Whether you’re upgrading your commercial kitchen or just starting, there’s no denying that the right appliances and equipment are key to your ongoing success. When it comes to deciding which appliances should be nice-to-haves or necessary, experts agree that blast chillers should top your list.
Blast chillers enable you to flash freeze your food and ingredients without freezing them. They’re also an essential component if you’re planning to implement the cook chill system as your primary cooking method. What are blast chillers? What role do they play in the cook-chill process? This post answers these questions.
What is a Blast Chiller?
More commonly known as flash freezers, blast chillers are designed to lower food or beverage temperatures considerably faster than a regular freezer would. This means these machines are perfect for instantly chilling ice creams, fresh desserts, and beverages. Unlike regular freezers, food can be cooled to the desired temperature in a matter of hours rather than having to cool it overnight.
Blast Chillers Aren’t the Same as Standard Freezers
You may think that blast chillers are just fancy standard freezers. However, several significant differences will be beneficial to your commercial kitchen. We’ve listed the key differences:
- Industrial fan: Unlike a standard freezer, a blast chiller boasts an industrial fan that blows chilled air over the food or drinks. This chilled air instantly cools the item.
- Cools rather than freezes: Placing food in a regular freezer will cause ice crystals to form over the food. This can affect the taste once the food is thawed. Blast chillers, on the other hand, keep the food cool without the formation of ice crystals, keeping it fresh.
- Shorter cooling time: Blast chillers also cool food or drinks remarkably faster than regular freezers. There’s no need to spend all your free time prepping salads and desserts the night before.
Many Significant Benefits to Look Forward to
Urgency and efficiency in your commercial kitchen a top priorities, especially if you want to provide your customers with the best possible service and at the same time ensure superior food quality. We’ve compiled a list of the top ways that adding a blast chiller will benefit your space.
- Enables you to implement the Cook Chill Process
The cook-chill food prep system is popular in all types of Australian kitchens, and it’s easy to see why. Here’s how this process works:
- Food is cooked to a safe temperature and placed into special bags.
- Sealed bags are placed in the blast freezer, where the temperature is rapidly cooled in less than two hours.
- Food is cooled without forming ice crystals or affecting quality and flavour.
- When necessary, thaw the food and serve.
- Blast Chillers Help to Sustain Food Quality
Oxidation and various other chemical reactions in food can cause particles to break down, which in turn affects the overall flavor. Placing your food in a blast chiller will stop these processes and maintain the flavour and quality of the food as it was at the time you put it in the chiller.
- Allows for Added Flexibility During Preparation
Whether your kitchen serves full meals or lighter snacks, there will be a significant amount of food preparation involved. This requires kitchen staff to prepare food well in advance to have it ready for the lunch or dinner service.
With a blast chiller, there’s no need to prepare food in advance to have sufficient time to chill. Since it takes only 90 minutes to cool food to the required temperature, food prep can be done closer to the time the food is needed. Additionally, since blast chillers don’t create layers of ice crystals, there’s no need to defrost items and no risk of them turning soggy.
- Eliminates Bacterial Growth
Bacteria are the number one enemy of any commercial kitchen. It doesn’t take much for bacteria to spoil food and increase the risk of various foodborne illnesses. The average blast chiller has been designed to lower your food product’s temperature to about 5 °C in under 90 minutes; there’s little chance that your food will develop bacteria.
- Minimises Food Wastage
Most kitchens share a similar problem that affects your profit margins, and that is food wastage. Food that isn’t stored at the correct temperature (even in your standard freezer) will result in spoiled products that need to be thrown away.
Furthermore, food can also be “over-frozen” and develop freezer burn, causing the products to deteriorate. Using a blast chiller is a key way to avoid this, as the food is cooled to the perfect temperature.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re planning to incorporate the cook chill system or you’re looking for the most effective way to cool your dishes and ingredients, a blast chiller is a must. In addition to being very versatile, flash freezers can also be bought in a comfortable size to suit your space and overall kitchen needs.
