UK Catering Forum

We have an Electrolux 300 litre Variomix stirrer boiling pan and to non stirrer boiling pan, all tilting. Due to increased production we are considering fitting some sort of cold water flushing system to one or all of them if possible.

A friend in Newcastle has a flush system in one of his boiling pans to allow him to cool of the produce bfore pouring out. His boiling pan is very old and from an Eastern European company who no longer make them. The system is great and I wondered if they can be fitted retro with the use of a secondary jacket being fitted around the outside?

The other issue is the warranties, which I would imagine would become invalid.

If this is not possible does anyone know of another method for cooler down the produce before removal?

Hi Dave

I'm in a rush this morning but I will try and post you some info on this tonight.

Hi Dave

Your Electrolux 300 litre Variomix boiling pan could have had the option for a flushing system fitted to it upon order. I have spoken to Electrolux and this option cannot be fitted as a retro without replacing the whole boiling pan, which is a major expense.

Regarding the warranty you are correct in saying that it would be invalid if you carried out any alterations to it. This type of engineering job is possible but steeped with potential problems. Firstly the cost will be hiked up if the engineering company are prepared to provide a warranty which covered not only the mod, but any problems it may cause to the existing appliance. The other issue is you would find it very hard to sell it on if you changed the way you carried out your production and no longer required it.

I have no idea of how to cool the produce down in a reasonable time frame prior to removing from the pan. You wouldn't even be able to hose the outside of the pan due to the jacket insulating the product.

My advise is either to sell yours and buy one with a cold water flushing system or look at an addition unit if funds allowed. There are units on the market that use a refrigerated systems to cool the product, but they are not much quicker than flushing with cold mains pressure water. They are also getting into the 'over complex' zone and have additional servicing needs like all refrigeration appliances.

Please keep us updated with what you decide.

Regards

Thanks for the advice which is really helpful.

The problem with this type of equipment is the limited models to choose from. We have also considered the blast chiller option for cooling the food after being removed, which would also help cut down production times.

Thanks again.

HD Catering wrote: We have also considered the blast chiller option for cooling the food after being removed, which would also help cut down production times.

Thanks again.

Dave, blast chillers/freezers are great but can work out a bit on the pricey side if you need them to do the initial cooling on large amounts of product.
Selection of food production equipment is a very difficult thing to get right and often can be down to luck, especially if your portfolio keeps changing. It's a case of weighing up the costs, space to install the equipment and resale options. Personally if I was torn between 2 different pieces of equipment I would first consider which one would be the quickest item to sell on if no longer required. I have been to countless food production sites where they are littered with obscure machinary that is no better than scrap.

Even if you get a blast chiller I still believe the flushing option is the most effective way to reduce the temperature initially and make the product far easier to handle.

Stu wrote:

HD Catering wrote: We have also considered the blast chiller option for cooling the food after being removed, which would also help cut down production times.

Thanks again.

Dave, blast chillers/freezers are great but can work out a bit on the pricey side if you need them to do the initial cooling on large amounts of product.
Selection of food production equipment is a very difficult thing to get right and often can be down to luck, especially if your portfolio keeps changing. It's a case of weighing up the costs, space to install the equipment and resale options. Personally if I was torn between 2 different pieces of equipment I would first consider which one would be the quickest item to sell on if no longer required. I have been to countless food production sites where they are littered with obscure machinary that is no better than scrap.

Even if you get a blast chiller I still believe the flushing option is the most effective way to reduce the temperature initially and make the product far easier to handle.

I'd have to second what Stu has said, and i'd add that blast chillers are not very effective at cooling liquids, in order to reduce the temperatures low enough quick enough you have to place any liquids in them in such a way as to ensure that you have maximum surface area, meaning you either have to use a lot of small containers to blast chill or large trays.