CHICAGO —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
The FDA Food Code calls for hot foods to be cooled to 41 degrees Fahrenheit or below within six hours before storage. Although it is permissible to chill a pot of stock in a sink full of ice and water if the time and temperature dictates are followed, blast chillers do the task much faster and more precisely without the rigmarole. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
At Sixteen, the flagship restaurant of Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago, a blast chiller and blast freezer are boons to quality and productivity as well as safety, reported executive chef Frank Brunacci. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
“I think the cooling process for food is as important as the cooking process, and not just from the hygienic standpoint,” Brunacci said. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
He cited the “magical” improvement in flavor that occurs when a scratch-made marmalade is refrigerated overnight, or in the case of Sixteen, blast chilled a while. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
“With the blast chiller, your refrigeration time goes from 14 hours to two hours,” the Australian chef said. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
Blast freezers drop the mercury way below freezing if desired. The unit at Sixteen freezes small molded desserts in minutes versus the hours it would take in a conventional freezer, allowing much higher throughput in dessert making. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
“Within an hour you can make five days worth of production,” Brunacci said. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
The blast chiller is “a staple” in the kitchens of 5,000-student Rice University in Houston, dining services director David McDonald said. His department has 12 American Culinary Federation-certified chefs, the majority restaurant veterans, who do about 90 percent of their cooking from scratch. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
At Rice, the chillers are used primarily to ensure the safety and extend the shelf life of soups, sauces and pastas. McDonald said having blast chillers, combi ovens and other advanced technology helps attract and retain restaurant-proven chefs. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
“To get this kind of talent into a kitchen, you’ve got to have this kind of equipment,” he said. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
Although the devices are pricey—McDonald ballparked them at $20,000 to $40,000, depending on size—they’re worth it, in his opinion. —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.
“They’re priceless when it comes to preventing illness,” McDonald said. “We’re serving roughly 6,000 meals per day, and it only takes one to spoil the pot.” —For a growing number of restaurant operators, the blast chiller is a vital tool for swiftly cooling cooked foods below the temperatures at which microbes flourish, helping prevent foodborne illness. However, as rapid-cooling equipment comes into wider use in the industry, some find that it provides additional benefits as well, such as greater productivity in the kitchen and improved flavor and shelf life of food.