How to use a blast chiller effectively?
Safety measures and food quality

Above all, it's safety. As the weather gets warmer and bacteria breed more easily, there are various hazards such as food poisoning. Heating will kill bacteria, but that alone is not enough. Just as much attention must be paid to cooling as to heating.

Cooling cooked food rapidly is essential to avoid any food safety hazards.

Purpose and performance of blast chillers

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A blast chiller is a machine designed to rapidly cool freshly cooked food. It cools hot food that is close to 90 degrees Celsius down to 3 degrees Celsius in one go.
Why do we need to cool it down quickly?

Proper cooking will kill bacteria, so there is no safety issue if you can eat or serve the food immediately. However, if there is a delay between cooking and serving, the food will gradually become more contaminated as bacteria lurk everywhere in the air. The temperature range in which bacteria breed and multiply is approximately 10 to 65°C.
Natural cooling passes through this temperature range slowly, increasing the risk of food poisoning bacteria latching to the food and multiplying during cooling.

By cooling your food with a blast chiller, it can quickly pass through the temperature range where bacteria are active, ensuring food safety.
In addition, cooked foods lose their tastiness and texture over time, but by cooling them quickly, they can maintain their flavor, taste, and nutritional value.

Food quickly cooled in a blast chiller can be stored for 4 to 5 days after being transferred to a freezer, and can be reheated while still keeping the taste of a  freshly prepared meal.

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Effective use of blast chillers

Where are blast chillers used?

They are used in delicatessen shops, bento shops, sweets stores, etc. that sell prepared food and meals, to remove the rough heat from cooked products, and to cool salads and sweets to their desired temperature.

Above all, blast chillers play a major role in kitchens that require large-volume cooking. A blast chiller is a machine commonly used when installing a cook-chill system.

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The cook-chill system is a system developed for the purpose of "cooking and serving" food in large quantities. Rapid cooling of cooked food prevents bacterial contamination and allows the food to be safely eaten when reheated.

In facilities that require large-volume cooking, such as office lunches and hospitals, sanitary control of cooked food is strict, requiring not only sufficient heating but also rapid cooling. The "Hygiene Management Manual for Mass Cooking Facilities'' issued by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan clearly states that "the core temperature must be lowered to around 20℃ within 30 minutes.''

The cook-chill system is able to meet this hygiene standard. When cooked food cannot be served immediately or when a large amount of food must be prepared in advance, it can be served without changing the quality and can be prepared systematically under safe hygiene management.

Blast chillers cool things by blowing cold air, and can be used with almost all foods. There are also small machines that are easy to install. This makes it easy to install and use in various businesses.

Introducing a blast chiller provides other benefits in addition to hygiene management. For example, a company's school lunch kitchen offers the following benefits:

For example, potato salad is perishable and it is a hazard to leave it at room temperature, but by rapidly cooling it, it can be served at an appropriate temperature. In addition, you will be able to offer menu items that take time to cool, such as jelly and pudding.

Installing a blast chiller not only improves safety, but also improves work efficiency and expands the repertoire of dishes that you can serve.

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Difference between blast chillers and shock freezers

Many people think that blast chillers and shock freezers are machines with the same functions, but they are, in fact, different.
A blast chiller is a machine that cools cooked hot food to 3℃ in one go, and a shock freezer is a machine that freezes food that has already cooled down to around 3℃ to -18℃ in one go.

There is a difference between a quick cooling function and rapid freezing function.

There are also machines on the market that work as both a blast chiller and a shock freezer, and can perform cooling and freezing at the same time.
Normally, pre-cooling is required when freezing cooked food, which makes this option very convenient because hot food can be immediately cooled and frozen for long-term storage.

Also, when frozen, the water in the food freezes and destroys cell membranes, causing the food to lose its taste and texture. However, rapid cooling can prevent food quality deterioration.

In this way, rapid cooling and freezing can protect the safety and taste of food, but there are some things you should be careful of. Because strong cold air is applied to cool the food quickly, the moisture content of the food decreases.

Also, since cold air is applied from one side, it is necessary to replace the cold air inside the refrigerator, which cause the food to dry out.There are machines that are designed to increase the humidity inside the freezer, and there are also machines that specialize in preventing dryness.

The ARTLOCK Freezer not only has cooling and freezing functions, but also allows for even cooling and freezing by applying wind that envelops the food, without the need to circulate cold air inside the freezer, so it prevents drying. You can also freeze hot food immediately.

Just as you need to decide whether to cool or freeze food depending on how you want to use it, it is important to think about your needs and your requirements before deciding which equipment is best for you.

Blast chillers have excellent rapid cooling capabilities and are useful for pre-cooling food before placing it in the refrigerator or freezer. Each equipment has a different purpose, depending on what you want to accomplish.

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Conclusion

Blast chillers are excellent machines that prevent the growth of bacteria and protect the safety and taste of food.

In order to provide food that everyone can eat without worries, it is necessary to be careful not only during heating your food but also during cooling, and to control the temperature correctly.