Blast Chilling: A Cool Way to Solve Costly Foodservice Challenges

Winter is coming. Seasonal summer ingredients will soon become harder to find, at least at a reasonable cost. 

With food and labor costs rising in general, and business conditions remaining unpredictable, the concerns may be many, but the solutions are also more plentiful and effective than ever. 

This is where new products like the Nuovair Roll-in Blast Chiller, recently introduced in the United States by Welbilt, can make a positive impact.

Blast chilling can be the answer to conquering some common and costly business and operational challenges. The process itself rapidly reduces temperature to counteract the natural deterioration of food, decreases weight loss, and extends storage time.

Unlike more gradual chilling or freezing methods that can actually damage food, Nuovair delivers three times longer shelf life, increases yield and maintains delicious quality, perfectly preserving even delicate foods with state-of-the-art blast chilling and freezing technology.

Here’s a closer look at how blast chilling with Nuovair can help combat financial and operational challenges.

CONTROL HIGH FOOD AND LABOR COSTS

Cut prep time: Nuovair enables weekly bulk prep to be done in advance, eliminating many daily cooking tasks, alleviating scheduling challenges, and reducing labor costs by up to 30%.

Reduce food waste: Blast chilling or freezing with Nuovair keeps food fresh for a long time—as if it had just been prepared—until it can be served. This operational shift cuts down on food waste. 

COMBAT QUALITY AND SAFETY CHALLENGES

Prevent overcooking: Nuovair has the industry’s highest air-flow rate (9m³/hr.) and an electronic expansion valve, which delivers up to 25% faster cooling than a manual valve. This can rescue overcooked food in moments by immediately stopping the cooking process to retain flavor and quality. 

Increase yields:  Most blast chillers require you to cool food 20 to 40 minutes before blast chilling it. This waiting period results in greater evaporation and lower yield since 80% of evaporation occurs within the first 15 minutes of the chilling process. Nuovair chills quickly from high temperatures to stop evaporation in its tracks with the industry’s largest evaporator (10 sq. ft.). This rapid process retains the food’s original size and shape.

Avoid bacterial growth that can cause foodborne illness: With Nuovair, there is no 20 to 40 minute wait time for food to cool prior to blast chilling. Instead, food is chilled from 200°F which minimizes bacterial growth by fast-tracking food right past the temperature danger zone. The result? Safe, higher quality food with a longer shelf life.

Improve food quality: Gradually reducing food temperature to freezing causes macrocrystals to form from the food’s water content and breaks down cell structure, which can result in a mushy finished product. Nuovair’s MICROcrystal technology maintains cell structure throughout the freezing process to ensure frozen food has the same quality and texture as fresh. Chilled foods maintain fresh-like quality for 5 to 6 days, with frozen produce maintaining quality for months.

Welbilt is the exclusive distributor in the United States and Canada of roll-in blast chillers from Nuovair, the Italy-based specialists in high-quality blast chillers. Since a trolley of freshly cooked food can be rolled directly from oven to blast chiller, Nuovair is the perfect companion to Welbilt’s Convotherm 20.20 roll-in combi oven.

To learn more about Welbilt Equipment financing and tax advantages of buying or leasing new equipment, the article Can new equipment lower your tax bill? provides more helpful information and links.

If operational challenges are costing you time and money you can’t afford to waste, contact us. We can provide tailored recommendations to fit your business’s specific needs.