Comparing the different types of rapid freezer! We also explain the best ways to install them.

rapid freezer is essential for the production of frozen foods.
"There are so many manufacturers, I don't know which one to choose..."
"Is there a cheap way to introduce rapid freezer?"
Many of you may have questions like these.

There is a wide range of rapid freezer available, from household freezers with this function attached to commercial-use flash freezer.

The average price ranges from about 1 million yen for a small one to over 4 million yen for a high-quality one, so it's not a cheap purchase.
However, if you only focus on price, you may not produce enough and not be able to make the sales you expected, or the freezing time may be too long, which could result in higher labor costs.

So this time, as a company with the top market share in the rapid freezing industry, we will thoroughly explain the types of rapid freezer, how to choose one, and how to install them at a good price.
Please read through to the end and use this information to help you choose rapid freezer so that you don't regret your decision later!

First of all, what does "rapid freezing" mean in rapid freezer?

What is rapid freezing?

rapid freezing is a technique that freezes food in a short period of time without losing quality.

When food is frozen, ice crystals form within the cells, and the size of these ice crystals determines the quality of the frozen food.
The size of the ice crystals depends on the freezing speed: a slower freezing speed will result in larger ice crystals, and a faster freezing speed will result in smaller ice crystals.

If the ice crystals become too large, they will be large enough to break through the cells of the food, causing drips (flavorful components) to leak out when the food is thawed.
If the freezing speed can be shortened, the ice crystals will become smaller and it will be possible to freeze the cells without damaging them.

Using rapid freezing technology reduces dripping and preserves the texture, allowing for higher quality freezing.

Food ingredients that could not previously be maintained in quality can now be frozen, so by planning and stockpiling, waste can be eliminated and products can be delivered to more people through mail order and store expansion.
rapid freezing leads to cost reduction and increased sales, so it is attracting attention as a way for companies to increase profits.

Are there ranks of rapid freezer in the world?! Comparing types of freezing

While rapid freezer rapid freezer attracting a lot of attention, there are many different types available, from household models to those specialized for high quality.
It's easier to understand if we start by looking at the different types of freezing, so let's take a look at them together.

General freezer

When you think of freezing, the first thing that comes to mind is probably a freezer, but this is a type of freezing method known as general freezing.
General freezing is used to keep the temperature inside the refrigerator at freezing range and store food in a frozen state.

This includes not only household refrigerators and freezers, but also commercial freezers and freezer storage units.

Some freezers are equipped with rapid freezer, but in most cases 100V (household voltage) is not capable of delivering rapid freezing capabilities required for commercial use.
Unlike commercial rapid freezer, the freezing capacity is significantly lower, so the quality and productivity are not sufficient for business use.

When using rapid freezer for business purposes, we recommend choosing flash freezer as described below.

rapid freezer

Unlike the general freezers mentioned above, rapid freezer are capable of freezing food quickly.
However, even though they are all rapid freezer, there are large differences in performance, and their performance goes up and down depending on the price.

Specifically, strong winds can cause the food to dry out or the freezing to be uneven, reducing production efficiency, but high-performance rapid freezer can address these issues, achieving extremely high-quality freezing and productivity.

Typical rapid freezer are shock freezers and blast chillers, with market prices ranging from approximately 1.5 million to 3 million yen.
Among rapid freezer, those with particularly high performance, quality, and productivity are called flash freezer, and have a market price starting from around 4 million yen.

Depending on the ingredients you want to freeze, a shock freezer or blast chiller may be sufficient, but depending on the quality and productivity you require, their performance may not be sufficient.
When introducing any type of freezing machine, not limited to shock freezers or blast chillers, we recommend that you perform a freezing test to verify that you can produce the frozen foods you envision.

In addition, you can take advantage of leasing and subsidies that allow you to reduce initial costs, so you are less likely to make a mistake if you choose based on cost-effectiveness rather than price.

flash freezer

The term "instant freezer" is often used alongside rapid freezer," but they are just different names and refer to the same thing.
This refers to a freezer that can freeze food quickly, and there is no particular difference between rapid freezer and a flash freezer.

