Freezing and storing food
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Storage time for frozen food
The storage life of food is very variable,
even at a constant temperature of
-18 °C. Decomposition processes also
take place in frozen food, albeit at a
very reduced speed. For example, fat
can become rancid from contact with
oxygen in the air. This is why lean meat
can be stored approx. twice as long as
fatty meat.
The storage times quoted are guide
values for the storage life of different
food groups in the freezer zone.
Food group
Storage
time
(Months)
Ice cream
2 to 6
Bread, baked goods
2 to 6
Cheese
2 to 4
Fish, oily
1 to 2
Fish, lean
1 to 5
Sausage, ham
1 to 3
Game, pork
1 to 12
Poultry, beef
2 to 10
Vegetables, fruit
6 to 18
Herbs
6 to 10
For standard freezing results, follow the
advice on packaging.
Defrosting frozen goods
Never re-freeze partially or fully
defrosted food. Defrosted food may
only be re-frozen after it has been
cooked.
Frozen goods can be defrosted in
different ways:
– In a microwave oven
– In an oven using “Fan heat” or the
“Defrost” setting
– At room temperature
– In the refrigerator zone (the cold
given off by the frozen food helps to
keep the other food cold)
– In a steam oven
Flat pieces of partially thawed meat
or fish
can be placed directly into a hot
frying pan.
Meat and poultry
(e.g. mince, chicken,
fish fillets) should not come into contact
with other foods while defrosting. Catch
the liquid from defrosting and dispose
of it carefully.
Fruit
should be defrosted at room
temperature in its packaging, or in a
covered bowl.
Most vegetables
can be cooked while
still frozen. Just put straight into boiling
water or hot fat. The cooking time is
slightly less than that of fresh
vegetables due to changes in the cell
structure.
