Blast Chilling

Blast chilling rapidly cools cooked food from about 70 degrees Celsius down to 3 degrees Celsius or below within 90 minutes, moving it quickly through the roughly 8 to 68 degree Celsius range in which bacteria multiply fastest so the food is not left to grow dangerous bacterial levels while cooling. It is common in commercial catering and industrial food preparation; a blast chiller resembles a domestic refrigerator but runs at far greater capacity and cost, with UK units in 2013 priced from about 2,000 to 8,000 pounds before tax. European Union food hygiene regulations 852/2004 and 853/2004 require restaurants in member states to use blast chilling.