Blast chillers are an effective way to cool and freeze produce to extend its shelf life. With quality, freshness and locality all playing an important role in consumer eating habits, investing in a chiller unit could be the next best way to grow your small business.
With this in mind, we look at the improvements and benefits that blast chillers could hold for you.
Journey length and quality
It’s no secret that fresh food has a limited shelf life and when the journey from the field to the consumer’s plate takes time, it can be hard to preserve that ‘just picked’ freshness. After harvest, the taste, texture and nutritional goodness of your produce quickly begins to deteriorate, which is why it’s so important to the preserve the unique quality of food as quickly as possible.
The easiest way to preserve food quality is to stop the process of deterioration in its tracks. Low temperatures minimise the risk of bacterial development in food, which causes the decline in quality. When the temperature of food is brought down quickly, bacterial development is halted more efficiently.
The sooner blast chilling takes place, the higher the quality of your food and that’s something everyone can benefit from.
The importance of blast chilling
Blast chillers allow businesses and traders to store produce at low temperatures to preserve the quality of their freshly acquired goods.
Legally, most frozen goods should be kept at a temperature of -18°C minimum but ideally this should be lower to preserve produce for longer. Without blast chilling, fresh food items might only last a few days in refrigeration but with a chiller, they can be stored for many months whilst still retaining their original freshness and quality.
With food waste becoming an ever growing issue, the ability to blast chill and blast freeze fresh produce could save you thousands of pounds every year.
Preserving local produce
A growing number of consumers are demanding a clearer image of where their food comes from, both at home and whilst dining out. More customers want to experience fresh produce that’s local to them and this means that farmers, fishermen and local restaurants need to consider innovative ways to keep up with demand.
Ireland is famous for its fresh shellfish, salmon and lamb among other produce and blast chilling is the easiest and most effective way to preserve the high quality of these treasured local goods. Meats, poultry, fish and plant products can all benefit from an extended shelf life, making the blast chiller an essential item for any growing business.
Thanks to a surge in demand for accessible cold storage, it’s now easy for local producers, as well as restaurants and pubs, to take advantage of blast chilling. There are a range of smaller, more compact chilling solutions available that are perfect for busy kitchens and warehouses – so why not take advantage of everything blast chilling has to offer?
For more information on blast chillers for restaurants, farmers and local producers get in touch with CRS on 0818 929824. Alternatively, click here to view our range of blast chillers.
