IN USE
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NOTE: Always wrap and store raw meat, poultry and fish on the lowest shelf at
the bottom of the fridge. This will stop them dripping onto, or touching other
foods. do not store inflammable gases or liquids inthefridge.
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°C.
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 tothe 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
Dont 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 food
For 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
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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°C), freezing your food quicker and
helping to keep the goodness in. However you should do this sparingly to
conserve energy.
IN USE
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, aluminium foil (heavy grade only, if in
doubt, double wrap). Don't use aluminium foil for acidic foods (such as citrus
fruits).
Dont use thin cling film or glass. Dont 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 ‘preforming’ 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.
Label everything
●Many foods look the same when frozen, so careful labelling will help avoid
