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'Flash freezing' refers to the application of supercooling in various kinds of industries whereby objects are quickly frozen by subjecting them to cryogenic temperatures
For example, flash freezing is used in the food industry to quickly freeze perishable food items (see frozen food) In this case water contained inside the food items is subjected to temperatures well below its melting/freezing point (273.15K or 0°C) This causes the water inside the foods to freeze in a very short period of time See supercooling for the further details of this process
A supercooled liquid will stay in a liquid state beyond the normal freezing point when it has less opportunity for nucleation that is if it is pure enough and has a smooth enough container Once initiated it will very rapidly change state into a solid
American inventor Clarence Birdseye developed the quick-freezing process of food preservation in the early 20th century He is considered the father of the frozen-food industry