The flash freeze plate is simply a restaurant (or home) appliance that generates a freezer temperature on the top plate of the unit. Most units go from on to flash freeze in 10-15 minutes. Once at freezer temperatures, the unit can remain on for as long as needed. The simple process is to place food items on the surface where they freeze. The gastronomy aspect of this is to use the ingredients and physical shape of the food and freeze it. Layers can be made. Ice cream can be mixed and rolled.
Hazards: none outside of the normal 42-134F temperature danger zone. The fact that these units are designed for “flash” freezing implies that the cooling below 42F will occur quickly. So, like normal non-special processes, the handling of the food before freezing must remain safe. If a chef were to rotate flash freezing between raw foods and ready-to-eat foods, there could be cross-contamination. However, if the items are frozen on parchment, then this is less of a concern.
Controls: Follow standard food code food processing controls: minimize 42-135F to ≤ 2h, and describe your method to prevent cross contamination.
Special Process or not? No, this is not a special process, since controls are all typical for regular food processing at retail. This can be considered another piece of kitchen equipment like a blender.
