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Food storage tips – freezer
Meat, poultry and game
Do not try to freeze more than 2.2 lb (1 kg) meat per 0.9 cu.ft (25 L) of
freezer storage volume at any one time. Meat must be frozen quickly in
order to maintain its texture.
Do not stuff poultry before freezing.
Always thaw poultry completely before cooking.
Red meat can be cooked from frozen, or from the partly or completely thawed
states. Remember to allow extra cooking time if cooking from frozen.
Fish
Fish is best frozen commercially. If however you do want to freeze fish
at home, make sure the fish is very fresh and of good quality.
Clean, scale and preferably leave whole. All fish should be wrapped in
two layers of packaging as depending on the type of fish, odors and
flavors can be readily transferred either to or from it. Seal well.
For best results, cook from either the frozen or partly thawed state.
Vegetables
Most vegetables freeze well, although ‘salad’ vegetables lose their
crispness. Other vegetables, eg celery, onion and tomatoes, should only
be used in cooked dishes as they soften on freezing.
Freeze only good quality, mature, ready-to-eat vegetables.
Sort and discard any that are damaged.
It is necessary to blanch most raw vegetables prior to freezing.
Blanching is a short cooking period during which vegetable enzymes are
destroyed. If these enzymes are not destroyed they cause undesirable
physical and chemical changes during freezer storage.
Vegetables can be blanched in boiling water, steam or microwave oven.
If using boiling water, boil vegetables for two to four minutes and cool quickly.
In general frozen vegetables are best cooked from their frozen state.
Prepared and cooked foods
Most cooked foods can be frozen but it is not recommended to freeze
the following (as they tend to separate on thawing):
Cooked egg white, custards, cream fillings and milk puddings, gelatin or
jelly-like dishes, mayonnaise and similar salad dressings and meringue
toppings.
Fruit
Choose good quality, mature, and ready to eat fruit. Preferably select
varieties recommended for freezing.
Avoid unripe and over-ripe fruit.
The way fruit is packed depends on how it is to be used. Fruits packed
in syrup are ideal for desserts, whereas fruits packed without sugar are
better used for cooking.
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