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Freezing and storing food
28
Maximum freezing capacity
To ensure that fresh food placed in the
freezer freezes through to the core as
quickly as possible, the maximum
freezing capacity must not be ex-
ceeded. The maximum freezing capa-
city for freezing within a 24-hour period
is given on the data plate: “Freezing ca-
pacity...kg/24hrs”.
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 re-
absorbed by the cells. What this means
in practice is that the food loses more
moisture. You can see this in the large
amount of water that collects around
the food when it defrosts.
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 pro-
cess, and very little water collects
around the defrosted food.
Storing frozen food
Never re-freeze partially or fully de-
frosted food. Defrosted food may
only be re-frozen after it has been
cooked.
When buying frozen food to store in
your freezer, 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 food can be kept
is reduced if it has been stored at a
temperature warmer than -18°C.
Buy frozen food once you have fin-
ished the rest of your shopping and
wrap it in newspaper or use a cool
bag or cool box to transport it.
Put it into the freezer as soon as pos-
sible.
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 2–3minutes.
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