Freezing and storing food
Home freezing
Only freeze food that is fresh and in good condition!
Hints for home freezing
–The following types of food are suitable for home freezing: fresh meat, poultry, game, fish, vegetables, herbs, fresh fruit, dairy products, baked goods, leftovers, egg yolks, egg whites and most
–The following types of food are not suitable for freezing:
grapes, lettuce, radishes, sour cream, mayonnaise, eggs in the shell, onions, whole raw apples and pears.
–To retain colour, taste, flavour and vitamin C, vegetables should be blanched prior to freezing. To blanch, immerse small batches of the vegetable in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the vegetable and plunge into cold water to cool quickly. Transfer to a colander and drain.
–Lean meat freezes better than fatty meat and can be stored for considerably longer.
–To prevent chops, cutlets, and steaks from sticking together in solid blocks, separate them with a sheet of plastic film.
–Do not salt or season raw foods or blanched vegetables before freezing. Cooked food may be seasoned lightly before freezing, but
note that the flavour of some spices deteriorates when frozen.
–Do not place very warm or hot foods or beverages in the freezer to prevent already frozen food from thawing and to save energy.
Packing
^Freeze food in portions.
Suitable packing materials:
–plastic film
–freezer bags (polyethylene)
–aluminum foil
–freezer containers.
Unsuitable packing materials:
–packing paper
–parchment paper
–cellophane
–garbage bags
–plastic shopping bags.
^Expel as much air as possible from the package before sealing.
^Close the packaging tightly with
–rubber bands
–plastic clips
–string or bag ties
–freezer tape.
Polyethylene freezer bags can also be sealed with home sealing kits.
^Label the package with the contents and the date of freezing.
31
