Who Knew You Could Blast Chill . . .

When people think of using a blast chiller, often they think of chocolates or desserts. And while blast chillers are great for those foods, there are so many more items you can blast chill to help with your commercial kitchen production.

Not only are blast chillers designed for rapidly chilling food safely through the danger zone, they are also perfect for food preservation, cooking in batch/bulk, and prepping in advance for the busier seasons, such as the holidays. 

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables

Eating local has become a popular food trend that not only supports the community but also allows foodservice operations to have access to fresher produce. Blast chilling seasonal fruits and vegetables let schools, healthcare facilities, and restaurants to serve produce they might not be able to find at certain times of the year and could be more expensive to acquire. That means enjoying strawberries in the winter, apples in the spring, and cranberries in the summer, when those products could be harder to find on store shelves. 

Soups and Chowders 

Speaking of produce, being able to turn them into soups is a popular way of consuming seasonal vegetables. Asparagus, fall squash, Brussels sprouts, and fiddleheads are all seasonal items that are enjoyed in soups and chowders. Surprise your customers and extend that seasonality a few weeks by serving fresh soups cooked while the vegetables were in season and have been blast chilled. 

Making Bread

Baking bread can be a long process, especially if the dough needs to be proofed before being put in the oven. Which is one of the reasons bakers often begin making bread early in the morning. Get some extra sleep by preparing the dough (before it has to be proofed) and putting it into the blast chiller. By bringing the bread down in temperature, you're not only temporarily preventing the starches from binding, but you're also preserving its freshness. When staff comes back in the next day, they can  continue with the baking process as if they'd been there all morning.

Drinks 

Of course, you can blast chill product and fully cooked menu items. But how about blast chilling your favorite drink? Having a blast chiller for your bar area helps when drinks are delivered and need to be brought to just above freezing quickly. It can also help when you’re batch preparing mixed drinks or bases and need them cooled. Which will help your bartenders serve ice cold drinks quickly, increasing productivity and profits. 

Holiday Meals 

Containing a high percentage of water, beef, lamb, pork, and fish when frozen can produce large amounts of ice crystalization. This affects its weight and taste after it’s defrosting. By blast chilling and bringing the temperature down to 37 degrees Fahrenheit over two hours, fewer ice crystals are created, helping the protein retain its original size and taste. 

During the Fall holiday season, cooking turkey and blast chilling days in advance can help save on kitchen labor when you need staff concentrating on other tasks. In fact, the entire holiday meal can be blast chilled and re-heated when needed, from green bean casserole all the way down to yeast rolls. And when the holidays are over, blast chill those leftovers so you can put turkey sandwiches on the menu. 

Thermo-Kool is here to help. We've put together a Blast Chilling Assessment Sheet to help you determine all the important factors and considerations to blast chilling and shock freezing in restaurants. Download your copy today!