Blast chillers, also known as shock freezers, rapidly freeze food with extremely cold temperatures, creating small ice crystals that preserve the food’s integrity and reduce bacterial growth. They are commonly used in the frozen food industry and commercial kitchens, but can also be used by home cooks.
A blast chiller is an extremely cold freezer. It can also be known as a shock freezer. These freezers have the purpose of rapidly lowering the temperature of food, freezing it extremely quickly. These specialized freezers are used in the frozen food industry for everything from ice cream to TV dinners, and are also used in some commercial kitchens for special tasks.
When food is frozen, the water inside it crystallizes. If freezing occurs at relatively warm temperatures, the ice crystals that form will be large. In a blast chiller, the extremely cold temperature favors very rapid freezing, which creates small ice crystals. The smaller the crystals, the less damage to food, as large crystals can rupture cells. Once the food has been frozen, it can be moved to a more conventional freezer for storage, as long as the freezer stays cold enough to keep the food frozen.
Many blast chillers work with fans that force cold air onto the food in the freezer to chill it quickly. Others may work differently, depending on the design. These freezers may feature moveable trays for food placement, and may also include an assortment of freezing compartments. The freezer can normally handle cold, room-temperature, or warm foods, as long as they are not overloaded; too high a volume of hot foods, for example, can cause the temperature in the blast chiller to rise.
There is another benefit to quick or quick freezing, besides preserving the integrity of the food. Extreme cold inhibits bacterial growth, which means that if food is handled safely and then immediately placed in the freezer, the likelihood of contamination is very low. This increases food safety, making such freezers popular in commercial food preparation to reduce the risk to consumers.
Blast chillers tend to consume a lot of energy which is why they are more commonly used in industrial and commercial applications. Even home cooks can use a blast chiller if they need one. For example, some hunters like to use a blast chiller to freeze meat once it has been slaughtered, and cooks who prepare many dishes for future use, such as lasagna, may also prefer the quality of frozen food.
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