Freezing and storing food
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Freezing fresh food
Fresh food should be frozen as quickly
as possible. This way the nutritional
value of the food, its vitamin content,
appearance and taste are not impaired.
Food which takes a long time to freeze
will lose more water from its cells,
which then shrink. During the defrosting
process, only some of this water is
reabsorbed by the cells; the rest
collects around the food.
If food is frozen quickly, the cells have
less time to lose moisture, so they
shrink less. As there is not so much
moisture loss, it is easier for the food to
reabsorb it during the defrosting
process, and very little water collects
around the defrosted food.
Storing frozen food
When buying frozen food to store in
your freezer section, 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
reduced if it has been stored at a
temperature warmer than -18 °C.
Buy frozen food once you have
finished the rest of your shopping,
and wrap it in newspaper or use a
cooler bag or cool box to transport it.
Store it in the freezer compartment as
soon as possible.
Never refreeze partially or fully
defrosted food. Consume defrosted
food as soon as possible as it will
spoil if left for too long. Defrosted
food may only be refrozen after it has
been cooked.
