues:
- Types of food – What foods will you cook in your fryer?
- Production requirements – How much food per hour do you plan to cook?
- Space allocation – How much space can you allocate to your fryer?
For most restaurants, 80% of the foods fried are French fries. To cook French fries properly, so they are browned and crisp on the outside but dry and soft on the inside, it is critical that the temperature of the oil increases to its normal level quickly after the fries are immersed in the oil, which is called temperature recovery. If the temperature does not increase quickly, the fries will be heavy and limp from absorbing excess oil while the oil’s temperature is increasing to the optimum level. The quality of the thermostat in the fryer will determine how quickly the temperature recovers. In a lower end fryer, the temperature will change as much as 10° before the thermostat registers the change and the heat elements turn on. In a better fryer with solid state controls, the thermostat will register a change of 2-5° to trigger an increase in heat. The manufacturers’ standard test of recovery rate for a fryer is to cook four pounds of frozen fries in two baskets for three minutes and repeat that process for a few hours to determine average recovery time.
Breaded Food
Food with breading, like chicken, fish and onion rings or flowers, will produce a high sediment load, which includes things like salt, breading, other spices, batter, and general debris. When the sediment load is high, the oil must be filtered or changed often or the fryer must contain a larger cold zone. A cold zone is a space below the cooking area where crumbs and sediment can accumulate without continuing to cook. Also, the cooking area should be large, so that each piece of food has its own space to float in to cook thoroughly.
Flavor Transfer
Flavor transfer is a consideration when cooking foods with strong flavors, like onion rings and calamari. Ideally, a separate fryer should be used for these types of foods to ensure that the stronger flavors are not transferred to other foods. Another option is to use a very high quality shortening, which helps to reduce the flavor transfer.
Production Requirements
The size of your fryer is a critical consideration in producing consistently high quality fried food. The size is based on your maximum usage per hour. Most manufacturers base their recommended usage in terms of pounds of frozen fries per hour. To determine the right fryer for your operation, you need to estimate how many pounds of fried product you use during a normal rush period.
Because every restaurant serves different portion sizes, it is difficult to determine usage based on customer counts and portions sold. A simple method of estimating usage is to keep track of the number of bags of raw or frozen products used during a normal rush period, then divide that number by the length of the rush period. For example, if you use six cases of fries and each case weighs eighteen pounds, you would cook 108 pounds during your peak period. If your rush period is two hours long, then you use 54 pounds per hour. Do the same calculation for other fried products like onion rings, cheese sticks, etc. When you have a total of the pounds produced per hour, you will have a good idea of what size fryer you need. Remember, that production rates for the fryers are based on perfect conditions in a lab and may not be entirely accurate when the fryer is operating in a restaurant.
Space Allocation
Match your production requirements to the available space in the kitchen to determine the optimal capacity and number of fryers to purchase. Consider space for the filtration system, too. A filtration system that provides a space for a dump station, if you have room, is recommended. A space-saving filtration system that is self-contained with an easy-to-use process can be used, and it requires less floor space.
Refrigeration Systems
Sep 10Installing A Refrigeration System
A refrigeration system does not produce cold air; it takes the heat out of the cabinet. The main purpose of a refrigeration system, then, is to transfer heat.
A refrigeration system takes heat out of the inside of the cabinet by blowing air over or through an evaporator coil (1). Here, the warmer air from the cabinet is transferred to the refrigerant, located inside the evaporator coil. The refrigerant then passes to the compressor (2), where it is compressed. Then, the compressed refrigerant is transferred to the condenser coil (3) where air is passed through the condenser coil and the heat is removed from the refrigerant.
The refrigerant then is returned to the evaporator coil (4) by one of two methods:
- Through an expansion valve which actually opens and allows the refrigerant to flow back into the evaporator coil; or via a capillary tube, which is a thin copper tube that meters the refrigerant flow to the evaporator coil.
- The refrigerant changes pressure and states (liquid and gas) during the refrigeration cycle.
How Refrigeration Systems Work
- Pressure and temperature of gas increases – The compressor converts gas from low temperature, low pressure gas to high temperature, high pressure gas, which moves into the condenser.
- Gas converts to liquid – In the condenser the high temperature, high pressure gas is converted to high pressure, high temperature liquid by releasing heat.
- Impurities and moisture removed – The high pressure, high temperature liquid then passes through a strainer/drier where impurities and moisture are removed.
- Flow into evaporator regulated – The metering device regulates the flow of the high pressure, high temperature liquid refrigerant into the evaporator.
- Liquid converted to gas – As the high pressure, high temperature liquid refrigerant passes through the evaporator coil, it expands and converts into a low temperature, low pressure liquid. Then, the liquid absorbs heat from the storage compartment and evaporates, turning it back into a low temperature, low pressure gas.
Purpose of a Refrigeration System
The main purpose of refrigeration is to store food at a temperature below 41° F to retard spoilage and prevent bacteria growth. There are several characteristics of a refrigeration system that can affect food’s taste, appearance, temperatures, and food yields.
Humidity – The relative humidity of the air in a refrigerator should fall between 80% and 85%. If the relative humidity of the air surrounding the food is too low, the air will pick up moisture from the food, causing discoloration, drying, and cracking. If the relative humidity is too high, the food will pick up moisture from the air, which may result in sliming, softening, and increased bacteria growth.
Air Circulation – Adequate air circulation is necessary to insure even temperature and humidity levels throughout the refrigerator.
Temperature – Temperature is the most important factor in food preservation. The temperature fluctuates every time the door to the refrigerator is opened. When the doors are opened frequently, the temperature recovery is slower and contributes to food deterioration.
Sanitation - A dirty refrigerator preserves perishable food poorly becauseunsanitary conditions promote the growth of bacteria. This one factor can negate the positive effects of sufficient humidity, adequate air circulation, and accurate temperature control.
Schweppe can help you find the perfect refrigeration system! Click here to learn more!