The name "instant freezer" suggests that it can freeze food instantly, but most foods require a freezing time of just a few tens of minutes.
The freezing time will greatly affect operations after installation, so be sure to carry out a freezing test when installing a flash freezer.

flash freezer

Finally, among rapid freezer, flash freezer have particularly high performance.

flash freezer have the following features compared to general rapid freezer.

- Faster freezing speed
- Higher quality due to its special structure that prevents drying and oxidation
・Uneven freezing in the warehouse is reduced, ensuring stable quality
- High durability due to the use of AI

When using freezing for business purposes, freezing quality, productivity, and durability are all factors that directly affect profits, so the performance of the freezer can have a major impact on cost-effectiveness.
flash freezer are more expensive than general rapid freezer, but they are more cost-effective.

However, as it is still an expensive product, we recommend that you do a freezing test first to see how cost-effective it is and what implementation methods can be used before introducing it.

Freezing methods and representative manufacturers of commercial rapid freezer

When it comes to rapid freezing, there are many different freezing methods, so it can be hard to decide which freezer to use.
Here we will introduce the freezing methods available in rapid freezer and list some representative manufacturers.

Air blast method (air freezing) has the advantage of ease of use

When talking about rapid freezer, the first thing that comes to mind is the air blast method (air freezing), which uses wind to freeze the food.
This also includes shock freezers and blast chillers, represented by manufacturers such as Fukushima Galilei and Hoshizaki.

To freeze, arrange the ingredients you want to freeze on a tray and then place the tray into rapid freezer.
It is possible to freeze food without packaging, so the food can be rapid freezing while retaining its shape.

The cold air of -30 to -40 degrees removes the heat from the food, causing it to freeze rapidly.
Depending on the structure of the fan, it may be prone to drying out or frosting, so care must be taken when choosing.

An example of flash freezer that uses the air blast method is the Art Lock Freezer made by Dave Brake.
The special cold air temperature of -35 to -45 degrees minimizes unevenness inside the freezer and makes it possible to freeze ingredients without stripping them of moisture.

Liquid method (liquid freezing/alcohol freezing) also available in small size

The second most popular type of rapid freezer after the air blast type is the liquid type (liquid freezing).
Representative manufacturers and products of liquid freezers include Yoneda Koki's Re-Joice Freezer and Technican's Tomin.

In a liquid freezer, the alcohol used for freezing is cooled to -30 to -35 degrees, and the vacuum-packed ingredients are immersed in the liquid to freeze them rapidly.
Alcohol liquid has a high thermal conductivity, so it can be frozen quickly, but since the food is placed in the liquid, it cannot be frozen until it is packaged, making it difficult to maintain the shape of the food.

Liquid freezers also include small models such as the RF-1 (a model of Re-Joice Freezer) and the Tomin Mini, and the market price is around 1 million yen.

flash freezer, Re-Joice Freezer, offers high input capacity at the same price as the market, and even though it is small, it has high mixing capacity (the ability to stir the liquid), making it one of the most cost-effective liquid freezers.

Other rapid freezer

The most common freezing methods used by rapid freezer are the air blast method (air freezing) and the liquid method (liquid freezing/alcohol freezing).
Other freezing methods include the electromagnetic wave method, typified by Proton from Ryoho Freeze Systems, the liquid nitrogen method, and the contact method (contact freezing).

As such, there are a variety of freezing methods among rapid freezer, each with their own advantages and disadvantages, so we strongly recommend that you conduct a freezing test and then compare the methods.

We offer a free freezing test room where you can compare different rapid freezer at the same time.
Please use this when comparing rapid freezer!

It's not just about price! How to choose the best rapid freezer

Compatibility with ingredients is more important than speed

When choosing rapid freezer,
"The faster you freeze, the smaller the ice crystals will be, so the faster you freeze, the better the quality."
It is often thought that this is the case, but in fact it is not.

For example, if food that previously took four hours to freeze can now be frozen in 30 minutes using rapid freezing, the quality will improve dramatically.
However, even if something that can be frozen in 30 minutes can now be frozen in 20 minutes, the difference in taste and texture when actually eaten is negligible.
Very few people would notice the difference.

On the other hand, differences in freezing methods have a significant impact on quality.

When freezing sushi, if you vacuum pack it before freezing it, the quality will deteriorate as the toppings will get crushed, the sushi rice will fall apart, and the rice will harden.
For this reason, we recommend flash freezer that uses an air blast method, which allows you to freeze sushi without wrapping it, so that neither the toppings nor the rice dry out.

