What Is The Difference Between Blast Freezer and Blast Chiller? 


If you own a commercial kitchen or are just looking to expand your household kitchen to increase your cooking experience, you may come across a variety of products that you can add to your list. Two of these appliances are the blast freezer and blast chiller. Both of these appliances are used to quickly lower the temperature of the food to increase their shelf life but both of these appliances differ in their working and applications. Today we are going to discuss everything about both of these appliances and then the main differences between the two. First, let’s get to know about the appliances and how do they work?

 

What is a Blast Freezer? 

First of all, let’s discuss the blast freezers. These are the appliances commonly used in commercial kitchens such as fast-food restaurants, hotel kitchens, etc. to quickly lower the temperature of food. As the name suggests, blast freezers are insulated and temperature-controlled units that are used to cool down and freeze the food materials. Based on your applications and the area in which a freezer will be installed, you can get a blast freezer in various sizes. The size begins from just a small blast freezer that can be placed under the counter to a large walk-in unit.

 

A blast freezer is also known as a shock freezer or a flash freezer due to its ability to quickly reduce the temperature of the food material. These freezers reduce the temperature to preserve the food material. The food is generally reduced to an extremely low temperature between -18°C to -45°C. Now, let’s get to know how these freezers work?

 

How Does a Blast Freezer Work? 

The working of a blast freezer is not very complex and it works just like every other refrigeration system. When the food material is placed inside the freezer, a fan starts blowing chilled air over the food which freezes the water particles present in the food. The blast freezer can easily reduce the temperature from 70°C to less than -18°C in 3-4 hours. It is known that if food is cooled slowly, the water present freezes due to which it expands and damages the quality and flavours of the food. But if the food is cooled quickly using a blast freezer, the water molecules freeze instantly and do not expand. This does no damage to the food material and keeps the taste and freshness alive. Small blast freezers are widely used in small commercial kitchens to maintain the freshness of the food. The main advantage of using a blast freezer is that it can increase the shelf life of the frozen food from days to months given that the food remains refrigerated.

 

What is a Blast Chiller? 

A blast chiller is also a similar appliance to the freezer in terms of its motive which is used to reduce the temperature of the food material but it is very different from a blast freezer. The main difference between the two appliances is the temperature at which the food material can be cooled down. A chiller can only reduce the temperature of the food down to 3 to 4°C. To reduce the temperature of food material from 70°C down to 5°C, a blast chiller takes about 1.5 to 2 hours whereas the freezer takes more time but can reduce the temperature even more. The main benefit of using either appliance is that they do not ruin the taste, texture or moisture of the food. This means if we take the food out and heat it in an oven, the fragrance, taste, and texture of the food will be the same as if it was prepared just now.

 

How Does a Blast Chiller Work? 

The working mechanism of a blast chiller is the same as that of a freezer. The main difference comes when we consider the resulting temperature range up to which the food is cooled down. When food is placed inside a chiller, chilled air starts blowing over the food, reducing its temperature and freezing the moisture present inside the food. The blast chiller helps to keep the food material fresh for days or sometimes for a week.

 

Main Differences Between Blast Freezer and Blast Chiller 

Now, we know what a blast freezer and chiller are and how do they work? Now let’s take a look at the differences between the two appliances and how both of them are used to keep the food fresh.

 

  • A blast chiller can reduce the temperature down to 4°C whereas a blast freezer can bring down the temperature up to -45°C.
  • A blast chiller takes about 1.5-2 hours to reduce the temperature whereas a blast freezer takes about 3-4 hours.
  • Food materials cooled in a blast chiller are mostly used on the same day or the day after. But the food materials cooled in a blast freezer can be stored in a refrigerated place for months without spoiling.
  • A blast chiller can often be seen in a bakery or restaurants to temporarily store food whereas a blast freezer is often used to freeze and store food materials such as meat, frozen pizza, etc.
  • The food material stored in a blast chiller does not need to be defrosted to be used but the food stored in a blast freezer must be defrosted first and then it can be used effectively.

 

Conclusion 

Now we have discussed everything about the blast freezer and the blast chiller. It can be said that while the results of both the appliances are almost the same but still both of them are quite different. Also, the working mechanism of the machines is the same but they differ in the working power and efficiency. Also, the blast freezer price is less than the blast chiller as they focus more on reducing the temperature of the food material rather than maintaining the temperature at a specific level. If you are looking to buy a chiller or a freezer, visit Aajjo.com where you can find a large variety of products from the best chiller and freezer manufacturers in India at affordable prices.