Why do you need a Blast Freezer when you make your own ice cream and gelato?

This is one of the most common questions which we’re asked by customers…

The short answer is that you don’t have to, but it’s best to… These are the reasons why…

Product Quality – This is all about ice crystal formation… You’ve spent six months worth of wages on the best batch freezer you can, to make the best possible gelato on the market and once you’ve churned it you ruin it by plonking it in a nasty cheap chest freezer to sag and ice up. The best quality ice cream’s, gelato’s and sorbets all have one thing in common – tiny ice crystals. To achieve this you need a powerful batch freezer, the Frigomat C118 for example, which can freeze the product as quickly as possible. This keeps the ice crystal small and the product smooth. Once it’s frozen and dispensed into your Napoli containers, the product is usually only at -8/9°C which is fine if your going to serve it almost immediately but if your looking to store it for a while you need to drop the temperature as quickly as possible. This is where a BLAST FREEZER comes in.

These machines are designed to drop the temperature of products as quickly as possible, down to temperatures as low as -35°C. Blast freezing your freshly made gelato quickly ‘locks’ everything together and prevents large ice crystals forming in the product, keeping the quality as good as it was when it came out of the batch freezer. Dropping it to -14°C will make it ideal for displaying in your ISA display case, alternatively freeze it to below -20°C for longer term storage. If you just put it in a freezer, the time it takes drop the temperature is much longer which allows the product to sag slightly and lets the ice crystals become quite large which can create an icy texture to your products. Remember, most freezers are designed to store a product which is already frozen, not freeze it down.

ISA Labor

Shelf Life – It needs to be as good in two weeks as it was today! Product quality is always the number one consideration, but shelf life is almost as important as there’s no point making a great product and it going bad or unappetising in too short of a time frame. Dropping the temperature of your ice cream to below -20°C as quickly as possible, locks everything in place and prevents large ice crystals from forming. Once your blast freezer has frozen everything solid, it can then be stored below -20°C (the colder the better, ISA Labor cabinets can store your Napolis well below -21°C) without worrying about product degradation. Remember to always cover your ice cream Napolis when they’re in a storage freezer to prevent them ‘drying’ out.

Make Unique Products – It’s all about making your business stand out from those around you… Having a Blast Freezer will allow you to make a wide range of different items for your shop. The fast freezing process will give you the ability to make items like ice lollies, ice cream sticks and gelato cakes quickly and easily. Without a blast freezer, it can be time consuming and frustrating to make these products as they don’t always freeze quick enough in conventional freezers and they can also take up lots of space. With a blast freezer, you can make items with multiple layers, having the ability to set each one quickly ensuring the finished product end up exactly as you want them to. Items like ice cream sticks can be frozen really hard so they can be safely dipped in chocolate without melting.

Your imagination will be the only thing which slows you down!

Features of ISA’s ZERO Blast Freezers:

• All of ISA’s ZERO blast freezers feature a powerful ventilated refrigeration system with finned evaporators and fans mounted vertically along the entire back wall of the chamber to ensure the maximum airflow and efficiency is achieved.

• There are three different internal rack configurations; standard 1/1 Gastronorm trays, 600 x 400mm ‘Pastry Trays’ or a special rack specifically designed to hold ice cream/gelato Napoli pans (optional extra).

• The internal walls of the blast freezer are finished in bright stainless steel with rounded corners for easy cleaning, maximising hygiene.

• External panels are finished in brushed ‘Scotch Brite’ stainless steel,.

• The door can open to 180 to allow easy access when handling larger items. The automatic close feature ensures the cabinet is never left open unnecessarily.

• Multiple automatic, pre-installed programmes for both blast chilling and blast freezing makes the ZERO range as flexible as possible for all operators. Remember, you can use it to chill more than just ice cream!

• Internal, movable probe ensures products are chilled/frozen to the desired temperature both quickly and evenly.

Call now for more information on 0800 838 896

Do you Love Gelato?

Would you like to make your own Gelato (or ice cream) to sell in your business? Join us for a free introductory demonstration to find out just how easy it can be to start making your own.