Flip the book to handle emergencies with frozen food delivered all over Thailand, generating hundreds of thousands in income.

Turning Crisis into Opportunity: From Standalone to Frozen Food Manufacturer

Many people have probably heard of the reputation of Crazy-B Steakhouse Suan Phueng by Chef OTTo or may have had the opportunity to taste the flavors of Suan Phueng, an important tourist city in Ratchaburi Province. During the COVID-19 outbreak that led to lockdown measures early last year, Chef Otto's restaurant was also unable to escape the impact, including the new outbreak at the end of the old year, welcoming 2021. The location of the shop is in a special controlled area (Ratchaburi Province is one of 28 red zone provinces). What Chef Otto has adapted to deal with this emergency situation is very interesting to study.

Back in the first wave of the COVID-19 outbreak, the lockdown caused restaurants to have to make major adjustments, having to provide takeaway or delivery services within a 5-10 km radius of the restaurant. But because Crazy-B Steakhouse Suanphueng by Chef OTTo Located in a different district, more than 60 km from the provincial capital, and more than 95% of the restaurant's customers are foreign tourists, whether from Bangkok, Chonburi, Chiang Mai, or even Mae Hong Son, this has become a big problem for Crazy-B Steak House Suan Phueng by Chef OTTo.

 “At that time, there was a lockdown after the New Year festival, so it was past the peak season in Suan Phueng, which was the winter season. Suan Phueng announced the city closure before other places because they had to prevent the spread of the virus. My shop was only open for 2 days, Saturday and Sunday, so I took a week off to think about what to do.” Chef Otto talks about last year's lockdown

After 1 week, what did the Top Chef Thailand champion think of as a new opportunity amidst the crisis? Creating a 'frozen food' menu that can be served to customers nationwide. By using the experience from working in a Thai restaurant in Japan, which delivered frozen food all over Japan, I know that there must be a working system and management in order to deliver the food to customers with the same quality and taste. In addition, the shop is fully equipped with tools, such as a vacuum machine and freezer.

“My definition of frozen food is Eating at the restaurant and at home must be the same. Most customers have been to the restaurant before and know the taste. If it's not the same as the restaurant's, they might not like it. So I have to think more carefully than usual. It is frozen food. When it is delivered, how should it be cooked? So that it is just right when microwaving, what will happen when freezing? And I will tell every customer the steps, from before microwaving, to how much temperature to adjust to when reheating the food, how many minutes, or if you want it to be more delicious, what should you do ?

The 12 frozen food menu items from Crazy-B Steakhouse Suanphueng by Chef OTTo have been quite well received. This can be measured by sales during the 1-month lockdown period, which exceeded 100,000 baht.

And when faced with a new wave of the outbreak, even though the situation is different, restaurants can open for business with strict preventive measures. However, the number of tourists traveling to Suan Phueng has decreased, causing Chef Otto's steak shop to have fewer customers. Therefore, he brought back the frozen food menu, which was still very well received, so he had to close the orders for January in the middle of the month and reopen at the beginning of February.

The Duo Chicken Steak menu is considered a signature and a best-selling frozen food menu of Crazy-B Steak House Suanphueng by Chef OTTo. With its unique identity, it is a perfect difference for those who love menus with various textures, such as Chef Otto who likes to cook food with a complex meat texture in 1 bite, in 1 dish. This menu comes from the idea of ​​creating chicken and pork served on the same dish, with different textures and flavors, which makes it challenging to make because the temperature of the meat used in the menu is not the same, but when cooked, it must have the same texture.

The method of making Duo Chicken Steak for frozen food menu has some different techniques from serving at the restaurant.

By sous vide the chicken at 70 degrees Celsius for 1 hour to make the meat juicy, then grill it over the stove to create color and aroma, and to lock in the moisture of the meat. Normally, when served at a restaurant, they will grill over the stove, but if they use the baking method, it will be drier to the touch, so it is not suitable for cooking frozen food.

