Glossar

This translates into English as “from the bill of fare”. In catering, “à la carte” means a meal ordered course by course. It is contrasted with “table d’hôte” (“table of the host”), which means an entire meal provided at a set price.

In accordance with EU directives, manufacturers have to ensure that certain types of products (in particular, electrically powered devices) meet minimum safety requirements. Before such products can be placed on the market, they must have undergone a “conformity assessment procedure”. The manufacturer then declares in an EU/EC declaration of conformity that the product in question conforms to the essential requirements of the applicable EU/EC directive(s), and applies the CE marking to the product. All temp-rite products subject to such EC/EU directives are CE-compliant.

Serving cloches are round or oval covers used to keep plated meals warm on their way from the kitchen to the diner. In the context of meal-distribution systems, serving cloches are generally insulated domes made of plastic. These domes form the top part a pellet system. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s pellet systems.

“Cook and Hold” refers to operations in which hot meals prepared by conventional means are kept at a desired temperature by means of insulation or active temperature support prior to being served. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s Cook-Serve systems.

In the “Cook-Chill” meal-preparation method, warm meal components are prepared and cooked in the usual way, and then chilled within 90 minutes to below +4°C. Providing the food is maintained constantly at this temperature, it can be kept for up to three days without any loss of quality. Just before being served, it is heated to a core temperature of 70 – 75°C. This heating process is known as regeneration. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s Cook-Chill systems.

In the “Cook-Freeze” meal-preparation method, warm meal components are prepared and cooked in the usual way, and then deep-frozen within 90 minutes to a temperature of approx. -18°C. If the refrigeration chain in maintained without interruption, many deep-frozen meal components can be kept for several months without any loss of quality. Cook-Freeze meals are heated to a core temperature of 70 – 75°C just before being served. This heating process is known as regeneration. temp-rite’s Temp-Classic and Temp-Futura Cook-Chill systems can also be used in Cook-Freeze operations.

In “Cook-Serve” operations, warm meals are prepared in the conventional manner and are then either served immediately or kept warm until they are eaten. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s Cook-Serve systems.

This refers to active temperature support when it is used to keep meals prepared by conventional means at a desired temperature until they are eaten. The temperature support may be provided by means of active heating and/or cooling systems. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s Cook-Serve systems.

This standard formalizes the requirements set out in EU Hygiene Regulations (in particular (EC) Regulation No. 852/2004) and in German Food Hygiene Regulations (specifically, the German Ordinance on Hygienic Requirements concerning Foodstuffs of Animal Origin (LMHV and Tier-LMHV)). DIN 10506 is intended to serve as an orientation, and, specifically, to help mass caterers maintain satisfactory hygiene conditions in operations involving the handling of foodstuffs.

This standard specifies maximum temperatures for ice cream, quick-frozen, frozen and refrigerated foodstuffs, as well as minimum temperatures for hot foodstuffs. It also provides information on how temperatures should be measured. Some of the temperatures set out in this standard are prescribed in law; others have been recommended by the “Food Hygiene” working group of the DIN Standards Committee for Food and Agricultural Products (NAL). These NAL recommendations are not legally binding.

Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) denotes the ability of technical equipment to function satisfactorily without creating electromagnetic effects that interfere with other apparatuses, equipment or systems present in the same electromagnetic environment. The basic protective requirements that every electrically operated product has to meet before it can be placed on the market are set out in EMC test certificates. All electrically operated temp-rite products are, of course, EMC-approved.

Euro-Norm – like Gastro-Norm – defines a set of dimensions for food containers used in the catering industry. The basic 1/1 Euro-Norm (EN) size is 370×530 mm; smaller container sizes are stated as a fraction (1/2, 1/3, etc.) of this basic size.

Gastro-Norm container sizes have established themselves as a worldwide standard in the catering and food-processing industries. The basic, 1/1 Gastro-Norm (GN) size is 325×530 mm; smaller container sizes are stated as a fraction (1/2, 1/3, etc.) of this basic size.

“The purpose of HACCP is to ensure a high level of consumer protection with regard to food safety throughout the entire food chain.” HACCP pursues this objective by preventing potential hazards from arising in the production of foods. A “hazard” may be defined as any undesirable occurrence during the food production process that poses a threat to the health of the consumer. Such hazards are deemed to pose a particular threat at so-called critical control points (CCPs) in the food production process. A CCP is a point at which a hazard threatening the health of the consumers of food products can be controlled or regulated (i.e. eliminated or reduced to an acceptable level). Measures taken at critical control points are aimed primarily at managing levels of risk, but CCPs can also be utilized as quality-control points. In other words, measures can be implemented at these points to check and control that quality standards are being maintained throughout the production process.

