Freezing and storing food
34
Storage time for frozen food
The storage life of food is very variable,
even at a constant temperature of
-18 °C. Decomposition processes also
take place in frozen food, albeit at a
very reduced speed. For example, fat
can become rancid from contact with
oxygen in the air. This is why lean meat
can be stored approx. twice as long as
fatty meat.
The storage times quoted are guide
values for the storage life of different
food groups in the freezer section.
Food group
Storage
time
(months)
Ice cream
2 - 6
Bread, baked goods
2 - 6
Cheese
2 - 4
Fish, oily
1 - 2
Fish, lean
1 - 5
Sausage, ham
1 - 3
Game, pork
1 - 12
Poultry, beef
2 - 10
Vegetables and fruit
6 - 18
Herbs
6 - 10
Where the storage time given on the
packaging differs, follow the advice on
the packaging.
Defrosting frozen food
Frozen food can be defrosted in
different ways:
– in a microwave oven
– in an oven using “Fan Heat” or the
“Defrost” setting
– at room temperature
– in the refrigerator section (the cold
given off by the frozen food helps to
keep the other food cold)
– in a steam oven
Flat pieces
of partially defrosted fish
can be placed directly into a hot frying
pan.
Thicker pieces
of meat and fish (e.g.
minced beef, chicken, fish fillet) should
not come into contact with other food
when defrosting. Collect the defrosting
liquid and then pour it away, making
sure you wash the container it was in,
the sink and your hands.
Fruit
should be defrosted at room
temperature in its packaging, or in a
covered bowl.
Most vegetables
can be cooked while
still frozen. Just put straight into boiling
water or hot fat. The cooking time is
slightly less than that of fresh
vegetables due to changes in the cell
structure.
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.
