A Traulsen Even-Thaw Defrosting Refrigerator Saves Time & Protects Food

Safely and fully thawing frozen food products is critical for any kitchen that uses pre-cooked items. In addition to protecting food safety, it extends the life of fryer oil and prevents hot oil splatters that could burn workers by eliminating ice crystals from the food. But, proper defrosting of frozen items is a complicated and time-consuming process, a dance that must be carefully choreographed, with every step monitored.

If it’s something you deal with, you know the drill: Order counts are planned well in advance, daily batches must be moved to a refrigerator sometimes days ahead, and each one must be tracked carefully to ensure a full thaw. It’s one of the main consumers of both employee time and refrigerator space, particularly in operations like concession stands and quick service restaurants, where much of the food comes pre-cooked.

To address that, the folks at Traulsen worked to develop a defrosting commercial refrigerator that could essentially take over the process. While their Even-Thaw line still requires separate units for regular cold food and defrosting, it does the work without much effort on your part and in a fraction of the time.

A Defrosting Commercial Refrigerator

Traulsen Even-Thaw commercial refrigerators can defrost up to 1,000 pounds of chicken cutlets at a time, typically in less than a day, while keeping the product in food-safe temperatures. It does that by adding small amounts of heated air to rapidly circulating chilled air. Aided by a sensor that detects both when the thaw cycle should start and the temperature of the food inside, it fully defrosts food faster than a purely cold air refrigerator can.

The small blasts of warmer air being blown over the food along with the chilled air promotes thawing from the outside in, though the temperature inside the cabinet never gets warmer than 41 degrees F. Even-Thaw models have two sections standard.

For best results, food products should be loaded with space between each item and each tray. That allows for maximum surface area for the warming air to touch and plenty of room for air circulation.

Traulsen Reach-in Even-Thaw Refrigerators

Standard Features & Benefits

• Stainless steel interior and exterior are durable, easy to clean, and resistant to corrosion.
• Aluminized steel exterior top, back, and bottom help prevent heat incursion.
• Full- or half-length stainless steel doors, each with a lock, allow customizable access to limit hot air inflow.
• Self-closing doors stay open at 120 degrees to enable easy loading.
• Cam-lift hinges and door handles have lifetime guarantee.
• Standard with 28 No. 1-type tray slides to accommodate up to 1,000 pounds of product.
• Exterior dial thermometer allows for checking at a glance.
• Magnetic door gasket is easily removed for cleaning.
• Non-electric condensate evaporator turns on automatically when needed, sensing product and interior temperatures to prevent unnecessary running of the refrigeration system.

Options & Accessories

• 6-inch or 4-5/8-inch casters instead of standard legs.
• 4.5-inch stainless steel base instead of legs.
• 6-inch stainless steel kick plate to keep items from falling under the unit.
• Stainless steel back with rear louvers.
• Corrosion-resistant plated shelves to fit tray slides.
• Easy-open foot pedal for full-door models.
• Kool Klad laminate décor provides attractive exterior for open kitchens.