Tips for shopping for frozen foods
Your Fridge/Freezer is 4 star
When you are buying frozen food, look at the Storage Guidelines
on the packaging. You will be able to store each item of frozen
food for the period shown against the 4 star rating. This is usually
the period stated as ‘Best Before’, found on the front of the packaging.
Check the Fridge/Freezer temperature
Check the temperature of the frozen food cabinet in the shop
where you buy your frozen foods. It should show a temperature
lower than -18°C.
Choose packs carefully
Make sure the frozen food package is in perfect condition.
Purchase frozen food last
Always buy frozen products last on your shopping trip or visit to
the supermarket.
Keep frozen foods together
Try to keep frozen food together whilst shopping and on the
journey home as this will help to keep the food cooler.
Store food straight away
Don’t buy frozen food unless you can freeze it straight away.
Special insulated bags can be bought from most supermarkets and
hardware shops. These keep frozen food cold for longer.
Thawing frozen food
For some foods, thawing before cooking is unnecessary.
Vegetables and pasta can be added directly to boiling water or
steam cooked. Frozen sauces and soups can be put into a
saucepan and heated gently until thawed.
Freezing fresh foods
Useful tips
Use quality food and handle it as little as possible. Freeze food in
small quantities, it freezes faster, takes less time to thaw and
enables you to eat it in the quantity you need.
Freezing fresh foods
First, estimate the amount of food you will be freezing. If you
are freezing large amounts of fresh food, remember to turn the
control dial up. This will lower the temperature in the Freezer
(approx -28° C), freezing you food quicker and helping to keep
the goodness in. However you should do this sparingly to conserve
energy.
What not to freeze
Bananas, Pomegranates, Pears or Carbonated liquids.
Preparations for freezing
• Leave cooked food to cool completely.
• Chill food in a fridge before freezing if possible.
• Consider how you want to cook the food before freezing it.
• Don’t freeze food in metal containers as you may want to
microwave it straight from the Freezer.
• Use special Freezer bags available from supermarkets, Freezer
film, polythene bags, plastic containers, aluminium foil (heavy
grade only, if in doubt, double wrap). Don’t use aluminium foil
for acidic foods (such as citrus fruits). Don’t use thin cling film
or glass. Don’t use used food containers (unless cleaned
thoroughly first).
• Exclude as much air from the container as possible. You could
buy a special vacuum pump which sucks excessive air out of
the packaging.
• Leave a small amount of ‘air space’ when freezing liquids,
to allow for expansion.
• You can use the space in the Freezer most
efficiently if you freeze liquids (or solids with
liquids, such as stew) in square blocks.
This is known as ‘preforming’. Pour the
liquid into a polythene bag which is
inside a square sided container.
Freeze it like this, then remove it
from the container and seal
the bag.
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