A blast chiller – a blast chilling and blast freezing cabinet – is the appliance in a professional kitchen that quickly cools freshly cooked food to a safe temperature or deep-freezes it. This extends shelf life, preserves the taste, texture and colour of the food, and meets food safety requirements. The range is wide – from simple one-button cabinets to touchscreen units that can also cook, prove and thaw. In this guide we explain how to find the right solution for your kitchen.
In short: four questions before buying a blast chiller
- What and how much – how many kilos of food you need to chill or freeze at a time and how many times a day.
- Is blast chilling enough – or do you really need blast freezing as well.
- How the unit defrosts – automatically or with the help of an operator.
- Which control panel – simple and reliable or fully programmable.
Why chill food quickly?
Bacteria multiply fastest in the range of roughly +10…+60 °C. When a large pot of soup or a tray of meat cools in an ordinary refrigerator, it can stay in this range for hours – while the hot food also warms the other products in the fridge and puts a strain on its compressor. A blast chiller takes food through this range quickly. Under a widely used standard, food is chilled from +70 °C to +3 °C in about 90 minutes and frozen from +70 °C to –18 °C in about 240 minutes.
Blast chilling also helps with planning work: food can be prepared in advance at a quieter time, chilled, stored and simply regenerated for the peak hours.
Start from your needs: what and how much?
The capacity of a blast chiller is measured in kilograms per cycle, not in litres. Think through what a normal day looks like for you:
- how big the batches are – one pan of sauce or several oven loads of roast;
- how many times a day you chill – one large cycle in the evening or several smaller ones during the day;
- what containers you use – GN containers or 60 × 40 cm bakery trays;
- how deep the containers are – the deeper the container and the thicker the layer of food, the longer chilling takes and the less fits in the cabinet at once.
Choose a unit so that your normal batch stays within the quantity allowed by the manufacturer, with a margin. An overloaded cabinet cannot chill the food within the specified time and runs constantly at full load.
Is blast chilling alone enough?
In many kitchens the real need is to chill food quickly to +3 °C so that it can be used over the following days – for example soups, sauces, roasts, side dishes and pre-prepared components. Blast freezing (–18 °C) is needed mainly when food is prepared for longer periods, for production, or for pastries and ice cream.
A unit with blast chilling only is generally cheaper than a blast chilling and freezing cabinet. If you rarely need to freeze, consider whether it pays off, or whether blast chilling combined with an ordinary freezer would be enough.
Automatic or manual defrost?
During blast chilling and especially freezing, ice builds up on the evaporator and needs to be defrosted from time to time – otherwise chilling slows down and the unit uses more energy. There are two approaches:
- Manual defrost – the operator opens the cabinet door, for example in the evening, and leaves the unit to defrost. A simpler and cheaper solution that works well when the cabinet’s load is light and it does not run around the clock.
- Automatic defrost – the unit defrosts itself, either on a timer or as needed, without anyone having to intervene. This raises the price, but if the cabinet has a heavy load and several cycles a day, a cabinet with automatic defrost will probably pay for itself.
The decision should be based on your needs: with a light load, manual defrost works perfectly well, while with large volumes automatic defrost saves time and keeps the unit running steadily.
Which control panel?
Simple control panel: one or two options and start
If most of the time you chill or freeze the same product, or products with no special requirements, a cabinet with a couple of preset programmes – for example soft and hard chilling or freezing – and a start button is enough. Easy to use, quick to teach to new staff and reliable.
Fully programmable control panel
If you chill or freeze a very wide range of products during the day – for example pastries in the morning, soups at lunchtime and cakes in the evening – consider a unit with a fully programmable control panel. You can enter your own programmes for different products and set, for example, the chilling or freezing speed, chamber temperature, fan speed and a sequence of several phases. Delicate products (cakes, mousses, dough) do not dry out or freeze on the surface, while dense products (roasts, sauces) chill quickly.
Using a probe (core thermometer)
A good blast chiller works according to the food’s core temperature: the probe is inserted into the food and the cycle ends when the core of the food has reached the right temperature. This way the food is neither left half-chilled nor frozen more than necessary. Without a probe the unit works on time, which is suitable for thin, uniform products.
