Freezing and storing food
Home freezing
Only freeze fresh food which is in a good condition.
Hints on home freezing
–The following types of food are suitable for freezing:
Fresh meat, poultry, game, fish, vegetables, herbs, fresh fruit, dairy products, pastry, leftovers, egg yolks, egg whites and a range of
–The following types of food are not suitable for freezing:
Grapes, lettuce, 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, immerse the vegetables in the fast boiling water for
–Lean meat freezes better than fatty meat, and can be stored for considerably 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.
–Do not season fresh foods or blanched vegetables before freezing. Only season cooked food
lightly before freezing, but care should be taken as the taste of some spices alters when frozen.
–Do not place hot foods or drinks in the freezer. This causes already frozen food to thaw, and increases the energy consumption considerably. Allow hot foods and drinks to cool down before placing them in the freezer.
Packing
^Freeze food in portions.
Unsuitable packing material
-wrapping paper
-
-cellophane
-bin bags
-plastic carrier bags
Suitable packing material
-plastic freezer film
-freezer bags
-aluminium foil
-freezer containers
^Expel as much air as possible from bags etc. before sealing them, to prevent
^Close the packaging tightly with
-rubber bands
-plastic clips
-string or bag ties
-freezer tape.
Freezer bags may also be sealed using home heat sealing kits.
^Make a note of the contents and the date of freezing on the packaging.
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