Food freezing and thawing method and apparatus

Abstract

A method of freezing food for later thawing and use which includes the steps of packing a food product in a container for freezing, cooling the food substantially throughout the bulk thereof to about 10 DEG C. and then cooling the food substantially throughout the bulk thereof preferably from about 10 DEG C. to about -10 DEG C. in approximately 10 minutes to less than approximately 40 minutes.

Description

technical field [0001] The present invention generally relates to systems and methods for freezing and thawing food products. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for freezing food products that minimize damage to the food product, such as staling, that may occur during freezing. The present invention also relates to systems and methods for thawing frozen food products to maximize their flavor. Background technique [0002] In traditional freezing methods, food is cooled from room temperature to freezing temperature within several hours, usually 1 to 3 hours. When freezing foods with high moisture content such as sushi (the well-known combination of cooked rice, raw fish and other toppings) using this traditional method, the food irreversibly loses a large part of its moisture. During conventional freezing, when food is exposed to a certain temperature range for a relatively long period of time, an accelerated aging process occurs, which ...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this method uses traditional freezing techniques, and the process time required to complete the freezing is still very long (2 to 3 hours)

While this method retains water within cells and prevents dripping, such systems are complex, expensive, and have limited capacity

Images