For chefs around the world certain kitchen equipment is a
necessity even if it’s not fully understood how it operates. Most chefs
probably couldn’t tell you how their freezers work or how their immersion
circulators keep their accuracy. In the case of ice cream and gelato shops
perhaps the most important yet the least understood piece of equipment is the
batch freezer.
A Batch Freezer
Defined
A batch freezer is a piece of equipment used in the
commercial production of frozen desserts such as gelato, sorbetto, ice cream,
custard and sherbet. In this particular freezer, the ice cream, gelato,
sorbetto, custard or sherbet liquid base is simultaneously frozen and whipped
which in return creates the smooth consistency to which we associate frozen
desserts with. There are four different categories of batch freezers to select
from: regular horizontal, all-in-one combination, open vertical and a
multi-purpose machine that goes beyond gelato and ice cream. Somewhere between
a home ice cream maker and a commercial continuous freezer, the batch freezer is
the perfect option for small business owners. It allows for the production of
varying batch sizes. An at-home ice cream maker can only process a very small
size of liquid base, whereas a typical batch freezer can process up to 24
quarts. A continuous freezer, as its name suggests, has no limit on its
capacity. Another dynamic professional kitchen appliance that many businesses
use and are familiar with, it processes a beaker of frozen base and then
“shaves” extremely fine layers of the frozen product to produce a creamy, very
finely textured frozen dessert.
The question that is asked most about batch freezers is what
is the difference between an air- cooled machine and a water-cooled machine.
The answer is simple; water-cooled machines circulate tap water around the
compressor or condensing unit. An air-cooled machine simply blows air across
the condensing unit. Most would think that water-cooled machines are wasteful
but in most cases they actually use the smallest amount of water possible to do
the job. Air-cooled machines, on the other hand, can fill a small shop’s
production area with hot air making the room quite uncomfortable. In this case
most business owners will then turn the air-conditioning on resulting in a
higher use of electricity. In most cases, whether air-cooled or water-cooled,
modern companies design their machinery to have the exact same efficiency no
matter what the environmental conditions are, so it is really a personal
preference when it comes to choosing one or the other.
How It Works
1. A batch freezer, like any other refrigeration device has
a condensing unit. This is the engine of the batch freezer. The condensing unit
compresses environmentally friendly Freon gas into a cold liquid, and water is
then pumped to the freezing cylinder. The liquid base is then placed in a
barrel that is surrounded by pipes containing the Freon and water solution, which
freezes the barrel from the outside. The barrel itself is generally made from
corrosion resistant material or stainless steel.
2. When in operation, the machine spins a blade inside of
the barrel at a consistent speed. The spinning of the blade whips the mixture
by introducing air bubbles into the base as it freezes, trapping them to create
the finished texture. Generally most batch freezers have an overrun between
30%–35%. There are specific models on the market that actually allow the
controller to compute how much overrun can be introduced into the mix, but they
are considerably more expensive. The faster the blade spins the smaller the air
bubbles which produce smaller ice crystals. This is important to remember
because the smaller the ice crystals, the smoother the finished texture of the
frozen dessert will be.
3. The blade inside of the barrel scrapes the frozen ice
crystals off the wall before they become too big. As the blade spins, it
creates even-sized ice crystals throughout the base which results in the even
freezing of the product. All machines have blades made of a nonreactive
material such as a heavy-duty plastic that allows constant direct contact with
metal without causing an unwanted chemical reaction that could potentially be a
health hazard.
Related Post:
A New Take on Freezer Meals
How is Frozen Custard Different From Other Ice Creams?
Related Post:
A New Take on Freezer Meals
How is Frozen Custard Different From Other Ice Creams?
