11 Jul Blast Chillers | Learn The Benefits of Using Them
Is your restaurant losing money on food waste? If so, you need a blast chiller.
According to statistics, UK restaurants generate 199,100 tonnes of food waste annually, which amounts to a total estimated cost of £682 million.
Of this, only 34% are customer leftovers. The remaining 66% of food waste happens through prep and spoilage.
They not only help to reduce spoilage, but they can also help your kitchen operate more efficiently and allow your chefs a faster turnaround on certain menu items.
Keep reading to find out the top benefits of having a chill blaster in your commercial kitchen.
Less Spoilage
Like we said above a blast chiller can help your restaurant significantly cut down on food waste. They can rapidly drop the temperature of food. Most models will be able to drop the temp on a food item from 70°C to 3°C in under 90 minutes.
Not only does this cut down on costs related to food spoilage, but it also helps ensure food safety levels stay high, you remain compliant with the FHS, and your restaurant is free from food poisoning incidents.
Great for Pre-cooked Items
Getting temps down fast can be especially invaluable for safely preserving pre-cooked items.
If the temperature is in what’s known as the danger zone (5°C and 60°C), bacteria can double in food within 20 minutes. Blast chilling drastically cuts down on the time bacteria has to multiply in food items in your restaurant kitchen.
Because pre-cooked items have a high temperature to begin with, it can take them a number of hours to fully cool down and chill if you place them in a regular refrigerator. During this time, food-borne bacteria species such as listeria can proliferate.
Blast chillers will quickly reduce the temperature of pre-cooked and prepped items, preserving their freshness and ensuring that bacteria growth can’t set in.
A Blast Chiller Offers Chefs More Speed
Another benefit of having a blast chiller is that it allows chefs more speed, versatility, and room for creativity.
For instance, pastry needs at least half an hour to chill in a regular fridge. With a blast chiller, a chef can cut this time down to a few minutes.
For items that need to set, a blast chiller can allow your kitchen staff to quickly address unexpected shortages on the menu. For instance, if the crème brulées are running low, and the kitchen hadn’t prepped enough in advance, a blast chiller can be the difference between having to tell your customers “sorry, you have to order a different dessert” and your kitchen staff being able to make an emergency batch.
Finally, a blast chiller can also help chefs get more creative. Having a blast chiller for home use is not very common, as they are a specialized piece of commercial kitchen equipment. Because of this, chefs can leverage the blast chiller to create unusual deserts that most people can’t accomplish at home.
Does Your Resturant Kichen Need a Blast Chiller?
A blast chiller is an invaluable equipment item to have in a commercial kitchen, especially a busy one. Not only does it help you reduce food waste and increase food safety levels, but it also increases the speed at which your kitchen can turn out certain types of menu items.
Are you looking for a blast chiller for your UK restaurant? If so, we are the people to speak to. We supply, install, and maintain blast chillers and freezers, and specialize in commercial refrigeration needs.
If you need a blast chiller, but the cost implications are holding you back, we offer flexible leasing options.
Browse our range of blast chillers and freezers today to get started.
