What is a Blast Chiller?
Blast chillers and blast freezers (also known as shock chillers or shock freezers) are powerful commercial kitchen appliances designed primarily to help reduce the amount of time food spends in “the danger zone” (see below).
As such, they quickly bring down the temperature of cooked foods which also helps to extend the shelf life, texture, flavour and nutritional value of the food. By rapid cooling, growth of bacteria is minimised and food hygiene is promoted. Blast chillers are often mandatory within professional kitchens.
The Danger Zone
The Danger Zone is the temperature at which pathogenic micro-organisms grow quickly and potentially become dangerous. This happens between 8°C and 63°C. To adhere to food safety legislation, cooked food needs to be cooled from 70°C to 3°C in less than 90 minutes to be safe for consumption. If you’re freezing the food, it needs to be cooled from 70°C to -18°C in less than 240 minutes.
TIP: Don’t be tempted to use your fridge, freezer or cold room for blast chilling. Hot food will simply raise the internal temperature of the appliance.
Features, Benefits and Options
Size and Capacity
Blast chillers and freezers are available in sizes to meet the demand of pretty much any commercial kitchen. If you’re only chilling small amounts, compact units like the Polar Countertop Blast Chiller are usually a good entry-level choice.
However, if you’re running a large production kitchen or canteen, larger free standing blast chillers or even roll-in blast chillers may be more suitable. The biggest versions can even accommodate entire trolleys full of double size gastronorm pans simultaneously.
TIP: Check the size required before you buy. Frequently overloading a blast chiller could reduce its efficiency and lifespan. An overloaded chiller might not be able to chill as effectively.
Types of Blast Chilling
Although models vary, there are four main types of blast chilling, each of which is suited for preserving different foods.
- Soft Chill: Used to safely chill delicate products that may be damaged by a hard chill such as gateaux or similar patisserie-style desserts. Foods high in water content such as vegetables, fish, rice and pasta should also be chilled this way to prevent any dehydration.
- Hard Chill: The "standard" form of blast chilling, suitable for most products including cooked meats, lasagne, pies, pizza etc.
- Hard Chill "Max": Certain models feature a concentrated form of hard chilling for foods with high densities or high amounts of fat such as meat joints, sous vide meals and stews.
- Shock Freeze: Reduces food temperature to -18°C from 70°C for future use, which can be used on all types of food with no damage to appearance, structure or flavour.
Manual or Programmable
Many blast chillers, especially premium models, have digital programmable controls which allow the user to customise and save chilling modes with separate times and levels of cooling. This is especially useful for retaining the flavour, texture and nutritional value of any food you might need to chill. For example, a batch of delicate pastries is likely to need a much softer chill in comparison to a large joint of meat.
Other Features
The following video shows other useful features commonly seen in blast chillers
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a blast chiller?
Any kitchen where food is being cooled down to serve cold, or where food is being cooled to be reheated later will need a blast chiller. Standard Commercial Refrigeration is designed for general purpose cold storage - not rapid cooling.
How do I know if the blast chiller has chilled food within guidelines?
Most blast chillers, even entry-level versions, include a built-in temperature probe. The probe is inserted into the food to monitor the chilling process. You may need to record this data – some blast chillers will automatically save the information which can either be saved to a USB stick or accessed via Wi-Fi.
Why isn't my blast chiller cooling fast enough?
It’s important to not exceed the chiller’s maximum load. Each machine is calibrated to cool a set amount – overloading simply reduces the chiller’s effectiveness. Another reason could be the door seal is broken – check the entire gasket for tears or obstructions. Finally, make sure that you’re not loading food which is far above 90°C. The hotter the food, the longer it will take to cool.
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