When you're working in the back of the house at a restaurant, you want to be able to get things done as efficiently as possible. With the use of pre-portioning bags, a team can spend less time measuring out ingredients during service times, hoping to serve equal portions, and more time making fantastic, consistent dishes. Food prep is the lifeblood of any restaurant. It ensures portions served are in line with both satisfying diners’ expectations and keeping food costs under control.

When looking for the right pre-portioning bags, there are many options to choose from, and choosing the right one is also key to running a successful food prep program. High-density polyethylene is a great material to select for pre-portioning bags as their temperature tolerances are vast and can go from a deep-frozen state into a boil to expedite thawing and serving when needed.

One other recommendation that not only pre-portions but also helps manage a first in/first out (FIFO) food rotation program is to use tinted or printed pre-portion bags that indicate the “use-by” date of the bag contents. Each color indicates an individual day of the week for which to use the bag contents before spoilage is considered. Daily labels are not recommended as they can fall off and cause confusion and errors in what the bag contains and/or storage dates. When selecting the right bags, look for credible suppliers who carry FDA-approved foodservice grade bags to ensure they have been tested to prevent bleeding of inks onto foods when exposed to some of the various storage temperatures mentioned above.

If you want to be able to serve fresh food consistently, it means having a steady stream of ingredients delivered to your kitchen and prepped in an organized way so that everyone knows what they need at any given moment. Tinted/printed pre-portioning bags will ensure with a quick visual reference that that consistency gets put into practice each service. It also ensures that local food storage regulations are practiced by showing care in storage means and dates foods need to be used.

Pre-portioning bags are a great way to implement back-of-the-house cost-savings that prevent overserving and ensure fresh food is prepared and served consistently.

Content courtesy of Handgards