Freezing and storing food
44
Home freezing
Only freeze fresh food which is in a
good condition.
Hints on home freezing
– The following types of food
are suit-
able
for freezing:
Fresh meat, poultry, game, fish, ve-
getables, herbs, fresh fruit, dairy
products, cakes, leftovers, egg yolks,
egg whites and a range of pre-
cooked meals.
– The following types of food
are not
suitable
for freezing:
Grapes, lettuce, radishes, soured
cream, mayonnaise, eggs in their
shells, onions, whole raw apples and
pears.
– To retain colour, taste, aroma and vit-
amin C, vegetables should be
blanched before they are frozen. To
do so place them portion by portion
into boiling water for 2–3 minutes.
Remove, and plunge into ice-cold
water to cool quickly. Drain and pack
ready for freezing.
– Lean meat freezes better than fatty
meat, and can be stored for consid-
erably longer.
– Separate chops, steaks, cutlets etc.
with a sheet of plastic freezer film.
This prevents them from freezing to-
gether in a block.
– Do not salt or season raw food or
blanched vegetables before freezing.
Cooked food should only be lightly
salted and seasoned. Some herbs in-
tensify the taste of food when frozen.
– Placing hot foods or drinks in the
freezer causes food that is already
frozen to partially thaw and increases
energy consumption. Allow hot foods
and drinks to cool down before pla-
cing them in the freezer.
Packaging food for freezing
Freeze food in portions.
– Suitable packing material
– Plastic freezer bags
– Tubular polythene freezer bags
– Aluminum foil
– Freezer containers
– Unsuitable packing material
– Wrapping paper
– Greaseproof paper
– Cellophane
– Bin bags
– Plastic carrier bags
Expel as much air as possible from
the packaging.
Close the packaging tightly with
– Rubber bands
– Plastic clips
– String
– Freezer tape
Tip:
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.
