Ice Cream & Dairy
Refrigeration for gelato shop
Gelato is made in small batches, with less air and usually less fat than ice cream, and it is served warmer and softer. That makes the shop's refrigeration a chain of different temperatures: pasteurised base ageing in a chiller, freshly made batches hardened and held in a freezer, and pans in the display at serving temperature. The batch freezer, blast freezer and display are specialist machines; around them, everyday cabinets do the storage work. In Indian heat, every move between those stages is a chance for the product to soften and refreeze, which shows up as ice crystals and loss of the smooth texture customers pay for.
What the equipment has to cope with
- Gelato is served at a warmer, softer temperature than ice cream, so storage and serving temperatures are further apart and transfers must be gradual.
- Small batches of many flavours mean frequent openings of storage freezers to find and rotate pans.
- Pasteurised bases and fresh ingredients such as fruit, nuts and dairy need chilled storage that is reliable and clean.
- Summer heat and power cuts are hardest on product with low overrun, which has less air to insulate it and softens quickly.
- Space behind the counter is tight, and chillers and freezers must fit around the batch freezer and display.
Typical temperatures
| Pasteurised base during ageing | +2 to +4 °C |
|---|---|
| Fresh fruit, dairy and nut pastes | +2 to +5 °C |
| Finished gelato in storage | −18 to −20 °C |
| Gelato in the serving display | About −11 to −14 °C |
Equipment
What to buy, and why.
A small gelato shop typically pairs its batch freezer and display with a reach-in or undercounter chiller for ageing pasteurised bases and holding fresh ingredients, and hard-top chest freezers for finished pans and tubs. Batches that come out of the batch freezer should be hardened quickly, ideally in a blast freezer, before going into the storage freezer. Pans move from storage to the display after tempering. Keep chillers and freezers out of the heat of the batch freezer's exhaust, and put storage freezers on backup power.
- −18 to −60 °CDeep FreezerHard-top chest freezers that hold hardened gelato pans and tubs at −18 to −20 °C between production and display.Set-up guide
- +2 to +8 °CUndercounter RefrigeratorA counter-height chiller beside the batch freezer for ageing pasteurised base and holding fresh fruit, dairy and nut pastes within reach.Set-up guide
- +2 to +8 °CReach-in RefrigeratorAn upright chiller for larger gelaterias that age bigger quantities of base and keep stocks of milk, cream and fresh fruit.Set-up guide
Questions
- Why is gelato served warmer than ice cream?
- Gelato has less air whipped into it and is usually lower in fat, so at ice cream serving temperatures it would be too hard to serve and too cold to taste fully. Serving around −11 to −14 °C keeps it soft and brings out flavour.
- Can a chest freezer harden fresh gelato?
- A storage chest freezer is designed to hold frozen product, not to freeze it quickly. Fresh gelato hardened slowly forms larger ice crystals. A blast freezer is the right tool for hardening; chest freezers then hold the hardened product.
- How long can gelato base be aged in the chiller?
- Follow your recipe and your food-safety plan. Many producers age pasteurised base for several hours or overnight at about +4 °C, in covered, labelled containers, then churn it. Do not keep base beyond the time your process allows.
Before you buy
All guides- Reach-in vs Undercounter Refrigerator: Which to Choose6 min read
- Commercial Refrigerator Buying Guide (India)9 min read
- Visi Cooler Buying Guide: Size, Glass, Placement6 min read
- Reach-in Freezer Guide for Commercial Kitchens5 min read
- Worktop Refrigerator & Counter Chiller Guide5 min read
- Visi Cooler for Kirana & FMCG Shops: What to Know5 min read
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