Chest freezers for the Food Industry

Running a restaurant is tied with keeping your promise to your consumers that you can serve anything that’s listed on the menu. You surely don’t want to disappoint your patrons by offering something you can’t serve. Logically, restaurants stock up on their essential ingredients and they use large chest freezer to help them on preserving the quality of their stocks.

A chest freezer is one of the essential equipment for any food business. However, purchasing one is no joke. A chest freezer will usually cost more than other electronic appliances in your kitchen like blender, stove or microwave. The best way to be sure about your investment is to look for qualities that can assure you that your freezer will function properly. Consider these questions:

1. What kind of business do you have? If your main menu consists of beverages and not full meals, then it’s best for you to just go for smaller units of chest freezers instead of large ones. Some food establishments also have a unique claim of not cooking frozen meats. If your business has the same claim then you should still buy a chest freezer but go for a smaller one too because you will only need to store less in the storage.
2. Consider the capacity. If you are just starting up on your business, then a small chest freezer will be more than enough for you. A large one will not help you much if you don’t have to store a lot of things in it. On the other hand, if you are already operating on a large scale, you may already want to upgrade your choice to a larger chest freezer which can store your essential ingredients and more.
3. How much space do you have? The space that you can allot for the equipment should also be considered. The good thing about chest freezers is that it has lesser headroom compared to the upright ones making them even more suitable for areas with low ceilings. However, do not commit the mistake of miscalculating the size of your unit against the size of your space. Imagine a large chest freezer placed in a skimpy room. Doesn’t look appropriate, right?
4. Is the freezer efficient? The main purpose of choosing a chest freezer over upright models is the efficiency that you can utilise for using one. When looking for the best freezer for your business, choose the ones with a good energy rating. 

Chest freezer is the popular choice for the entrepreneurs because aside from being cheaper than the upright ones, chest freezers can hold oddly-shaped items unlike upright ones. However, before purchasing any kind of model, you should consider first the challenge of organising a chest freezer because the main problem that you will encounter when you already have the unit is the organisation of the stocks inside it. But still, there’s no question about the benefits that one can take advantage of with chest freezers. A chest freezer is truly an investment in a business that’s why proper care should be taken with this equipment.

TIPS ON HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CHEST FREEZER

Cleaning a chest freezer may seem challenging, but the truth is it’s not. Having a clean chest freezer is very important, not only for sanitation purposes, but most importantly for our health. Cleaning a chest freezer may require a little hard work, as compared to cleaning an upright one, because of its shape and structure. To help you clean your chest freezer better and effectively, here are some tips that you may find helpful.

Remove all contents. The first step in cleaning a chest freezer, or any freezer for that matter, is by removing all its contents and transferring them into another freezer, or into a cooler that is filled with ice. This is to ensure that your food will not spoil.

Turn off the freezer and unplug it. In order to thoroughly clean a freezer, you need to first switch it off and unplug it, to eliminate the possibility of electrocution. Once unplug, you can start cleaning it from inside out.

Remove excess ice and water. If there are chunks of ice inside the chest freezer, you can either wait for them to melt, or you can choose to remove them manually for a faster cleaning process. For excess water, you can use a sponge for better absorption. If you have a small chest freezer, it may be possible to tip the unit to remove the excess water, especially if a sponge is not enough. 

Use warm water and soap. Remember to wash the inside of the freezer thoroughly. Remove all food stains and other marks that may cause food contamination or other diseases. Take note that you also have to clean the inside of the lid. To do this, you can use a toothbrush to remove dirt from hard to reach spaces.

Wipe it dry. After washing the chest freezer, you have to ensure that it is completely dry before you replace all its content. Once this is done, you can plug it back and switch it on to its normal temperature. Close the lid securely.

When is the best time to clean a chest freezer?  

The most opportune time to clean a chest freezer is when there is not much content or stock inside. It is best to schedule a cleaning before you do your next grocery, so once you’re ready to store your goods, then your chest freezer is spotlessly clean.

Medical Chest Freezers at Cheestfreezers.co.uk

In the medical industry, everything has to be right because even the smallest error can have a big impact on someone’s health. When it comes to handling vaccines, medicines and other aids that can be used to improve one’s health status, storage should always be considered. Vaccines, for one, work only when they are viable. The viability of a vaccine only works when it is intact, undamaged or uncontaminated. Hence, it is very critical to keep the vaccine’s temperature without using a storage that can provide just the right amount of temperature. This is why hospitals use chest freezers as storage for their vaccines, medicines and other medical supplies.

WHAT DO MEDICAL CHEST FREEZERS DO?

Medical chest freezers are different from the normal chest freezers that we have at home because they provide unique features that should meet the requirements of any hospital or medical facility. Medical chest freezers:

1. Remove air prior to pressurization. Medical chest freezers can also sterilize medical equipment or other supplies by putting them under high pressure.
2. Deactivates bacteria. Some presence of bacteria, viruses, fungi and spores get eliminated through the coldness that medical chest freezers produce.
3. Provides uniformed temperature. Calculated temperature is a vital for any vaccine, medicine or medical supply to be effective. Extracted blood should also be kept in a uniformed temperature.
4. Protects certain medicines and vaccines from light. Chest freezers are the best storage material to use when you need to protect medical supplies from sunlight. With its composition, it is almost impossible for light to get through the storage.

