Snap freezing (or cook-chill) is the process of cooking meals until they are almost done and then rapidly chilling them.

The process involves the preparation and cooking of meals at a central factory, rapidly chilling them for storage until they are needed. The food is cooled to a temperature under 3º Celsius within 90 minutes of cooking and stored at a maintained temperature of 0º to 3º Celsius. The meals can then be transported in refrigerated transport to where the food is to be reheated and consumed when needed.

The length of storage depends on the method used but is usually five days. For longer storage the food may be pasturiesed after cooking

The main target group for these products are people who have no time to spend cooking. Its ideal because it so easy.

These processes have the advantage that the preparation and cooking of the meals is not tied to the times when the food is to be served enabling staff and equipment to be used more efficiently. A properly managed operation is capable of supplying high quality meals economically in spite of the high initial equipment costs. There are potential problems, however. In particular, careful attention has to be paid to hygiene, as there are a number of points in the process where food pathogens can gain access. This requires careful attention to both the control of the process and to staff training.