Cheese Sauce

Quick Reference

Product	Receiving	Storage	Cook Time	Quality Serving	Once Opened/Prepped	Hold Time
Cheese Sauce	Dry Storage	Dry Storage		150°F - 160°F	4 days	2 days once heated

• Q.A. Standard:   Warm and creamy cheese sauce distributed evenly over the product.

Tools Needed

• 12 oz. high density squeeze bottle
• Cambro with lid
• Squeeze bottle holder for 1/3 size pan
• Sharpie marker
• Can opener
• Dissolvable label

Preparing and Holding Cheese Sauce (Hot Water Bath)

• Wipe off the top of the cheese sauce can with a sanitized towel. This will remove any foreign particles that could contaminate the cheese sauce.
• Open the can of cheese sauce using the can opener
• Empty the cheese sauce into a clear Cambro with lid or high-density squeeze bottles
• Use a rubber spatula to remove all cheese sauce from the can
• Place the lid inside the can and discard
• Place saran wrap onto the top of the squeeze bottle
• Place the top of the squeeze bottle over the saran wrap
• The cheese sauce will hold in the Cambro or squeeze bottles for four days including the date poured until it has been heated
• Write the discard date on a dissolvable label and place on the lid
  • EXAMPLE:  Day prepared + 3 additional days = Discard Date
  • Prepared on 30th + 31st, 1st, 2nd = Discard on the 2nd (EOD)
• Place the portioned cheese sauce in the walk in or reach in cooler to maintain a temperature of 34°F – 41°F
• One 12 oz. squeeze bottle will yield approximately 11 to 12 orders of loaded chicken fingers
• By 8:00 A.M. set up the frontline steam well to heat the squeeze bottles of cheese sauce. This will give you the 2 hours needed before lunch begins to get the cheese sauce heated to proper temperature (150°F – 160°F)
• Fill a 1/3 size pan with 4 quarts of hot water from the hot water maker and place into steam well
• Slide squeeze bottle holder onto the 1/3 size pan
• Remove saran wrap from the squeeze bottle(s)
• Place lid back onto squeeze bottle
• Place cheese sauce bottles into hot water bath.
• Once the cheese sauce is heated it will hold for 2 days including date heated as long as it doesn’t pass the original 4-day hold time
• Write the discard date on a dissolvable label and place on the squeeze bottle holder
  • EXAMPLE:  Day heated + 1 additional day = Discard Date
  • Heated on 30th + 31st = Discard on the 31st (EOD)
• At the EOD, if any remaining hold time is left, place the dissolvable label onto the squeeze bottle and place into the walk-in cooler set to maintain at temperature of 34°F – 41°F

Heating Cheese Sauce (Microwave)

• If cheese sauce is needed before it has time to heat in the hot water bath (2 HOURS), you can heat the cheese in the microwave using the following steps:
• Place no more than 1qt of cheese sauce into a Cambro container
• Place lid on the Cambro container, place into microwave and heat for 30 seconds
• Remove and stir with a rubber spatula
• Use a thermometer to check the temperature of the cheese sauce
• Repeat process ensuring you are not heating over 30 seconds at a time until product reaches an internal temperature of 165°F
• Once the cheese sauce has reached a temperature of 165°F, pour hot cheese sauce into squeeze bottles until full. CAUTION- Cheese will be hot.
• Fill a 1/3 size pan with 4 quarts of hot water from the hot water maker and place into steam well
• Slide squeeze bottle holder onto the 1/3 size pan
• Place cheese sauce bottles into hot water bath
• Once the cheese sauce is heated it will hold for 2 days including date heated as long as it doesn’t pass the original 4-day hold time
• Write the discard date on a dissolvable label and place on the squeeze bottle holder
  • EXAMPLE:  Day heated + 1 additional day = Discard Date
  • Heated on 30th + 31st = Discard on the 31st (EOD)
• At the EOD, if any remaining hold time is left, place the dissolvable label onto the squeeze bottle and place into the walk-in cooler set to maintain at temperature of 34°F – 41°F