Blast Freezers

A blast freezer, or blast chiller, is a specialised cooling appliance that uses an intensive flow of cold air to rapidly reduce the internal temperature of food. Traditional freezing in a refrigerator or freezer chamber can take 4–8 hours for food to cool completely — during this time, bacteria multiply at a dangerous rate. Blast chilling achieves this in 90 minutes or less, significantly reducing microbiological risk. BHS offers blast freezers to HoReCa businesses.

Blast chilling principles and methods

Soft chilling — reducing food temperature from +70°C to +3°C in 90 minutes without freezing. Suitable for delicate products such as creams, desserts and fish. Air temperature in this mode is typically -2°C to -5°C. Hard chilling — faster cooling with lower air temperature, suitable for thick meat pieces or large volumes. Blast freezing — freezing food to -18°C or lower significantly faster than conventional freezers. Preserves smaller ice crystals, meaning better texture retention after thawing. Combined models — appliances that can perform both soft chilling and blast freezing depending on programming. BHS helps you choose the appropriate cycles.

Capacity and GN system

Blast freezer capacity is measured in the number of GN trays or kilograms for simultaneous processing. Small models — 5–10 GN trays or 5–10 kg. Medium capacity — 10–20 GN trays or 15–25 kg. Large models — 20–40 GN trays or 30–50 kg. The capacity of a blast freezer must be adapted to the kitchen’s production volume — an appliance that is too small creates bottlenecks, while one that is too large is expensive. BHS helps calculate the required capacity based on the production schedule and volume.

HACCP and blast chilling

The HACCP standard requires that hot cooked food be cooled from +70°C to +8°C in no more than 2 hours and to +3°C in no more than 4 hours. A blast chiller achieves this in 90 minutes, ensuring compliance with HACCP. The blast chilling cycle must be automatically recorded in the appliance or manually — for HACCP documentation. After blast chilling, food must be stored in a refrigerator or freezer chamber at the appropriate temperature. Blast chilling significantly extends the storage life of food — cooked dishes can be stored for 3–5 days in a refrigerator compared to 1–2 days without blast chilling. BHS helps provide a HACCP-compliant blast freezer solution.

HoReCa use cases

A restaurant with a cook-chill concept prepares food in batches and blast chills it for later service — this allows the chef to work more rhythmically and reduces pressure during peak times. For catering at events with large groups, a blast freezer allows food to be prepared a day in advance, rapidly chilled and stored — on the busy event day, only reheating is needed. A canteen with high throughput uses a blast freezer to quickly chill leftover food from the lunch period, preserving it safely for the evening period. In a patisserie, blast chilling after cake decoration fixes the applied decoration faster.

Frequently asked questions

How quickly does a blast freezer chill food? A standard blast chiller cools a 3 cm-thick layer of food from +70°C to +3°C in 90 minutes. Thicker portions require more time. Freezing to -18°C takes 240 minutes for a typical food volume. BHS provides advice on the cooling time of a specific model based on the type and volume of food.

What are the advantages of a blast freezer over a conventional refrigerator? Speed — 90 minutes vs 4–8 hours. HACCP compliance — a blast freezer guarantees rapid cooling, a conventional refrigerator does not. Product quality — small ice crystals better preserve texture. Storage life — after blast chilling, the product lasts longer. BHS helps calculate the return on investment based on production volume.

Why choose BHS?

BHS – Baltic HoReCa Solutions supplies professional equipment for restaurants, cafés, hotels and canteens: more than 20,000 products from many manufacturers. Our specialists help you choose the right equipment and spare parts for your kitchen or bar.

Delivery

We deliver across the European Union. Delivery time and cost depend on the order volume and destination — contact the BHS team for an exact price and lead time.