When choosing rapid freezer, it is best to choose one based on the freezing method rather than the freezing speed.

Also pay attention to storage methods and thawing know-how!

Furthermore, no matter how good the quality of the freezing method is, if the storage or thawing is done incorrectly, the quality of the product will decrease.

When choosing rapid freezer, be sure to consider not only the freezing method but also operations such as storage and thawing methods.
We recommend purchasing from a company that not only provides you with a freezer, but also offers pre- and post-operation options.

In addition to rapid freezer, we also handle products needed before and after rapid freezing, such as freezer storage units, prefabricated freezers, vacuum packaging machines, and thawing machines.
If you would like to discuss not only rapid freezer but also pre- and post-operations, please feel free to contact us.

How to use rapid freezer

The cost of installing rapid freezer is not cheap, but if you choose one based on price, it will be difficult to get the cost-effectiveness right.
Instead of searching for a cheap freezer, we recommend thinking about how you can get the best value for your money!

There are various ways to get started at a good price, but there are some that we can recommend at the moment and some that we cannot, so we will introduce them one by one.

Subsidies and grants

Subsidies and grants provided by local governments can be used to introduce rapid freezer.
The most commonly used subsidies are "Manufacturing Subsidies," "Business Restructuring Subsidies," and "Operational Improvement Subsidies."

However, now that the COVID-19 pandemic has subsided, budgets for subsidies and grants have decreased and the adoption rate has been declining.
Since the time it takes for adoption results and grant decisions to be announced is getting longer, it would be a good idea to consider this in relation to the timing you would like to implement it.

If there are any subsidies or grants available in your area, we recommend taking advantage of them.
If you are unsure of what subsidies and grants are available to you, please contact us for a free consultation!

Leasing/installment payments

Some people may find it difficult to install rapid freezer because it is a large expense.
For such people, we recommend leasing and installment payments, which can reduce initial costs.

By using these methods, it is possible to introduce rapid freezer with zero initial costs.
Whether you can use this service depends on the results of the leasing company's screening, but even if it is difficult to pass the screening, there are cases where you can get it approved or increase the amount by paying a down payment.

Another benefit of leasing is that small and medium-sized businesses can write it off as an expense, unlike regular purchases.
rapid freezer is a fixed asset, so fixed asset tax and depreciation expenses will be incurred, but if it is leased, it becomes the property of the leasing company, so fixed asset tax and depreciation expenses will not be incurred.

If you pay in installments, the item becomes your property, so you may want to decide whether or not you want to keep it when the contract ends.

Tax Incentives

As mentioned earlier, fixed asset tax and depreciation expenses can be introduced at a good cost by taking advantage of tax incentives.
You can reduce your corporate tax bill in the year of purchase by immediately depreciating the purchase cost, or combine it with leasing to receive a tax deduction.

Any rapid freezer that is covered by the system can be used, so please check before purchasing one!
If you would like to choose rapid freezer that can take advantage of tax benefits, please feel free to contact us and we will be able to introduce you to eligible models.

Used price

Finally, regarding purchasing second-hand equipment, we do not recommend this when introducing rapid freezer.

Some second-hand items can be purchased for about one-third of the retail price, which may seem like a good deal at first glance.
However, since it is unknown under what conditions the item was used, its maintenance status is unclear, and the smell of frozen ingredients may still be there, second-hand items that do not come with a warranty or after-sales support can be quite worrying to use in business.

If you want to keep initial costs down, we recommend that you first consider taking advantage of subsidies, leasing, and tax incentives.

Summary: Be sure to perform a freezing test before using rapid freezer!

How was it?
This time, we have explained the types of rapid freezer and how to install them at an affordable price.

When using rapid freezer for business purposes, we recommend choosing flash freezer is more cost-effective.
By taking advantage of leasing and tax incentives, you can introduce cost-effective products at a more affordable price.

Also, different freezing methods have different compatibility with different ingredients, so be sure to conduct a freezing test when choosing rapid freezer!

We not only provide rapid freezer, but also propose optimal operation methods suited to business formats and ingredients.
We also provide support to help you get started at a good price, so please feel free to contact us if you are interested!