For the pork, grill it on the stove to 80% doneness because you have to prepare it for reheating in the microwave or oven, which will make it 100% doneness.

For side dishes The restaurant's steak menu always serves stir-fried mushrooms because the umami enhances the flavor of the main dish. In addition, they use baked cherry tomatoes to add color and flavor instead of grilled tomatoes to prevent the tomatoes from becoming too mushy when frozen.

One important tip is vacuum packing. It must be packed while the food is still hot to maintain its moisture. When reheated, it will taste as if it just came out of the kitchen. Then let it cool down and then put it in the freezer.
Chef Otto also shared his techniques for making frozen spaghetti, where the key lies in the doneness of the noodles.

The noodles must be cooked to about 70% (less than al dente, which is 80% cooked). This will make them chewy and not mushy. Also, when packing, they must be tightly sealed so that if ice seeps in and sticks to the noodles, it will cause them to become soggy.

How to keep food the same until it reaches the customer

One important tip is vacuum packing. It must be packed while the food is still hot to maintain its moisture. When reheated, it will taste as if it just came out of the kitchen. Then let it cool down and then put it in the freezer.

Chef Otto also shared his techniques for making frozen spaghetti, where the key lies in the doneness of the noodles.

The noodles must be cooked to about 70% (less than al dente, which is 80% cooked). This will make them chewy and not mushy. Also, when packing, they must be tightly sealed so that if ice seeps in and sticks to the noodles, it will cause them to become soggy.

The taste and texture of the food are important in creating every menu. Especially frozen food, it must be carefully considered to maintain the quality from the kitchen to the customer's hands. The frozen menu of Crazy-B Steakhouse Suanphueng by Chef OTTo has the following important things that Chef Otto emphasizes:

temperature Frozen food must always be reheated before eating. Therefore, you should choose the right level of doneness of the ingredients, otherwise the food will be overcooked. For example, if it is cooked as well as when served in the restaurant, when customers take it home to heat it up in the microwave, the juicy chicken or pork will become tough, so care must be taken in this matter.

Frozen Food Menu Stock Planning Crazy-B Steak House Suanphueng by Chef OTTo We will open orders for frozen food in advance and only make them in quantity. We will do it week by week. We will take orders from Tuesday to Friday and deliver every Tuesday (the following week). Therefore, we can plan our food storage and know the quantity of ingredients we will need.

 Always advise customers on how to reheat food. Chef Otto personally creates every package of frozen food with meticulous care. In addition, every customer will also receive advice on food reheating techniques. When removing food from the refrigerator, let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes, then put it in the microwave or oven and heat it up using medium heat or 700 w. for about 2-3 minutes. After heating, if you put it on a hot pan or air fryer, it will help to get more texture, smell, and taste.

 1. Ingredients must be fresh. Since frozen food needs to be reheated before eating, if the ingredients are not fresh, reheating them will cause the unpleasant smell to be more pronounced.

2. Cleanliness The ingredients must be free of contaminants. The packaging process must be clean because frozen food requires time for storage and transportation before customers can eat it. Therefore, if there are contaminants, it may cause the growth of bacteria or other germs.

 3. The temperature must be obtained. In addition to calculating the temperature for creating various menus, food storage is also important. After packing food, before freezing it, the temperature of the food should be reduced first, which will help the food freeze in a short time. In addition, there should be a gap between the bags to allow the cold to reach all over.

 4. Transportation You should choose a shipping company that has expertise in transporting frozen goods and is ready, whether it's a truck with a refrigerated box that can control the temperature to -16 degrees Celsius, or has service points that cover the area. In addition, choose food that is suitable for the transport and distance, because the heart is that the food must not melt, which could cause spoilage. It must reach the customer as if it just came out of the kitchen.

“When cooking, we have to think about the customers. We have to think ahead because frozen food is not the same as fresh food. Even though customers may have already prepared themselves for the taste of frozen food, we have to make the diners feel that eating frozen food and freshly cooked food must be as similar as possible. We must not disappoint.”