Take extra care with meat and fish
Cooked meats should always be stored on a shelf above raw meats to avoid bacterial transfer. Keep
raw meats on a plate which is large enough to collect juices and cover it with cling film or foil.
Leave space around food
This allows cold air to circulate around the Fridge, ensuring all parts of the Fridge are kept cool.
Wrap up food!
To prevent transfer of flavors and drying out, food should be separately packed or covered. Fruit and
vegetables need not be wrapped.
Pre-cooked food should be cooled properly
Allow pre-cooked food to cool down before placing in the Fridge. This will help to stop the internal
temperature of the Fridge from rising.
Shut the door!
To prevent cold air escaping, try to limit the number of times you open the door. When
returning
from
shopping, sort foods to be kept in your Fridge before opening the door. Only open the door to put food in
or take it out.
Recommended storage periods
For recommended food storage time, refer to the information given on your food packaging.
Tips for shopping for frozen foods
Your Freezer is 4 star
When you are buying frozen food, look at the Storage Guidelines on the packaging. You will be able to
store each item of frozen food for the period shown against the 4 star rating. This is usually the period
stated as “Best, Before”, found on the front of the packaging.
Check the Fridge/Freezer temperature
Check the temperature of the frozen food cabinet in the shop where you buy your frozen foods. It should
show a temperature lower than -18
℃
.
Choose packs carefully
Make sure the frozen food package is in perfect condition.
Purchase frozen food last Always buy frozen products last on your shopping trip or visit to the
supermarket.
Keep frozen foods together
Try to keep frozen food together whilst shopping, and on the journey home as this will help to keep the
food cooler.
Store food straight away
Don’t buy frozen food unless you can freeze it straight away. Special insulated bags can be bought from
most supermarkets and hardware shops. These keep frozen food cold for longer.
Thawing frozen foodFor some foods, thawing before cooking is unnecessary. Vegetables and pasta can
be added directly to boiling water or steam cooked. Frozen sauces and soups can be put into a
saucepan and heated gently until thawed.
Freezing fresh foods, useful tips
Use quality food and handle it as little as possible. Freeze food in small quantities, it freezes faster,
takes less time to thaw and enables you to eat it in the quantity you need.
Freezing fresh foods
First, estimate the amount of food you will be freezing. If you are freezing large amounts of fresh food,
remember to turn the control dial to Max. This will lower the temperature in the Freezer (approx -30
℃
),
freezing your food quicker and helping to keep the goodness in. However you should do this sparingly to
conserve energy.
Preparations for freezing
·Leave cooked food to cool completely.
·Chill food in a Fridge before freezing if possible.
·Consider how you want to cook the food before freezing it.
·Don’t freeze food in metal containers as you may want to microwave it straight from the Freezer.
·Use special Freezer bags available from supermarkets, Freezer film, polythene bags, plastic containers,
aluminum foil for acidic foods(such as citrus fruits).
Do not use thin cling film or glass. Do not use used food containers (unless cleaned thoroughly first).
·Exclude as much air from the container as possible. You could buy a special vacuum pump which sucks
excessive air out of the packaging.
·Leave a small amount of “air space” when freezing liquids, to allow for expansion.
·You can use the space in the Freezer most efficiently if you freeze liquids(or solids with liquids,
such as stew) in square blocks.
This is known as “performing” Pour the liquid into a polythene bag which is inside a square
sided container. Freeze it like this, then remove it from the container and seal the bag.
Where to store your foods in the fridge
Cool area
：
This is where to store foods which will keep longer if they are kept cool. Milk, eggs, yogurt, fruit
