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Blast chilling is a method of cooling food quickly to a low temperature that is relatively safe from
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Blast chilling is a method of cooling food quickly to a low temperature that is relatively safe from bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...
l growth. Bacteria multiply fastest between +8 °C (46 °F) and +68 °C (154 °F). By reducing the temperature of cooked food from +70 °C (158 °F) to +3 °C (37 °F) or below within 90 minutes, the food is rendered safe for storage and later consumption. This method of preserving food is commonly used in food catering
Catering is the business of providing food service at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, hospital, pub, aircraft, cruise ship, park, festival, filming location or film studio.
History of catering
The earliest account of major servi ...
and, recently, in the preparation of 'instant' foods, as it ensures the safety and the quality of the food product.
The blast chiller is a cousin of the refrigerator
A refrigerator, colloquially fridge, is a commercial and home appliance consisting of a thermally insulated compartment and a heat pump (mechanical, electronic or chemical) that transfers heat from its inside to its external environment so th ...
, another appliance designed to store food between +3 °C and +5 °C, but the blast chiller is a higher grade and more expensive appliance and is usually only found in commercial kitchens. As of 2013, in the UK, blast chillers are typically priced from GBP
Sterling (abbreviation: stg; Other spelling styles, such as STG and Stg, are also seen. ISO code: GBP) is the currency of the United Kingdom and nine of its associated territories. The pound ( sign: £) is the main unit of sterling, and ...
2,000 to GBP 8,000 excluding VAT.
Use of blast chillers is prescribed for the restaurants of the European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are located primarily in Europe, Europe. The union has a total area of ...
, e.g. in the regulations 852/2004 or 853/2004.Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 29 April 2004 laying down specific hygiene rules for the hygiene of foodstuffsSee also
*Flash freezing
In physics and chemistry, flash freezing is the process whereby objects are frozen in just a few hours by subjecting them to cryogenic temperatures, or through direct contact with liquid nitrogen at . It is commonly used in the food industry.
Fl ...
* Snap freezing
Snap freezing (or cook-chill or blast freezing) is the process of rapid cooling of a substance for the purpose of preservation. It is widely used in the culinary and scientific industries.
Culinary uses
Cooked meals can be preserved by rapid fr ...
* Food storage
Food storage is a way of decreasing the variability of the food supply in the face of natural, inevitable variability. p.507 It allows food to be eaten for some time (typically weeks to months) after harvest rather than solely immediately. I ...
* Food preservation
Food preservation includes processes that make food more resistant to microorganism growth and slow the oxidation of fats. This slows down the decomposition and rancidification process. Food preservation may also include processes that inhibit ...
* Pumpable ice technology
References
Food preservation Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning {{cooking-stub