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To melt, or not to melt the cheese!

Started by , Mar 05 2024 02:11 PM
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I am currently collaborating with a facility that produces ready-to-eat (RTE) meals for consumers to reheat and enjoy, with baked chicken parmesan currently on the menu. Our current process involves frying the chicken cutlets for color and then finishing them in the oven. Following this, we apply sauce and shredded mozzarella cheese to each individual cutlet, then return them to the oven to melt the cheese. Finally, the prepared item is plated in plastic microwave-safe containers and delivered refrigerated to customers. Although the CEO appreciates the appealing appearance of melted cheese on the product, this method contradicts Lean principles. My question is: what are the drawbacks of pre-melting the cheese versus sending out the meal with shredded cheese on top? It's important to note that this meal is intended to be reheated by the consumer, so the cheese would be melted during that step. Thank you for your assistance.
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seems to me that I've never seen pre-melted cheese on a ready to eat entree before.

 

Have you gotten complaints about the cheese being rubbery?  I would think you'd have a structural issue going from refrigerated cheese, to melting it, freezing it and then the consumer heats it up again.

 

I vote for the shredded cheese.

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Greetings Dusto,

 

Many cheeses due to their nature and the nature of the production processes can have some microorganisms which are not harmful under certain limits according to legislation (eg E. coli, Staphylococcus etc). However, they can potentially be harmful when they come in contact with a product that has been heat-treated (chicken cutlets) and should be free from microorganisms, cause they will have a "free-fest" and moreover since it will be at potentially favorable for growth temperature before it is refrigerated.

And though you may have re-heating warning on the product, personally I always treat consumers as 5 year olds in terms of following instructions! Cooking the cheese to melting point significantly reduces this potential risk.

 

Regards!

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Also cheese tastes better the first time you melt it and has better texture. I cant think of anything that has premelted cheese on it- maybe for good reason?

I'd be in favor of unmelted shredded cheese on the product, and I'm curious whether you guys have taken one of the pre-melted versions and reheated it in-house to your instructions to do a sensory evaluation.  I would think twice melted cheese just turns into a goopy mess...

 

To piggyback a bit on Evan X.'s comments above, I'd have concerns about applying the shredded cheese to the cooked chicken when it's still hot out of the oven.  You'll get a partial melt and raise the temperature of the cheese potentially into a danger zone that could allow for bacterial growth.  I don't know whether you're packaging the chicken straight out of the ovens, but I'd think ideally the cheese should be added right before finished packaging after you've subjected the chicken to a cooling step.

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