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Food storage tips – freezer
Meat, poultry and game
Meat should be frozen quickly in order to maintain its texture.
Do not stuff poultry before freezing.
Always thaw poultry completely before cooking.
Red meat can be cooked from frozen, or from partly or completely thawed
states. Remember to allow extra cooking time if cooking from frozen.
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, odors and
flavors can be readily transferred either to or from it. Seal well.
For best results, cook from either the frozen or partly thawed state.
Vegetables
Most vegetables freeze well, although ‘salad’ vegetables lose their crispness.
Other vegetables, eg celery, onion and tomatoes, should only be used in
cooked dishes as they soften on freezing.
Freeze only good quality, mature, ready-to-eat vegetables.
It is necessary to blanch most raw vegetables prior to freezing.
Blanching is 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 (as they tend to separate on thawing):
Cooked egg white, custards, cream fillings and milk puddings, gelatin or
jelly-like dishes, mayonnaise and similar salad dressings and meringue
toppings.
Fruit
Choose good 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.