Chest freezers are designed to cater to the requirement of hospitals and other pharmaceutical laboratories to preserve the affectivity of any vaccine, medicine or other medical supplies.

MEDICAL CHEST FREEZERS AT CHESTFREEZERS.CO.UK.

At Chestfreezers, we understand that medical chest freezers are important storage for hospitals that is why we only offer the best. Our medical chest freezers have operational features that are appropriate for hospital use. Furthermore, our medical chest freezer can be set to a certain degree to maintain the right temperature needed for medicines and vaccines to preserve their affectivity. Our products are also capable of storing other medical products for research applications and are not just confined to storing vaccines and medicines.

For more information about our medical chest freezers and other types of chest freezers, you can visit our website or contact us through phone at 0845 873 4007. You can also send your enquiries directly through our email and get an expert advice from us!

Going Green, Going Good!

One of the busiest places in our home is the kitchen. Perhaps, the kitchen is even the place that we should consider as the heart of our home -- this is the place where we share stories to our families, this is the place where we make good recipes and this is the place where good foods are served. For some, their room is not as important as the kitchen. That is why the kitchen must always be warm and inviting. If you are one of those people, then you should rethink of your kitchen. Go and renovate your favourite place and make it a “Green Kitchen.”

With the people getting more and more obsessed with contributing to the environment’s beautification and purification, we should reconsider that the kitchen is probably the place in our home where energy is most consumed. This is the place where the oven, stove, microwave, refrigerator and other appliances sit. One of the appliances mentioned is the refrigerator. It’s no secret to us that refrigerators take most of the percentage in our energy usage. So if you want to be green, you should invest in a good freezer.

INVESTING IN A GOOD FREEZER

We all know that choosing a chest freezer over an upright one will not only save you money today but also in the next generations. A chest freezer is probably 10x more cost-efficient than an upright one because of many reasons. But for us to pick out the best chest freezer, we should look for the following things:

1. Compact storage. Generally, the rule is, the smaller the appliances, the smaller energy it will use up. Choosing a more compact storage chest freezer will cut dramatically cut your expenses for your electricity.
2. Energy-star Qualification. Most people don’t know what the Energy Star rating is for is. An appliance that has an energy star rating stuck on it means that the appliance is energy-efficient. If you care for your budget as much as you care for the environment, choosing an Energy Star appliance will do you wonders.

There is no question that a chest freezer will help you store more foods while cutting your energy usage. However, choosing for the best one will double your savings and advantage.

VESTFROST SE255 8.8 CUFT CHEST FREEZER

One of the best sellers that we have is the Vestfrost Chest Freezer. Having said the two qualifications for investing in a good freezer, it is obvious why this freezer caught the attention of many:

Energy Consumption Per 24hrs: 0.524kWh
Energy Rating: A++
Total Net Capacity: 8.6CUFT/244Litres
External Dimensions: W1260xD650xH850

Internal Dimensions: W1060xD400xH610mm

Without a doubt, these specifications of the Vestfrost SE255 8.8 Cuft Chest freezer made the unit the most cost-efficient chest freezer that we have on hand.

The kitchen is the pride of the household. And it’s even more amazing at how light you’ll feel after knowing that you have a good freezer that contributes to the salvation of the environment.

Go green with our other products. Tweet us about your energy-saving tips while learning a lot more of our products and services or simply contact us on info@chestfreezers.co.uk if you want to inquire about our products.

Can I Freeze These?

Freezing foods really help us a lot not only in saving time but also in preserving food quality beyond its normal shelf life. Having a spacious chest freezer makes us feel that we can stock up on anything that’s on sale in the supermarket and use them later when we need it. However, we must remember that unfortunately, not all foods can be frozen successfully. There are certain types of foods that undergo changes in texture when frozen. It is true that most foods can be frozen but not all foods have the same freezer life and some dishes will not freeze well as the others.

THE FOLLOWING SHOULD STAY OUT OF THE FREEZER:

