Modern Gelato & Pastry: Batch Freezers, How They Work

Modern Gelato & Pastry: Batch Freezers, How They Work

Chefs around the world cannot make their sophisticated desserts without certain catering equipment that have become a necessity in modern hospitality. Batch freezers are essential for the production of some particular desserts that require accurate processes and great precision in the setting of different temperatures, especially when making Gelato and chocolate.

A batch freezer is specific equipment used in the production of frozen and cold desserts such as Gelato, Ice Cream, mousse, Sorbetto, Granita, custard and more. In this particular freezer, dessert liquid base is simultaneously frozen and whipped. This is the process that gives the smooth consistency to which we associate frozen desserts with. The batch freezer, and especially its bench-top version, is the perfect option for small shops, cafés and pastry shops. It allows for the production of varying batch sizes.

The question that is asked most about batch freezers is what’s 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. Some of our Staff Ice System batch freezers offer both possibilities with water and air cooling system and equipped with energy saving technology.

How they work

• 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%. The Staff Ice System Batch Freezers come with INVERTER TECHNOLOGY designed in collaboration with TOSHIBA. This control unit allows the operator to set the density at his convenience and to modify the overrun. It means that you can produce Gelato and frozen desserts from the same mixture with different overrun.
• The faster the blade spins the smaller the air bubbles will be and so the ice crystals.  This is important to remember because the smaller the ice crystals, the smoother the finished texture of the frozen dessert will be.
• 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.

If you are planning on buying a batch freezer please contact us to submit your question or SUBSCRIBE to one of our FREE TRAINING EVENT!