As you realise by now, here at EJM we specialise in all sorts of refrigeration products and services, and for a variety of industries. On the commercial side of our business, much of our extensive skill set is used on refrigeration and freezing products for the food industry. In this blog, we will look at one of the products we have installed and everything about it! The product is a plate freezer.

What is plate freezing?

Although it sounds like something to do to rapidly cool a dinner plate, plate freezing is much more than that! A lot of the products you will find on your dinner plate would have been frozen in a plate freezer. These are generally used to freeze flat products that are for consumption. Things such as fillets of fish, hamburgers, and even some pastries are the more common products to go into a plate freezer. It’s not just flat products though, irregular shaped food items can also be frozen in blocks in a plate freezer. These include vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and even more delicate vegetables such as spinach and asparagus.

There is a big drive towards having the freshest food and the minimum amount of time it takes to get from the field into the shop. Many times the quickest way of preserving these foods is by freezing – and that is where we can help! Our installations can help ensure that the food that comes out of the field (and sea) comes into our client’s premises and is safely frozen on demand. Our expertise and experience in all things refrigeration can ensure that your food reaches you in the best quality it can.

Why is plate freezing beneficial?

Plate freezing has several benefits when it comes to rapidly freezing food. Generally, plate freezers are very efficient and the temperature is uniform across each of the plate areas, this means food is frozen quickly and for our clients, it means a greater amount of product can be generated in the factory. Because of their design, they are generally also fairly quick to install, also making the general running of them economical.

Are there different types of plate freezers?

There are indeed different types! There are two main types and these are known as horizontal plate freezers and vertical plate freezers. They generally do the same task however slightly differently.

Vertical plate freezers mean that the products can be placed or poured into the vertical sections of plate freezer and following freezing which is a fairly quick process, they can be unloaded as frozen blocks simply and easily and stored ready to be distributed elsewhere. This means the whole process is quite efficient and can be very beneficial for commercial food companies.

How easy are they to maintain?

General maintenance has been taken into consideration in the design of these plate freezers. As you would imagine hygiene is paramount and the ability to be able to clean the system quickly easily and safely is a priority. That is why they have been designed in this way to enable companies to clean the whole system without the need for an outside contractor. Most of the systems are made from specialist stainless steel which is easily cleaned and maintained.

What if we need more maintenance?

Then it’s time to call in the professionals – for example, us! We can come into the premises and our engineers can do routine maintenance on the equipment as well as replace any parts that need renewing. As with all of our maintenance plans and processes, we understand the importance of minimal downtime for yourselves, which is why everything is planned in advance, after all, we know time is money.

Is a plate freezer right for me?

Because we are an independent company we would never sell you something you don’t need and we will always speak to you beforehand to find out your needs and plan any installations of equipment that would benefit both you and your company and your budget. Sometimes you will find that there is another alternative way of achieving the results that you need and we would always advise on this. As you know from above plate freezers can come in two distinct types, vertical and horizontal and it may be that one is a better fit for your company than another, between us, will look at the pros and cons of each.

What do I do next?

The very first stage is to get in touch with us with your project idea or plan. Call us or email us and we will arrange a good time to chat with you, in the safest way, and help develop what you need with our team. We always believe in working together to achieve a good result, after all, we want what’s best for your business as well as ours!