1. Eggs in their shell. Eggs may not be able to withstand the temperature of the freezer and may cause its water content to expand. This will lead to cracking of it shell that may cause any type of bacteria to come in. Eggs can pose a serious health threat if frozen.
2. Certain vegetables. Celery, lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, marrows, radishes, watercress, etc -- or basically fresh and water-rich vegetables. These vegetables are water-based and they freeze easily. However, they form ice crystals that melt during thawing. After thawing, these vegetables become soggy and limp; the crispness will not be present in them anymore. However, if you really need to freeze these vegetables, it is advised to blanche the vegetables first. Unblanched veggies that are stored directly in the freezer will lose their crispness and fresh flavour. Veggies that lost their crispness can still be cooked for soups.
3. Cheese. Soft kinds of cheese such as cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and cream cheese will lose their fluffy texture when the water in them returns to room temperature. On the other hand, hard types of cheese will turn crumbly. Crumbly cheese is okay for grating, though. But not for slicing.
4. Food emulsions. Food emulsions are usually a mixture of two or more type of liquids. The best examples of this are mayonnaise and cream. Emulsified foods may develop large ice crystals that puncture the cell walls when frozen.
5. Egg-based sauces. Egg itself cannot be frozen so it’s very logical that egg-based sauces cannot be frozen as well. Mayonnaise and hollandaise tend to separate during the freezing and thawing processes. The separation results to a product that looks a little weird for cooking.
6. Fillings. The best examples of fillings are cream and custards. Leftover fillings don’t freeze well. The fillings tend to look watery and weepy when thawed which can ruin the looks and consistency of a perfectly good recipe.
7. Potatoes. Potatoes when frozen look mushy. This is good though, but what’s not good is that the appearance of the potato changes. Potatoes darken when frozen. Furthermore, mashed and boiled potatoes seem to turn runny after being thawed while cubed potatoes become grainy in texture.

Freezing works because it slows down the presence of enzymes and other microorganisms that causes the foods to decay. However, we should always remember that not all foods can be frozen. The goal to make preparation easier while keeping goods safe should always be in the top of our priority list.

Cut your Costs with Chest Freezers

Yes, it is a sure known fact that your freezer is helping you to save bucks in food costs; Apart from decreasing your frequent trips to the grocery, freezers also help you stock up on your favourite food items and eat them whenever you feel like munching on them.

Be that as it may, your freezer is helping you to save in food costs but improper use of it can cause you to spend more in your electricity bill because of a lot of wasted energy. A lot of wasted energy will equate to high electricity bill, to put it simply. What we don’t know or realize is that we are not actually cutting the cost of our household expenditures, we are doing the opposite – we are doing a lot of things that causes our electricity bill to rise.

To make sure that you are on the proper path to cutting your cost, make sure that you are doing the following to your freezer:

1. Check the temperature – Using a thermometer, check the temperature of the freezer. Make sure that the thermometer that you are using is the one really intended for checking the temperature of freezers; you wouldn’t want to break an ordinary thermometer for it has mercury content which is harmful to the body if ingested. Going back, make sure that the temperature of your thermometer is close to 0°F. The closer the degrees to 0°F, the better. This can also be converted to Celsius which is -18°C. Foods that are kept at 0°F tend to last for months longer than foods stocked up on 20°F or higher.

2. Remove the air inside the fridge – The air that’s trapped inside freezers cause freezer burn. In order to avoid this, make sure that you have selected the proper containers for the items inside your fridge. Checking that your items are packed tightly can reduce the chance of having air inside the fridge. Besides freezer burns, the air that’s trapped inside your freezer can produce unusual smells. Nobody wants this – use baking soda to clean your freezer and expect the smell to be gone. Additionally, do not forget to check your gasket once in a while. A gasket is the rubber door seal of your freezer. It keeps the cool air trapped inside the fridge and the warm air outside it. A worn gasket requires your freezer to use more energy to do its job.

3. Fill your freezer – For you to be able to keep the temperature of your freezer to 0°F, you must fill your freezer with items and leave no space. It will be a lot easier to maintain the temperature of your freezer by keeping it jam packed instead of leaving a lot of room space. However, as mentioned above, try to pack your items as tightly as you can, leaving no air inside the containers. If you find yourself thinking of how you can fill the spaces of your freezer, you may opt to fill square-shaped water containers with liquids. Rectangular or square shaped containers are easier to stack instead of the rounded ones.

4. List the items inside your freezer and post the note on the freezer door – May it be upright or chest, your freezer will most likely generate higher energy whenever it is opened. To avoid standing in front of your fridge for a long time in search for the food that you need, it’s better to make a list of all the items that you have inside your fridge and just tick off the products that you have already used.

Before buying a freezer, it is important to study your family’s habits. If your family is more into stocking up foods, then you might want to consider getting a freezer that can hold more foods. A chest freezer, for instance is a great storage for a lot of foods. To help you decide whether a chest freezer is good for you, here are additional tips that you can consider before buying one:

• The cost of your electricity bill is related to the style of freezer that you have. Apparently, chest freezers are known to be more cost-effective compared to upright freezers. Chest freezers keep its temperature cold when opened. Upright freezers, on the other hand, get hit with a blast of warm air every time you open it, causing your fridge to double its effort to maintain its temperature. Doubling the effort to maintain the temperature of the storage equates to higher electricity bill.

• Wasted energy can be accumulated to the way you stock your foods and maintain it. When it comes to room space, chest freezers are definitely the best ones to choose for it provides larger space for your foods. Check this blog post to know more about proper stocking for chest freezers.

• Freezers that are frequently defrosted cause your electricity bill to go up. Apparently, chest freezers are usually made for manual defrosting. Defrost a chest freezer once every 6 months or once every 12 months and then it’s already good to go.

Make your freezer work by following the instructions written above and make sure that you are really cutting your household cost!