– Do not season fresh foods or blan-
ched vegetables before freezing.
Only season cooked food lightly be-
fore freezing but care should be
taken as the taste of some spices al-
ters when frozen.
– Do not place hot foods or drinks in
the freezer. This causes already
frozen food to thaw and increases
the energy consumption consider-
ably. Allow hot foods and drinks to
cool down before placing them in
the freezer.
Packing
Freeze food in portions.
Suitable packing material
– plastic freezer film
– freezer bags
– freezer containers
– aluminium foil
Freezer bags may also be sealed
using home heat sealing kits.
Expel as much air as possible from
bags etc. before sealing them to pre-
vent freezer burn on food.
Close the packaging tightly with
– rubber bands
– plastic clips
– string or bag ties
– cold resistant adhesive tape.
Make a note of the contents and the
date of freezing on the packaging.
unsuitable packing material
– wrapping paper
– grease-proof paper
– cellophane
– dustbin liners
– plastic carrier bags
Placing in the freezer
Place the food flat in the bottom of
the drawers so that it freezes
through to the core as quickly as
possible.
Make sure that the packaging and
containers are dry to prevent them
sticking together when frozen.
When freezing, make sure that food
already frozen does not come into
contact with fresh food being frozen
as this could cause the frozen food
to begin to defrost.
Defrosting
Frozen food can be defrosted in differ-
ent ways:
– in the microwave oven,
– in the oven using the “Fan” or “De-
frost” setting,
– at room temperature,
– in the fridge.
Fruit
should be defrosted at room tem-
perature in its packing 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 vege-
tables.
Freezing and storing food
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