Commercial Blast Chillers

Unlike standard commercial freezers, commercial blast chillers bring food down to a consistent temperature far more quickly, usually within a few hours. A freezer holds already frozen food at an even temperature; a blast chiller is what gets the food evenly frozen in the first place. Chilling that fast also reduces the chance of harmful bacteria growing, and keeps the texture and flavour of your food. You can put most things through one, from soups and sauces to curries and stews. You can also use them to snap-freeze produce that you’ll use at a later date, meaning you can order more stock in advance and keep it on hand when you need it. After preparing your food, you can put it in the blast chiller, even when it’s still warm. After it’s properly chilled or frozen, it can then be transferred to a fridge or freezer for longer-term storage.

Blast chillers are designed to operate significantly faster than freezers or commercial fridges, chilling food to core in as little as 90 minutes. Operating at these kinds of speeds significantly reduces the chances of pathogens having time to form or multiply in food. Generally, food can be left at an ambient temperature for no more than two hours before it becomes a risk due to spoilage. Chilling it to core quickly keeps the taste and the quality, and cuts the food safety risk.

Efficiency, profitability and food safety. A commercial blast freezer lets you cook in bulk and freeze it fast, so you can keep extra stock on hand for the rush and have fewer menu items out of stock. Loading a plain freezer with warm food takes far longer to pull the temperature down, and the food suffers for it. Freezing fast also does less damage to the cell structure of vegetables and other ingredients, so the flavour, nutrition and texture hold up when the food is thawed, reheated and served.

The ideal temperature to set your blast chiller to will depend on what you’re using it for. They typically have a broad range of temperature capabilities, with chillers going as low as -18℃ to -40℃. Many models have a digital display, allowing you to easily choose which temperature you want and set it to either chill for refrigeration storage or freeze it entirely to put in longer-term storage or a freezer display.

The time taken to chill or freeze food totally depends on the model of blast chiller you have, how cold it can get and how full you pack it with food. Generally speaking, most models can get your food from a freshly cooked temperature down to less than 5℃ in as little as 90 minutes to 2 hours. If you’re looking to freeze your food entirely, it will take a little longer, ranging up to 4 hours to be totally frozen.

Blast chillers are typically energy efficient, and they also cut the work your fridge or freezer has to do to chill food. They circulate the cold air more and at a lower temperature, so the cooling is more even. When you’re choosing a blast chiller for your own kitchen, start with how much capacity you need and how much space you have for it. You’ll also want to decide whether you want to opt for a model that can operate at extremely low temperatures, like those that can range up to -40℃, or if a standard model that ranges down to -18℃ is adequate. Snap-freezing in the more powerful models is a great option if you have an ice cream freezer you need to stock, along with being perfect for keeping vegetables and fruits exceptionally fresh through freezing.

Typically, when you’re using a blast chiller correctly, you’ll be fully loading it and then unloading it after all your food stock has been chilled or frozen. After each use, it’s a good idea to clean it, ensuring you've checked the drain lines, that they are clear, and that there’s no food spillage anywhere in the chiller. You’ll also want to monitor the temperature probes and make sure that they’re free of any ice or food to ensure you’re getting accurate temperature readings. The condenser is another key area to maintain. Checking that the coils are clean and there’s no ice build-up that could prevent proper chilling is important.

Start with how much space you have to put it in, and check those dimensions before deciding on the specification. Then work out how much volume you need inside it. Calculate roughly how much stock you want to be able to create each day, along with how much needs to go into the fridge or freezer for storage. This will help give you an indication of how much capacity your blast chiller will need. Additionally, accounting for the types of food you want to chill or freeze is important, as some have slightly different temperature needs. Whether you’re small or large, the best way to find the right blast chiller for your kitchen is with a personalised consultation. For a recommendation that’s unique to your needs, please contact the team at REO, and we’ll be happy to help.

Yes. Freezing takes slightly longer than chilling alone, but the one cabinet does both. With temperatures as low as -40℃ and full control of the settings, you can get food down to a safe temperature either way.

No. A blast chiller does one job, which is to chill or freeze food quickly. It sits between the cook line and storage, getting your food to a safe temperature before it goes into a fridge or freezer for the longer term.

You will see commercial blast freezer and industrial blast chillers used for the same kind of equipment. The name changes with the supplier and the region, not the job it does. Compare models on capacity, construction and the specification on each product page, and check the full commercial blast chillers range to see every option side by side.