– Do not place hot foods or drinks in
the freezer. This causes already
frozen food to thaw and increases
the energy consumption consider-
ably. Allow hot foods and drinks to
cool down before placing them in
the freezer.
Packing
Freeze food in portions.
Suitable packing material
– plastic freezer film
– freezer bags
– freezer containers
– aluminium foil
Freezer bags may also be sealed
using home heat sealing kits.
Expel as much air as possible from
bags etc. before sealing them to pre-
vent freezer burn on food.
Close the packaging tightly with
– rubber bands
– plastic clips
– string or bag ties
– cold resistant adhesive tape.
Make a note of the contents and the
date of freezing on the packaging.
Unsuitable packing material
– wrapping paper
– grease-proof paper
– cellophane
– dustbin liners
– plastic carrier bags
Placing food in the freezer
Place fresh food into the area that
you have already divided from the
rest of the freezer by means of the
divider, so that it is separated from
food which is already frozen.
When freezing, make sure that food
already frozen does not come into
contact with fresh food being frozen
as this could cause the frozen food
to begin to defrost.
Arrange frozen food in an organised
way in the freezer.
Make sure that the packaging and
containers are dry to prevent them
sticking together when frozen.
Freezer plannner
The freezer planner on the inside of the
lid shows the number of months for
which various foods can be stored ef-
fectively. However, these times should
be regarded only as a guide, as
various factors can affect the storage
time, e.g. the quality of the food, how it
is handled prior to freezing etc.
Defrosting
Frozen food can be defrosted in differ-
ent ways:
– in the microwave oven,
– in the oven using the “Fan” or “De-
frost” setting,
– at room temperature,
– in the fridge.
Freezing and storing food
17
