Alternative to an Ice Bath- Calcium Chloride, Banker's Club?

jbh212

I figured this question would be appropriate here since there are a lot of science-backgrounded chefs here.

I'm looking for a way to make a cheaper ice bath, I can't get crushed ice without using my blender, which I'd rather spare the work. I'd like a solution that I could pour into a mixing bowl and then put another bowl on or just to dunk bags into freeze faster.

I tried a 5M solution of water and salt (about 290 grams of salt in 1 L of water) which according to my amateurish research would lower it enough to stay liquid in the freezer. It did, but formed a small ice layer on top which could be broken up. The problem was that putting a zip lock bag of frozen chicken in the bath and then removing it to sit in the freezer did result in fast freezing but white salt patches where on the bag when I put it in the refrigerator to defrost, creating a mess. 

My other options I've considered: calcium chloride would lower the freezing point with less salt

Cheap Vodke/Gin, freezes without the salt

My question: Do you know the molarity of a CaCl2 solution that would stay liquid and do you think that this would help the salt crystal problem?

Would cheap alcohol work, do you forsee any problems with this? 

Tim_Sutherland_52834

If your aim is to chill stuff quickly and cheaply (not freeze), I read something somewhere earlier this week that said ice and water is the most efficient and cost effective method.  I'll see if I can find it again.

If I am chilling a SV bagged product for later, I take it out of the (hot) bath and let it rest at room temp for ~5mins; then drop in cold tap water for ~5mins; then drop in a large ice bath with non crushed ice and one or two 2 litre bottles filled with a frozen salt water solution (never calculated the amount but it freezes in a residential deep freezer.)

If your aim is to freeze something quickly use dry ice or liquid nitrogen.