48
Hot Beverages
Hot beverages are added to trays at time of service. However, since they cannot be
added directly to each individual tray prior to cover removal, a method for handling hot
beverages at the unit level needs to be established. Again, the use of an extra, miscellaneous
tray on each side of the cart is suggested. A beverage tally (See Form 9 in the
Implementation Manual.), prepared by the diet office before tray assembly and sent along
with each cart, will greatly facilitate beverage preparation and service at the unit level (or in
the kitchen for centralized rethermalization). In either case, once beverages are poured, they
can be placed on the miscellaneous tray and mated with the proper patient tray at service
time.
For Trays of All Styles:
When a “hot” compartment is vacant (e.g., no soup), it should be filled with an empty
dish. With the Classic tray, the soup dome should also be used. This will prevent heat
escaping from the vacant compartment and affecting the surrounding environment, such as
the insulated cover, cold food, or refrigerator temperature.
Rethermalization
The completed tray is loaded into the cart, starting from the bottom and working up.
The loader then puts the switch in either the hot or cold position, according to the meal
being served.
The assembled cart is then placed into the refrigerator, and the power cord is plugged
into the cart.
Approximately thirty-five minutes before meal service, the cart is energized by the
controller.
The controller can be programmed for all three meals so it will activate automatically at
the same time every day, or the controller can be switched to manual operation. This will
require an employee to activate the system by turning the start key.
Before the end of the heating cycle, the hot beverage is portioned to be placed on the
cart when it is removed from the refrigerator. Since beverage preparation can take between
10 and 20 minutes, the pouring and covering of beverages should be timed for completion by
the end of the rethermalization cycle.
Upon completion of the cycle, the buzzer sounds. At this point, the controller goes into
a hold cycle until the stop button is pushed.
To Next Page
Loading...