Hardened glass is glass that has been tempered (i.e. hardened) by means of rapid cooling, which increases its resistance during use to mechanical stress and drastic changes in temperature. During production, the glass is heated evenly to a temperature of approx. 500°C, and is then cooled through exposure on all sides to a sudden inrush of air. When tempered glass breaks, it shatters into tiny pieces. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s range of hardened glassware.

“Convenience food” is food that has been processed by the manufacturer in such a way that there is very little left for the consumer to do in the way of further preparation. High-convenience products are more or less ready to eat after being quickly heated up.

In in-glazing, patterns are added to the glaze that has been applied to fired white china. After the application of the pattern, the china is then refired at a high temperature, so that the pattern fuses into the glaze, which is softened somewhat during the second firing. This method of fusing the pattern with the glaze makes the finish more hardwearing (i.e. dishwasher-safe, and highly resistant to acids and alkalis) All of the patterns on temp-rite dishware are in-glazed.

A coil through which an electric current has passed generates an alternating electromagnetic field. In temp-rite’s induction heating system, eddy currents are induced from such a field into a metal dish (or into a metal coating on the underside of a china dish) positioned above the field, and the resistance set up by the eddy currents in the metal (or metal coating) generates heat. temp-rite utilizes the principle of induction heating in its Temp-Active ranges.

“Integrated Thermo Control” is the name of the special temperature-control system used in the Temp-Futura and Temp-Contact product family. Each contact heating plate has its own ITC heating pod. This pod determines on a case-by-case basis how much heat is required for optimum regeneration. It controls the supply of heating energy in such a way that each individual meal in a batch is gently regenerated to the same temperature as the other meals, regardless of the consistency or volume of the meal components, or of their temperature before the start of the regeneration process. There is thus absolutely no risk of single meals becoming overheated or dried out. Click on the link for more information about Temp-Futura or Temp-Contact.

LAN stands for “Local Area Network”. A local-area network is a group of computers and associated devices that share a common data-transfer line. temp-rite’s Temp-Classic trolleys and its Temp-Futura TF400NG cart are able to pass on HACCP-relevant data via a local area network.

Melamine is a chemical compound used in the manufacture of synthetic resins. When melamine is combined with cellulose and certain other materials, and subjected to pressure and heat, it can be turned into a material from which break-proof, hard-surfaced and dimensionally stable dishware can be manufactured. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s melamine dishware.

In on-glazing, patterns are applied to finished white china and then burned in at a temperature of approx. 800°C. Unlike patterns applied by the “in-glazing” method, on-glazed patterns are not permanently dishwasher-safe, and not smooth to the touch. The overlay can generally be felt. temp-rite does not supply dishware with patterns applied by the on-glaze method.

Narrowly speaking, the term “pellet” refers to a removable or non-removable metal core that can be preheated to a high temperature. Pellets are used to keep plated meals that have been placed in round, insulated servers warm. Over the course of time, the term “pellet system” has come to mean any type of heat-retaining meal-distribution system consisting of an insulated server-and-cover combination in which plated meals can be placed, regardless of whether or not the system contains a heating core. Systems of this type are sometimes also called “cloche systems”. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s pellet systems.

Regeneration is the reheating to a core temperature of 70 – 75°C of meals produced and stored by means of the Cook-Chill or the Cook-Freeze method. Click on the link to view temp-rite’s Cook-Chill systems.

Stands for “radio-frequency identification”. An RFID system consists of a transponder with an identification code and a device for reading out this code.

“Sous-vide” (French for “under vacuum”) is a method of cooking food portioned in airtight bags very slowly at temperatures of between 60 and 90°C. Vegetables prepared by this method may have to be blanched beforehand; similarly, fish or meat may first have to be browned in a frying pan, since no further browning will take place in the airtight bag. After the completion of the sous-vide stage, the food is rapidly chilled. Meals prepared by this method can be held in storage at a temperature of between 0°C and 3°C for up to 21 days – as per the recommendations of the manufacturer of the sous-vide equipment.

Wi-Fi is a trademark, and it belongs to a consortium of companies known as the Wi-Fi Alliance. However, the term “Wi-Fi” is now generally used as a synonym for the wireless transmission of data over a computer network by means of radio waves. The Temp-Classic and the Temp-Futura TF400NG are two examples of temp-rite products capable of transferring HACCP-relevant data via a wireless radio network.

In a “Wireless Local Area Network”, high-frequency radio signals are used to transmit and receive data over distances of a few hundred feet The Temp-Classic and the Temp-Futura TF400NG are two examples of temp-rite products capable of transferring HACCP-relevant data via WLAN.