COOK-CHILL

adjective and noun (Lifestyle and Leisure) adjective: Of foods: sold in a pre-cooked and refrigerated form, for consumption within a specified time (usually after thorough reheating). Also in the form cook-chilled. noun: The process of pre-cooking and refrigerating foods for reheating later. Etymology: Formed by compounding: the principle is first to cook and then to chill the food. History and Usage: The system was invented as an offshoot of partially cooked frozen meals, and had become popular in institutional catering by the early eighties. The term was widely popularized in the UK in 1989, when there was an increase in cases of listeriosis thought to be caused at least in part by failure to store cook-chill foods correctly or reheat them thoroughly. The Department of Health has already advised people in at-risk groups not to eat cook-chill foods cold, and--if you buy one to eat hot--to make sure that it's reheated until it's 'piping hot'. Which? Apr. 1990, p. 206