AllenOK
Executive Chef
Something else to think about is the sheer mass or bulk of the food item that is being cooled. Foods that have to pass through the "Danger Zone" need to do so in the quickest possible manner. One of the reasons why I use the ice bath in conjunction with the ice stick is that I make a LOT of stock in one batch, around two gallons. The larger "mass" of food that you have, takes longer to cool down. I'm making about the limit of stock that I can safely handle with home equipment. If I were to make more stock than that, I would split it down into two separate pots and chill both of those.
A common thing that is taught to cooks who attend a class at the health department is that all large quantities of food need to be broken down into smaller batches for faster cooling. A 4 gal batch of soup, left in the a stock pot, placed in the walkin-refrigerator, and left unstirred, could take 48 HOURS to cool down.
Surface area is also a big thing. Restaurants use an "ice wand", a commerically-available plastic container that you fill with water, freeze, and stick that into the hot liquid to cool. This container, in cross-section, is X-shaped. This allows more surface area to transfer temperatures.
The idea about using several 1 qt bottles is an excellent one, because it also increases the surface area of the hot liquid that's in contact with the cold surface.
I use a cake rack in my sink to allow water to circulate under the pot, so that the entire bottom and the sides are exposed to the cold liquid.
Restaurants are supposed to slice large roasts into 2" thick slices before cooling, to ensure rapid cool-down.
I try to cool my stock down as rapidly as possible, "just in case". I know that my stock is going to be frozen, and stored frozen until I'm ready to use it, but I'd rather not take any chances. Sometimes, I make so much stock, that I literally cannot freeze it all in one batch, so the stock sits in my fridge for a day or two until I get it all frozen. If I hadn't chilled the stock in an ice-batch, that 24 - 48 hours in the fridge could mean the stock spoils before I freeze it.
A common thing that is taught to cooks who attend a class at the health department is that all large quantities of food need to be broken down into smaller batches for faster cooling. A 4 gal batch of soup, left in the a stock pot, placed in the walkin-refrigerator, and left unstirred, could take 48 HOURS to cool down.
Surface area is also a big thing. Restaurants use an "ice wand", a commerically-available plastic container that you fill with water, freeze, and stick that into the hot liquid to cool. This container, in cross-section, is X-shaped. This allows more surface area to transfer temperatures.
The idea about using several 1 qt bottles is an excellent one, because it also increases the surface area of the hot liquid that's in contact with the cold surface.
I use a cake rack in my sink to allow water to circulate under the pot, so that the entire bottom and the sides are exposed to the cold liquid.
Restaurants are supposed to slice large roasts into 2" thick slices before cooling, to ensure rapid cool-down.
I try to cool my stock down as rapidly as possible, "just in case". I know that my stock is going to be frozen, and stored frozen until I'm ready to use it, but I'd rather not take any chances. Sometimes, I make so much stock, that I literally cannot freeze it all in one batch, so the stock sits in my fridge for a day or two until I get it all frozen. If I hadn't chilled the stock in an ice-batch, that 24 - 48 hours in the fridge could mean the stock spoils before I freeze it.