Fisher & Paykel E308 Meat, poultry and game, Fish, Vegetables, Prepared and cooked foods, Fruit

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Storing food in your freezer

Meat, poultry and game

■■Do not try to freeze more than 1 kg meat per 25 L freezer capacity.

Meat must be frozen quickly in order to maintain its texture.

■■	Do not stuff poultry before freezing.
■■	Red meat can be cooked from frozen, or from the partly or completely
	thawed states. Remember to allow extra cooking time if cooking from frozen.
■■	Always thaw poultry completely before cooking.

	Fish
■■	Fish is best frozen commercially. If, however, you do want to freeze
	fish at home, make sure the fish is very fresh and of high quality.
■■	Clean, scale and preferably leave whole. All fish should be wrapped in
	two layers of packaging as depending on the type of fish, odours and
	flavours can be readily transferred either to or from it. Seal well.
■■	For best results, cook from either the frozen or partly thawed state.

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Vegetables

■■Most vegetables freeze well, although ‘salad’ vegetables lose their

crispness. Other vegetables, eg celery, onion and tomatoes, should only be used in cooked dished as they soften on freezing.

Freeze only high quality, mature, ready-to-eat vegetables. Sort and discard any that are damaged.

It is necessary to blanch most raw vegetables prior to freezing. Blanching involves a short cooking period during which vegetable enzymes are destroyed. If these enzymes are not destroyed they cause undesirable physical and chemical changes during freezer storage.

■■Vegetables can be blanched in boiling water, steam or in a microwave oven. If using boiling water, boil vegetables for 2 – 4 minutes and cool quickly.

■■In general frozen vegetables are best cooked from their frozen state.

	Prepared and cooked foods
■■	Most cooked foods can be frozen but it is not recommended to freeze
	the following:
	Cooked egg white, custards, cream fillings and milk puddings, gelatine
	or jelly-like dishes, mayonnaise and similar salad dressings, meringue
	toppings. These tend to separate on thawing.
	Fruit
■■	Choose high quality, mature, and ready-to-eat fruit. Preferably select
	varieties recommended for freezing.
■■	Avoid unripe and over-ripe fruit.
■■	The way fruit is packed depends on how it is to be used. Fruits packed in
	syrup are ideal for desserts, whereas fruits packed without sugar are better
	used for cooking. Most fruits can be stored for 8 – 12 months.