SEATTLE, WA -- (Marketwire) -- 11/20/12 -- The commercial fusionchef™ product line was engineered by Julabo, the world's leader in fluid temperature control, to bring a new level of precision sous vide cooking tools to professional kitchens. Today, the company announced it is expanding its offerings to include an array of customizable support services that better help chefs, caterers and kitchen managers quickly and easily integrate this tried and true French cooking technique into their kitchen operations. These services, which include fusionchef's innovative and pioneering Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) planning and menu development programs, are being led by the company's new director of culinary operations, renowned sous vide chef and James Beard Award recipient Jason Wilson of Crush Restaurant in Seattle.

"Sous vide is an enormously beneficial addition to any kitchen, providing a level of consistency far greater than any conventional method," states Robert Lamson, fusionchef president. "The fusionchef product line is already the best commercial sous vide solution on the market, and now with the addition of Jason Wilson to our team and the development of our new support programs, we're making sous vide even more accessible to kitchens of any size."

From smaller neighborhood bistros to industrial kitchens creating thousands of meals per day, sous vide is one of the most streamlined, scalable cooking methods available. It keeps moisture and nutrients locked in for maximum flavor, and increases product shelf life while minimizing food waste and shrinkage. The hands-on cooking time required to complete a dish is dramatically reduced with sous vide, minimizing kitchen chaos, and freeing kitchen staff to focus more on the preparation and attention to service that creates consistently content diners.

Even though the list of benefits is long, many kitchens have been hesitant to explore sous vide. "Menu planning and recipe development is one of the top perceived hurdles for chefs interested in integrating sous vide into their kitchens," explains Jason Wilson, director of culinary operations at fusionchef. "But once chefs understand how easy it is to prepare menu items sous vide, their eyes light up and they're hooked for life."

To help chefs who are unfamiliar with this cooking method ease into the process, Chef Wilson and the fusionchef team are available to help kitchens select the best recipes for integrating sous vide into their current menu; many of these recipes have been created by Wilson and his team, and are available to any fusionchef customer. Additionally, Chef Wilson's team is available for individual consultation to identify menu items that are most suitable for the sous vide technique, and to re-work recipes where needed. The consultation also includes assistance in creating new sous vide recipes for menu expansion, and developing a customized integration plan for introducing sous vide to the restaurant's menu and staff.

"Whether your kitchen is new to sous vide or has been using water baths for years, HACCP regulations, logging and planning provide another series of pain points in the process of officially integrating this cooking technique into one's kitchen," says Lamson. "Chef Wilson is one of the nation's leading experts in HACCP planning, and that expertise is now available to our clients through fusionchef's new and extensive support services for HACCP compliance."

The first -- and only -- sous vide equipment company to offer HACCP planning and consulting services, fusionchef helps ensure kitchens meet compliance standards, both nationally and at the state level, and also includes personalized training sessions for kitchen staff. For just $450, kitchens will receive three hours of phone consultation with Chef Wilson and his team; fusionchef's exclusive HACCP planning guidelines; a complete review of a kitchen's HACCP plan draft and feedback on best practices in working with HACCP authorities; and 90 days of email support. For kitchens interested in a more personal hands-on approach, Chef Wilson is available for on-site consultations for an additional fee.

In addition to personalized HACCP services, fusionchef offers kitchens the only immersion circulator on the market with data logging software that automatically logs bath and food temperatures, as well as cook times. Using fusionchef's exclusive software, data is then easily downloaded to a PC, where it can be printed and kept on hand for HACCP compliance, as well as used for recipe refinement and testing. This software seamlessly integrates with the fusionchef Diamond immersion circulator, which also offers chefs 15 customizable pre-sets for meat, vegetables, and fish -- virtually guaranteeing that any member of a kitchen's staff can properly, and consistently, prepare sous vide dishes.

One of the first companies in the world offering a full line of sous vide cooking equipment for commercial kitchens, fusionchef is the only company to engineer immersion circulators and water baths made entirely from high quality stainless steel. This design ensures fusionchef equipment will withstand the needs of a busy commercial kitchen, offers maximum speed in reaching the desired bath temperature, and resists bacteria and calcium build-up better than the less sturdy heavy-plastic of competing brands. Both fusionchef Diamond and Pearl series can be used in baths up to 15.2 gallons in capacity, incorporate high-capacity pumps that circulate 3.7 gallons of water each minute, and offer vapor barrier protection, a low-level water alarm and splash-proof keypad. Additional details on all of the fusionchef products and support services can be found online at www.fusionchefpro.com.

About fusionchef by Julabo
Creator of the first sous vide water bath for commercial kitchens, Julabo has been recognized as the world's foremost expert in liquid temperature control equipment for research, science, and industry for more than four decades. Pairing a tried and true French cooking method with vanguard German engineering, fusionchef by Julabo brings a new level of precision, beauty, and accuracy to the sous vide programs of commercial kitchens. In November 2012, fusionchef relaunched their U.S. website and product offerings, and introduced a new culinary operations program for HACCP planning and menu development led by renowned chef and James Beard Award recipient, Jason Wilson. More information on fusionchef by Julabo is available online at www.fusionchefpro.com.

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