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 freezing capacity must not be ex- ceeded. The maximum freezing capac- ity 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 temperaure warmer than
^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 as soon as pos- sible.
Never
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, veg- etables, herbs, fresh fruit, dairy prod- ucts, pastry, leftovers, egg yolks, egg whites and a range of
–The following types of food are not suitable 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
–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.
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