The Benefits of Sous Vide for Correctional Food Service

Correctional facilities must feed their inmates three meals a day while meeting strict budgetary and nutritional guidelines. These guidelines are set up by federal or local governments and are mandatory for all correctional facilities. Depending on their size, correctional facility populations can range from one to 1,000 people (or more) according to the American Jail Association, and they must produce daily food options for every person within its walls. 

While most correctional food menus are set up in advance, these plans can change at a moment’s notice. Strict food requirements and rigid safety protocols provide an additional barrier for food service within correctional facilities. From cooking inside the facility or receiving food from an off-site kitchen, having the right commercial foodservice machinery can help correctional facilities stay flexible while compliant. 

Sous Vide Cooking Equipment for Correctional Facilities

DC Norris designed the CT-1 commercial sous vide machine to meet the batch and floorspace requirements of correctional and other commercial food production facilities. The CT-1 can help alleviate the constant budgetary and nutritional challenges of cooking for inmates at a correctional facility. A sous vide machine will deliver consistent, high-quality, nutritionally sound products that can be cooked, cooled, stored, and reheated in the same packaging. Using this machine inside a correctional facility allows cuts of meat that are traditionally tougher and less expensive to be utilized without sacrificing nutritional requirements.

Built specifically for kitchens that need a sous vide machine to fit into a smaller footprint, the CT-1, is a perfect addition for correctional facility kitchens. With its ability to bulk cook products and its fully automated features, the CT-1 will consistently produce superior finished products while lowering operational and ingredient expenses. The CT-1 features simple, intuitive touch screen controls and can be fully automated through both the cooking and cooling stages thanks to its dual temperature probes that measure both the water and core product temperature. 

Additionally, the CT-1 provides the following economic and operational benefits: 

• Increased yields
• Increased product safety
• Increased shelf life
• Cost savings
• Easy storage
• Easy to transport (if cooking off-site)
• Consistent cooking results
• Improved flavor and ‘locked-in’ nutrition
• Optional Virtual Chart Recorder integration for recording and storage of the following data in a relational database: recipe and operator names, batch date and time (start, finish, and total) ensures regulatory compliance

Correctional facility meal preparation and cooking pose unique challenges. Not only with budget constraints, but the specific dietary criteria for each facility and individual. These one-off issues impact menu choices and can vastly change food ordering and disrupt batch-cooking. Using a sous vide machine for a correctional facility can help adjust to these swift changes while also producing healthy foods from economic ingredients with a safe extended shelf life.  

Learn More About Commercial & Industrial Sous Vide Machines Available From DC Norris

DC Norris sous vide machines offer food producers control over finished product quality. The sous vide cooking technique slow-cooks food in vacuum-sealed plastic pouches. These pouches are then submerged in a precisely controlled water bath for a perfect result every time. The food from these bags can be reheated and cooked instantly or stored for later use. This process is ideal for kitchens that have to prepare bulk foods or transport and store them for later use. Like the CT-1 with its smaller footprint and some of our other, larger cook-chill products, DC Norris has the commercial cooking machinery that will benefit correctional facilities. Contact us today to learn more about the CT-1 or our other commercial cooking equipment.