When looking for refrigeration equipment for your business, it's important to pay attention and understand the difference between a freezer and a refrigerator.
The terms freezer and refrigerator may seem synonymous, but they refer to equipment with different functions. To help you make the best choice, we explain the main differences between the two.
Temperature classes for refrigeration equipment
Temperature classes define the internal temperature range that refrigeration equipment maintains to ensure the proper preservation of food. Each class is designed for specific types of products, ensuring that food is preserved in the ideal conditions to maintain quality and food safety.
The most common temperature classes are:
L1, L2, L3: These classes are used for freezing equipment, with temperatures ranging from -15°C to -30°C. They are ideal for preserving frozen foods such as ice cream, frozen meats and other products that require very low temperatures to maintain quality and safety.
M0, M1, M2: These are temperature classes ranging from -1°C to +7°C, suitable for preserving fresh products such as meat, fish, vegetables and other perishable foods that need refrigeration to maintain freshness and extend shelf life.
H1, H2: These classes maintain temperatures between +7°C and +15°C and are suitable for preserving products that are less sensitive to cold, such as cheeses, drinks and fruit. These products don’t need such low temperatures, but still require adequate temperature control to guarantee quality.
Freezing equipment (freezer)
Freezing equipment (Class L) is designed to receive products at room temperature and freeze them quickly. However, for processes that require even more efficiency, there are fast freezers and blast freezers, which allow accelerated freezing while preserving product quality.
Fast freezers are devices that reduce the temperature of food quickly, but without reaching the extreme levels of blast freezers. They are widely used in professional kitchens, bakeries and supermarkets to ensure that products retain their characteristics before long-term storage.
Blast freezers, on the other hand, reach extremely low temperatures in a short time, freezing food quickly and preventing the formation of large ice crystals that can compromise texture and flavour. This process is essential for businesses that deal with perishable products, such as restaurants, bakeries, the food industry and catering services.
FRICON has developed the VCV 7, a blast freezer specialised in freezing eutectics. Eutectics are chemical solutions that store and release thermal energy and are used in refrigeration equipment to maintain constant temperatures during transport or storage, even without continuous electricity.
They are especially useful for businesses that transport food in hot weather conditions, such as ice-cream vendors, Berlin ball distributors and other temperature-sensitive products. For these cases, FRICON offers a range of mobile equipment, developed to guarantee optimum conservation during transport and sale, offering practical and efficient solutions.
Refrigeration equipment (chiller)
Refrigeration equipment (Class M and H) is designed to receive food or drink and keep it fresh. And it’s easy to see the difference with the others, as the temperature of this type of solution varies between 0ºC and 8ºC.
Naturally, consumption is lower than other equipment, as it requires less effort to reach the ideal temperature.
Refrigeration is ideal for keeping food fresh and ready to eat for a short period of time, in order to promote its preservation. Therefore, refrigeration is a process that allows the product to maintain its full condition and increase its useful life.
Multi-temperature equipment
For greater versatility, there is refrigeration equipment that combines different temperature ranges in the same system, making it possible to store frozen and fresh products simultaneously. This equipment is known as:
- Dual Temperature: Most of FRICON’s supermarket equipment is dual temperature, allowing you to switch between freezing and chilling modes, adjusting the temperature as required.
- Two temperatures: It has separate compartments for chilling and freezing, like FRICON’s DUO vertical display case, which allows you to store frozen and fresh drinks simultaneously.
This equipment is ideal for businesses that need flexibility in storing different types of products.
Whether for a business or for home use, the choice between a freezer and a refrigerator is fundamental to ensuring the proper preservation of food. Freezers, with their very low temperatures, are ideal for long-term storage of frozen products, while refrigerators are perfect for keeping fresh food and drinks ready for consumption.
Understanding the differences between these pieces of equipment and their temperature ranges helps to ensure that food is kept in the best possible condition, guaranteeing its quality and extending its shelf life.
FRICON offers high-quality refrigerator and freezer solutions, ideal for meeting the needs of any business.
