Shock freezing is the process of intensive cooling of various types of products for their long-term storage. Chambers with this method of freezing are widely used in domestic refrigerators. What are they? What refrigerators with shock freezing are, read in this article.
How it all began
For a fairly long period of time, food was stored in simple refrigerators and village cellars. The man dreamed of a grocery paradise. It has been possible since the advent of blast chillers. Its author is Clarence Birdseye, a natural scientist from America. The opening took place at the beginning of the last century. The scientist drew attention to how the inhabitants of Labrador store fish. The fishermen of the island laid out their catch on the ice. The fish froze within minutes. This was facilitated by the arctic wind. When the scientist tried a dish of fish frozen on ice, he was pleasantly surprised. It turned out that the quick-frozen fish retained its taste, aroma and useful properties.properties.
Since that time, scientists began to actively work on the creation of installations for freezing products. They have proven that the quick freezing method is the most effective way to preserve food while preserving vitamins, essential oils, perishable protein and other beneficial properties.
Traditional refrigeration technology
Low-temperature refrigerating chambers, which are familiar to the Russian user, freeze products at temperatures from 18 to 24 degrees below zero. This requires at least two and a half hours. There are three ranges depending on the temperature inside the product.
The task of the first stage is to cool the product, the second - to transform the liquid state into a solid one. There is a rapid release of heat with a slight decrease in temperature. The product begins to freeze, that is, 70% of the liquid crystallizes. At the last stage, it freezes. The temperature decreases in proportion to the work done by the refrigerator.
Shock freeze
In this process, the key role is played by the speed of freezing, that is, the decrease in the temperature environment to 30-30 degrees below zero at a rapid pace. This is ensured by the accelerated movement of the coolant, the role of which is played by air. Its movement occurs due to the ventilation of the evaporator. The product is thus affected by a very strong current of cold air. The freezing process is carried out in threestage:
- First, the product is cooled to three degrees of heat or to zero. There is a crystallization of moisture, which is on the surface of the product. Moreover, the cooling rate is such that many harmful bacteria do not have time to develop.
- Freezing is the process of transition of a product from a liquid phase to a solid one. It occurs when the temperature drops to five degrees. Speed is also important, as during the rapid transformation of the liquid inside the cells into ice, small crystals are obtained that do not allow the structure of the tissue to collapse.
- Freezing occurs when the temperature drops rapidly to the thermometer mark of 18 degrees below zero. The structure of the product is fixed and it is stored for a long time.
If you continue to lower the temperature, there will be unnecessary power consumption and deformation of the frozen product. Therefore, there is no need to continue lowering the temperature.
What foods can be frozen?
Refrigerating equipment with shock freezing chambers prepares products for long-term storage. At the same time, their quality is not lost. Freezing is subject to fish, minced meat, meat, fruits, vegetables, mushrooms and much more.
The equipment allows you to cool finished products: first and second dishes, side dishes, vinaigrettes and salads, bread, desserts, pastries. After several hours of freezing, it can be successfully transferred toa simple freezer, and if necessary, transport it to any place.
What are blast freezers good for?
This freezing technique has its advantages. Using the method of forcing three modes - cooling, freezing and freezing, shock freezing refrigerators preserve the tissue structure in the product, reduce the activity of the environment in which bacteria can develop, different types of which live in unequal temperature zones.
When using slow freezing, the product does not lose the presence of all types of bacteria in it, and shock freezing simply does not allow their development, and many parasites die. The most important advantage is the preservation of the quality of the frozen product. After defrosting and preparing a dish, all useful properties are preserved, the taste and aesthetic appearance remain unchanged.
Sagi Refrigeration Units
This Italian-made equipment, the development of which began in the 80s of the last century, has received worldwide recognition. It has become indispensable in the food industry, catering establishments. The Sagi blast chiller has high performance and low energy consumption.
All production processes are controlled by a computer system. It defines the "smart" properties of the product. The technology does not allow surface freezing, the temperature is evenly distributed over all points of the product. The shock freezing system is suitable for semi-finished products and various dishes. To set it up, there isconvenient control panel.
Sagi freezers come in different models. Some have 5 levels of containers for loading products, others - 10. In 5-level chambers, the body and interior are made of stainless steel. Legs can be adjusted in height. The freezer is easy to clean as it has rounded corners and a hole through which condensation drains.
The fan protection panel opens. The door has a device to automatically stop the system when it is opened, which prevents wasted energy. In addition, the chamber has thick walls, up to 70 mm. They are protected with polyurethane foam. This saves electricity. A household or industrial blast freezer refrigerator works stably at an ambient temperature of up to 32 degrees.
Electrolux Refrigerator
The chamber is designed to quickly cool and freeze food. The Italian-made Electrolux blast freezer refrigerator has various models, one of which is RBF201. The chamber accommodates 12 gastronomic containers. Water is removed by drainage or drained into a container. In this refrigerator model, the freezer evaporator has anti-corrosion protection. All corners are rounded for easy cleaning.
Specifications of Electrolux refrigeration equipment
The chamber is able to cool 64 kilograms of food from 90 to 3 degrees above zero. This requiresonly 90 minutes. In this chamber, you can freeze 56 kilograms of food up to 18 degrees of cold in 240 minutes. There are cooling modes, there are three of them. With the help of soft cooling, the air temperature drops to minus two degrees, strong - to 12 below zero and shock freezing - 35 cold.
In addition, the camera is equipped with a storage mode function. Its inclusion is carried out automatically immediately after the completion of the freezing of the product to 18 degrees below zero. Blast freezers are equipped with a temperature probe that automatically determines the appropriate mode. Using this setting, you can set the temperature for cooling and time yourself. Operation of the equipment is possible in an environment with an air temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.
Cooling and storage of products is carried out with the help of efficient ventilation. The walls are protected with polyurethane foam insulation. The refrigerator of a shock freezing is equipped with air cooling system. The characteristics of the device allow you to place it above the camera itself. Stainless steel is used to finish the body and the inside of the cabinet. Tightness when closing the door is achieved by inserting a magnet.
The refrigerator has a height of 2.3 m, a width of 80 and a depth of 83 and a half cm. The weight of the refrigerator is 235 kilograms. Wall thickness reaches 60 mm.
Use
Today, a refrigerator with shock freezing is very popular. For the home, this type of household appliances isirreplaceable. But, having decided to buy, you should know that in addition to the refrigerator, you will also need a combi oven. It heats up frozen food. Moreover, their original appearance does not change. Instead of this unit, you can use a microwave oven. For the storage of quick-frozen food, the following conditions must be observed:
- It is not allowed to re-freeze the same product.
- The freezer should be defrosted every month.
The blast freezer is a household appliance for permanent use. Its aim is to cool food in a short amount of time while maintaining hygiene, economy and quality.
Blast freezers are widely used in industrial production. Their necessity is caused by the preservation of semi-finished products, which are produced in large volumes. These units are used in the kitchen of sanatoriums, hotels, large and chain restaurants. Catering establishments are no exception, where the throughput is not very large. For any enterprise, it is important that the freezing equipment not only works, but also makes a profit. This is achieved through the cost-effectiveness of using blast chillers.
