Blast chillers

How to choose a blast chiller

The blast chiller is a tool that allows hot food to be cooled quickly, lowering the cooking temperature to + 3 ° C to the core of the food in less than an hour and a half. Following the blast chilling process, the product can be stored in the refrigerator or freezer, increasing the life of the product, since the cold fights bacterial proliferation which occurs between 8 ° C and 68 ° C.

The most common models of blast chillers have the function of freezing and respect the organoleptic qualities of the food because they avoid the formation of crystals in the product.

The use of blast chillers in the kitchen is mandatory, as required by regulations 52/2004 and 853/2004.

The blast chiller can produce two types of processes:

the killing, also called positive yield, when the core of the food reaches + 3 ° C
deep freezing, also called negative yield, when the core of the food reaches -18 ° C. During the freezing process, the product is subjected to very low temperatures (which can go as low as -45 ° C) and to strong ventilation that prevents the evaporation of water molecules, responsible for the formation of ice crystals. Therefore, if the food is frozen in this way, the food retains its characteristics.
When choosing a blast chiller you must consider:

the capacity of the trays
the positive and negative yield
material
thickness
standard equipment
Only after having considered all these elements, can you choose a blast chiller that meets the real needs of use.