Example: Bertos blast chillers and freezers
Bertos blast chillers are an example of a fully programmable unit that is much more than just a blast chiller. The unit operates in the range –40…+80 °C, so you can use it not only to chill and freeze food but also to cook at low temperature and regenerate later.
Operating modes:
- blast chilling (down to +3 °C) and blast freezing (down to –18 °C);
- food thawing (controlled thawing of frozen ingredients);
- unit defrost;
- slow cooking at low temperature;
- dough proving;
- ice cream hardening;
- drying;
- treatment of raw fish to destroy parasites (e.g. sushi and tartare);
- HACCP alarm recording.
Control panel: a 7-inch colour touchscreen where you can select the chamber temperature, programme duration and operation by core probe. There are 6 preset blast chilling programmes, and you can save up to 100 of your own recipes, each with up to 4 consecutive phases. Fan speed can be adjusted in five steps as an optional accessory.
Steam generator (GV models): on versions with a steam generator, chamber humidity can be adjusted from 0–100%. This is important for low-temperature cooking, thawing and proving – the food does not dry out and the dough rises evenly.
| Model | Chamber | Blast chilling +70 → +3 °C | Blast freezing +70 → –18 °C | Containers (GN 1/1 or 60 × 40) | Power supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC5T / BC5T-GV | 89 l | 25 kg | 10 kg | 3 × 65 mm, 5 × 40 mm or 10 × 20 mm | 230 V, 1.27 kW |
| BC10T / BC10T-GV | 188 l | 30 kg | 18 kg | 7 × 65 mm, 10 × 40 mm or 20 × 20 mm | 400 V, 2.14 kW |
The chamber is made of AISI 304 stainless steel with rounded inner corners and 60 mm insulation, and the units use the environmentally friendly refrigerant R290.
You will find blast chillers and freezers with simpler controls in the category Blast chillers and freezers.
What else to consider?
- Location – the blast chiller’s condenser needs air. Do not place it next to an oven or range, or in an enclosed recess where warm air cannot escape.
- Self-contained or central system – larger units can also be connected to a central refrigeration system, which keeps heat and noise out of the kitchen.
- Electrical connection – larger models need a three-phase supply, which must be taken into account when planning the kitchen.
- A blast chiller is not a refrigerator – after the cycle, the food should be moved to a storage refrigerator. Many units do switch to holding mode at the end of the cycle, but long-term storage takes the cabinet away from the next batch.
- With or without a lid – food cools faster in an uncovered container; after chilling, cover and label it.
- Maintenance – regular cleaning of the condenser keeps cooling capacity and energy consumption in check. Choose a unit for which maintenance and spare parts are quickly available in Estonia.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a blast chiller and an ordinary refrigerator?
A refrigerator is designed for storing food that has already been chilled. A blast chiller has a much more powerful refrigeration system and strong airflow that quickly cools hot food to a safe temperature. Putting hot food in an ordinary refrigerator slows down cooling and warms other products.
Do I need a blast chiller or a blast freezer?
If you prepare food in advance for the following days, blast chilling (+3 °C) is often enough, and it is also the more affordable solution. Blast freezing (–18 °C) is needed when food is stored for longer, or when you make pastries or ice cream or run a production kitchen.
How much food fits in a blast chiller?
The capacity of a blast chiller is measured in kilograms per cycle. For example, the Bertos BC5T, which holds 5 GN containers, chills 25 kg and freezes 10 kg of food per cycle. The actual quantity also depends on the depth of the containers and the thickness of the food.
Is automatic defrost necessary?
With a light load, manual defrost is fine, where the cabinet door is left open in the evening. If the unit works under a heavy load with several cycles a day, automatic defrost saves time and keeps the cooling capacity stable.
Ask for a quote
Haktek Seadmed will help you work out what and how much your kitchen needs to chill or freeze, and choose a unit with the right size and control panel. We also handle installation and maintenance.
Ask for a quote – we will help you choose the right blast chiller and take care of installation and maintenance. All products come with a warranty of at least 2 years. Contact us.
Read also: How to choose a combi oven? · How to choose a cooking line? · How to plan a professional kitchen? · How to choose a dishwasher?
Author: Gert Laineste, Haktek Seadmed. Haktek has been selling, installing and maintaining professional kitchen equipment since 1997.
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