Buzz Worthy: What is “Utilization”?
What is “Utilization”?
When chefs talk about “utilization”, they’re usually referring to finding a “profitable or practical use” for the food they purchase.
The most obvious use is within the menu item for which the food was purchased. But often there is more food purchased than ultimately is required for its intended purpose (due to forecasting issues, excess purchasing, or overproduction). In these cases, chefs must use judgment and creativity to get value from that food before it expires: this is a “utilization.”
For example, a chef might say “I found a utilization for these cooked carrots” meaning they were put toward a secondary use in soup, stew or pot pie filling. Utilization (when practiced with full regard to food safety considerations) is not only a practical use, but profitable because you found a valuable use for what would otherwise become food waste.
Excerpt from LeanPath’s Food Waste Flyer Volume 6 http://www.leanpath.com/lpweb/newsletter_vol_6.htm
