With fuel costs rising relentlessly, it is important to make savings where you can, and as a business owner, one of the ways you can do this is by opting for energy saving commercial refrigerators and freezers.
If you own a food related business, the cost of continuously powering refrigeration units and freezers for hygiene and operational reasons, add up and all this goes a long way to increasing your overheads. However, you can make savings by investing in energy efficient commercial fridges and freezers, such as Porkka’s Future Plus Cabinets, which will significantly reduce your running costs.
Future and Future Plus chiller and freezer cabinets have been granted the seal of approval by the UK Carbon Trust Agency for their energy saving capabilities – as they run on more than a third less energy in comparison to other similar products. As a result, a company that invests in a Future or Future Plus single door unit will be rewarded with tax incentives. This is because both units are eligible for the UK government’s Enhanced Capital Allowance (ECA) Scheme, a system designed to promote environmental awareness by encouraging companies to buy energy saving equipment.
While some businesses may be drawn into buying second hand commercial refrigerators to save cash, this is likely to be counter-productive in the long run as it amounts to higher running costs, and the unit may require repairs or replacement in the near future. Instead, Porkka’s Future and Future Plus cabinets are seen as a smarter purchase as they benefit from low running costs, demonstrating that buying new can save money in the long run!
Commercial Refrigerators – Click the link for more information.
The Cost of Running a Commercial Refrigerator
While the average yearly cost of running a new or ‘older style’ commercial refrigeration unit will vary – depending on a variety of factors including the age of the unit, size and frequency of use – Future and Future Plus cabinets bring significant savings. Future Plus chillers, for example, are proven to consume 35 per cent less energy when compared to competitors’ products. They are more efficient too – almost 150 per cent more efficient per 100 kg load – which is why they are such a popular purchase for a number of organisations including the commercial food industry.
Porkka’s Approach to Energy Efficiency
Porkka believe in being market leaders in commercial refrigeration equipment and our products benefit from various design innovations that help make the Future Plus range especially efficient.
These include the following:
Hot gas defrost system which runs automatically – The build up of frost in a refrigeration unit can drastically reduce its performance and in the long run can block air flow. Porkka's automatic hot gas defrost system saves energy and makes the refrigeration unit more efficient and economical to run.
Low energy condensers and evaporator fan motors – These turn off automatically as soon as the door opens to prevent the loss of cold air, which again goes a long way in improving the overall performance of your refrigerator.
Highly efficient cooling system – This feature is unique to the Future Plus series; it helps keep running costs down as these cabinets use a quarter less energy than our Future cabinets. The system works by drawing cooler air from the bottom of the unit, which reduces the amount of cooling required by the compressor. As well as minimising running costs, this helps to extend the life of the compressor unit, so it means lower replacement costs over time and will ultimately increase the lifespan of the unit.
Energy Efficient Commercial Refrigerators Can Be Offset Against Tax
Buying new and unused energy efficient commercial refrigerators or freezers can be written off against tax, providing that the equipment qualifies under the UK ECA Scheme – and the good news is that Porkka’s Future and Future Plus single door units do!
This tax incentive was launched in 2001 to encourage companies to put their money into energy saving equipment. It is open to all businesses, of any size, paying UK corporation or income tax.
The scheme allows for 100 per cent first year capital allowances on money spent on energy-saving equipment (such as Porkka’s Future and Future Plus units) against taxable profits of the period of investment, and is an added incentive to invest in our Future and Future Plus commercial refrigerators!
Future Plus Chiller Units – Click here to find out more about our energy saving commercial fridges and freezers.
Friday 31 January 2014
Tuesday 28 January 2014
Reach-In Blast Chillers and Blast Freezers – Essential Kit for MasterChefs Everywhere
The recent series of hit TV show 'MasterChef: The Professionals' showed contestants using a wide array of modern cooking equipment, including water baths, temperature probes, blast chillers and blast freezers. This demonstrated how such gadgets have become essential kit in professional kitchens, including high-end, traditional fine dining establishments.
If a name like Michel Roux accepts the use of this type of equipment, then it shows that blast chillers and freezers must be adding significant value to the end results. It is plain to see that using these items is not just about high-volume production of cook-chill ready meals on an industrial scale - it is also about preserving quality and flavour, as well as achieving precise, consistent results.
Blast Freezers – Click the link for more information.
Uses for Blast Chillers and Freezers in the Modern Professional Kitchen
Enabling Creativity: Many top chefs know that equipment such as blast freezers and chillers can be used to achieve special effects fast. This applies when working with cold desserts such as ice cream, parfaits, granitas, sorbets and other puddings, as well as preparations which need to "set" in the fridge, such as panna cottas, jellies and blancmanges.
Because these desserts can be set so swiftly, in a matter of minutes rather than hours, it is much easier to create elaborate layered masterpieces, built from flavoured creams and panna cotta together with ice cream. If you are just relying on a normal fridge, this type of culinary creation will take a very long time to finish, as you will have to wait for each layer to set... but, with modern equipment, you can let your imagination run free.
Putting You In Control: With some types of dish, it is important to avoid the creation of macro-crystals, which are formed during very slow freezing and can affect the flavour. Fortunately, Porkka's innovative designs allow you to vary the speed of chilling, with up to eight different programs available to suit different types of food, so that operators can consider their requirements for both taste and speed. Chilling fans help to optimise the results still further.
