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Freezing and storing food
27
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 val-
ues for the storage life of different food
groups in the freezer zone.
Food group Storage
time
(Months)
Ice cream 2to6
Bread, baked goods 2to6
Cheese 2to4
Fish, oily 1to2
Fish, lean 1to5
Sausage, ham 1to3
Game, pork 1to12
Poultry, beef 2to10
Vegetables, fruit 6to18
Herbs 6to10
For standard freezing results, follow the
advice on packaging.
Defrosting frozen goods
Never re-freeze partially or fully de-
frosted food. Defrosted food may only
be re-frozen after it has been cooked.
Frozen goods can be defrosted in differ-
ent ways:
– In a microwave oven
– In an oven using “Fan heat” or the
“Defrost” setting
– At room temperature
– In the refrigerator zone (the cold
given off by the frozen food helps to
keep the other food cold)
– In a steam oven
Flat pieces of partially thawed meat
or fish can be placed directly into a hot
frying pan.
Meat and poultry (e.g. mince, chicken,
fish fillets) should not come into contact
with other foods while defrosting. Catch
the liquid from defrosting and dispose
of it carefully.
Fruit should be defrosted at room tem-
perature 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 veget-
ables due to changes in the cell struc-
ture.
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