Freezing and storing food
Maximum freezing capacity
To ensure that fresh food placed in the
freezer freezes through to the core as
quickly as possible, the maximum freez-
ing capacity must not be exceeded.
The maximum freezing capacity for
freezing within a 24 hour period is
given on the data plate “Freezing ca-
pacity ....kg/24 hrs”.
Storing frozen food
When buying frozen food to store in
your freezer check
– that the packaging is not damaged,
– the use by date,
– the temperature at which the frozen
food is being stored in the shop.
The length of time it can be kept is re-
duced if it has been stored at a tem-
peraure warmer than -18 °C.
Buy frozen food once you have fin-
ished the rest of your shopping and
wrap it in newspaper or use a cool
bag or box to transport it.
Store it in the freezer section as soon
as possible.
Never re-freeze partially or fully de-
frosted food. Consume defrosted
food as soon as possible as it will
lose its nutritional value and spoil if
left for too long. Defrosted food may
only be re-frozen after it has been
cooked.
Home freezing
Only freeze fresh food which is in a
good condition.
Hints on home freezing
– The following types of food
are suit-
able for freezing
:
Fresh meat, poultry, game, fish, ve-
getables, herbs, fresh fruit, dairy pro-
ducts, pastry, leftovers, egg yolks,
egg whites and a range of pre-
cooked meals.
– The following types of food
are not suit-
able for freezing
:
grapes, lettuces, radishes, sour
cream, mayonnaise, eggs in their
shells, onions, whole raw apples and
pears.
– To retain colour, taste and vitamin C,
vegetables should be blanched after
they have been trimmed and
washed. To blanch: bring a large
saucepan of water to the boil, im-
merse the vegetables in the fast boil-
ing water for 2 – 3 minutes, depend-
ing on variety. Remove and cool
quickly in cold water. Drain and
pack ready for freezing.
– Lean meat freezes better than fatty
meat and can be stored for consider-
ably longer.
– To prevent chops, steaks, cutlets or
rolled meat from freezing together in
solid blocks when packed, separate
with a sheet of plastic freezer film.
Freezing and storing food
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