This state-of-the-art equipment means you can blast freeze even foods with delicate flavours, such as soft fruit and fresh meat, in the knowledge that they will still taste good when they are defrosted to use in your recipes. Japanese chefs have long used blast freezers to preserve fish for sushi dishes, keeping the flavour almost identical to that of freshly-caught fish. When thawed and reheated, pasta dishes which have been blast frozen will also taste as if they had been freshly cooked.
To achieve optimum effects, it is also important to have enough space to chill or freeze the required amount of food. So it is good to know that Porkka's blast freezers and chillers come in a range of sizes to suit different kitchens. Even the smallest models in the range are capable of high productivity, because the short chilling and freezing times mean they can cope with large quantities over a time period.
Saving Time and Ensuring Hygiene: By using blast chillers, it is possible to chill foodstuffs down to a safe temperature quickly, before “bringing back" these items later for the next stage of cooking. This is especially important for larger restaurants which need to do as much preparation of ingredients as possible beforehand, but still want to serve freshly prepared meals.
Being able to chill food quickly is also a help in terms of hygiene and reducing waste, which are top considerations in any commercial kitchen. Food can be taken directly from the oven or hob and chilled quickly, with no waiting around for it to reach an acceptable temperature to be put into a standard fridge. Fast chilling of wine and champagne is yet another advantage of using this type of equipment, as you will no longer have to keep so many different bottles on ice just in case they are required.
Guaranteeing Consistency: Putting food into a conventional fridge to cool down means regular interruptions as the door is opened for other purposes, so you can't guarantee temperature levels. A quality fine dining experience requires precision in temperature and timings – and blast chilling can deliver both, leading to higher quality and less waste. This process can also retain flavours, and ensure that delicate dishes which need to be cooled and served on another day still taste just as good as if they had been eaten when freshly prepared. All in all, using blast freezers and chillers is a great way to achieve professional quality results with less time and effort.
About Porkka
Porkka supply a wide range of top quality blast chillers and freezers, with all the latest features that professional kitchens require. Our models meet all Codex and DHSS standards – and you can rely on them to give the performance you want.
Blast Chillers – Follow the link to browse our product range.
If a name like Michel Roux accepts the use of this type of equipment, then it shows that blast chillers and freezers must be adding significant value to the end results. It is plain to see that using these items is not just about high-volume production of cook-chill ready meals on an industrial scale - it is also about preserving quality and flavour, as well as achieving precise, consistent results.
Blast Freezers – Click the link for more information.
Uses for Blast Chillers and Freezers in the Modern Professional Kitchen
Enabling Creativity: Many top chefs know that equipment such as blast freezers and chillers can be used to achieve special effects fast. This applies when working with cold desserts such as ice cream, parfaits, granitas, sorbets and other puddings, as well as preparations which need to "set" in the fridge, such as panna cottas, jellies and blancmanges.
Because these desserts can be set so swiftly, in a matter of minutes rather than hours, it is much easier to create elaborate layered masterpieces, built from flavoured creams and panna cotta together with ice cream. If you are just relying on a normal fridge, this type of culinary creation will take a very long time to finish, as you will have to wait for each layer to set... but, with modern equipment, you can let your imagination run free.
Putting You In Control: With some types of dish, it is important to avoid the creation of macro-crystals, which are formed during very slow freezing and can affect the flavour. Fortunately, Porkka's innovative designs allow you to vary the speed of chilling, with up to eight different programs available to suit different types of food, so that operators can consider their requirements for both taste and speed. Chilling fans help to optimise the results still further.
This state-of-the-art equipment means you can blast freeze even foods with delicate flavours, such as soft fruit and fresh meat, in the knowledge that they will still taste good when they are defrosted to use in your recipes. Japanese chefs have long used blast freezers to preserve fish for sushi dishes, keeping the flavour almost identical to that of freshly-caught fish. When thawed and reheated, pasta dishes which have been blast frozen will also taste as if they had been freshly cooked.
To achieve optimum effects, it is also important to have enough space to chill or freeze the required amount of food. So it is good to know that Porkka's blast freezers and chillers come in a range of sizes to suit different kitchens. Even the smallest models in the range are capable of high productivity, because the short chilling and freezing times mean they can cope with large quantities over a time period.
Saving Time and Ensuring Hygiene: By using blast chillers, it is possible to chill foodstuffs down to a safe temperature quickly, before “bringing back" these items later for the next stage of cooking. This is especially important for larger restaurants which need to do as much preparation of ingredients as possible beforehand, but still want to serve freshly prepared meals.
Being able to chill food quickly is also a help in terms of hygiene and reducing waste, which are top considerations in any commercial kitchen. Food can be taken directly from the oven or hob and chilled quickly, with no waiting around for it to reach an acceptable temperature to be put into a standard fridge. Fast chilling of wine and champagne is yet another advantage of using this type of equipment, as you will no longer have to keep so many different bottles on ice just in case they are required.
Guaranteeing Consistency: Putting food into a conventional fridge to cool down means regular interruptions as the door is opened for other purposes, so you can't guarantee temperature levels. A quality fine dining experience requires precision in temperature and timings – and blast chilling can deliver both, leading to higher quality and less waste. This process can also retain flavours, and ensure that delicate dishes which need to be cooled and served on another day still taste just as good as if they had been eaten when freshly prepared. All in all, using blast freezers and chillers is a great way to achieve professional quality results with less time and effort.
About Porkka
Porkka supply a wide range of top quality blast chillers and freezers, with all the latest features that professional kitchens require. Our models meet all Codex and DHSS standards – and you can rely on them to give the performance you want.
Blast Chillers – Follow the link to browse our product range.
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