Why Is a Blast Chiller Important?

Why Is a Blast Chiller Important?

Blast chilling is the process of quickly lowering the temperature of food. The rapid chilling promotes the micro-crystallization of the water molecules in fruits, vegetables and other food products, ensuring that they won’t lose their taste, textures, and nutrients when they are thawed. This is vastly different from the standard chilling process that occurs in regular chillers, which causes water molecules to freeze into large crystals. These crystals rupture the cell wall of meat and produce when thawed, causing your food to lose essential flavors and nutrients and make them tough and leathery.

 

Aside form preserving the quality of your food, blast chilling can also help slow down bacteria growth. This, in turn, means that you can prevent food spoilage, avoid wasting money on ingredients and protect your staff and customers from food safety and quality issues.

 

How Do Blast Chillers Work? 

To quickly reduce food temperature, blast chillers are designed to blow forced-cooled air over the pans that are placed in their shelves. They usually have several settings that you can select depending on the temperature of the food that you’re placing inside the blast chiller.

 

When Can I Use My Blast Chiller? 

You can use blast chillers whenever you need to quickly cool down food products. If you serve cakes in your restaurant, for example, you can place them in a commercial blast chiller after baking and make them ready for icing and garnished in several minutes instead of hours. Blast chillers can also be used to extend the lifespan of fruits and vegetables without affecting their freshness and quality. 

 

Are Blast Chillers and Blast Freezers the Same Thing? 

While the terms “blast chillers” and “blast freezers” are often interchanged by many people, the fact is that these are two different terms that refer to two different types of equipment. Blast freezers are designed to hold food below freezing temperatures, while blast chillers simply lower the temperature of the food. Once your food is chilled, you should take it out of the blast chiller and put it in the freezer (if you’re chilling it for storage purposes). It’s important to note that many manufacturers offer models that are a combination of blast chillers and freezers, which means that they can do the function of both equipment and help you save money and floor space. 

 

How Cold Can Blast Chillers Get?

The temperature range of commercial blast chillers depend on the manufacturer, so it’s important to check the specifications of makes and models before making a purchase.  

 

What’s the Average Chilling Time for Blast Chillers?

A blast chiller can take the temperature of cooked food from 70 degrees Celsius to 5 degrees Celsius in around 90 minutes. However, the total chilling time depends on many factors, including the blast chiller setting that you’re using, the actual temperature of the food, and the cooling temperature that you want it to reach. 

Back to blog