When it comes to blast chillers and shock freezers, they are not as simple as just fitting the space available, and you need to take into account a number of different aspects, to determine which machine is right for you.
Which blast chiller is right for your business
So please read through some of our basic hints and tips in choosing the right blast chiller and shock freezer for your business.
Food product
You will need to look at your food product in detail, including its size, weight, how it is portioned, as well as how it is packaged and wrapped, and what temperature the food will be at when it will enters the blast chiller.
Size and capacity
You should analyse your kitchen's output, and particularly of the products you wish to rapidly chill or freeze. How many trays or what weight (kg) are you wanting to chill per cycle, and per shift, and per day?
You also need to look at your physical space available in your kitchen, and where you would locate the blast chiller.
Blast chilling versus shock freezing
Do you need to mostly blast chill your food product, to under 5°C, or shock freeze, to under -18°C?
Be aware that some brands and machine models do not do both.
Allow for business growth
Once you know how much you are currently processing per cycle or per day of your food product, allow an additional margin for business growth.
The last thing you want to do is purchase a new piece of equipment based on your current needs, only for your business to develop and grow, and have the blast chiller not keeping up, and causing 'bottle necks' in your production.
Food pans, trays and trolleys
Take note of the sizes of the food pans, trays and trolleys you are using to store and move the food in your kitchen, and make sure you check that the racking or internal size of the blast chiller and shock freezer suits these.
Power supply
Check what power supply you have available in your kitchen, as some blast chillers require three phase electricity.
Talk to an expert
Once you have all of this information, the best thing to do is to engage with someone who knows what they are talking about when it comes to blast chillers and shock freezers.
They can fully analyse your current food production processes, and discuss what your food product is, including its size, weight and packaging, how it is being cooking, in what volumes and batch quantities, how quickly you want to chill or freeze it, and advise what blast chiller and shock freezer model is going to suit your business.
Book a kitchen audit today
If you're curious about blast chilling and shock freezing, book an obligation free kitchen audit today, to find out how the benefits of rapidly chilling your food can benefit your business, through improved hygiene and food quality, as well as time, labour and energy savings!
