AboutCarol Schlitt Expertise I can answer questions on home food safety, sanitation, home food preservation and commercial food safety (HACCP).
Experience I am an Extension educator, nutrition, wellness and food safety. I am a certified HACCP manager and a food safety instructor for the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Organizations International Association for Food Protection, American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (Certified CFCS), National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, Society for Nutrition Education.
Expert: Carol Schlitt Date: 7/4/2008 Subject: Flash freezing french toast
Question Hi Carol,
How amazing that you offer free advice to people. I really appreciate this. My question, I have developed a ready made french toast. I think it would be best if I let it soak in my secrete recipe and then flash freeze it and sell it to restaurants. I got the idea because everyone i make it for says its the greatest think they have ever tasted. I make it with a very dense cinamom apple bread about 1 inch think. i soak it the dip for about 25 minutes and then cook. I think restaurants would love to serve it as it taste better than anything out there. Do you think flash freezing it is a good idea? I would like to sell it to the restaurants ready to hit the griddle. Any thoughts from you would be greatly appreciated. I'm very confident the product will sell itself.
Thanks so much
Scott Siegel
Answer Hi Scott,
Your product sounds like a very tasty product indeed.
I think you need to do some research with a co-packer to find the best method for preparing your product for sale to restaurants. Have you tried freezing your product at home to see what the consistency is when it hits the hot griddle?
Purchasing equipment to flash freeze your product may be cost prohibitive for one item. I think your best option at this point may be to work with a University-based Food Entrepreneurial Center to determine the feasibility of freezing and marketing your product. One such center that I am familiar is the University of Nebraska Food Entrepreneurial Center -- http://fpc.unl.edu/Entrepreneur/
For a listing of other university-sponsored Food Entrepreneurial Centers, plus other great resources for anyone wanting to start a food business, check out this website: http://foodsafety.psu.edu/processor/resources.htm
Good luck Scott. I hope to try someday at a local restaurant Scott's French Toast!
