Logik LIR60W22 - Preparations for Freezing and Storage

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Preparations for Freezing and storage
• Freeze food in small quantities as it freezes faster, takes less time to defrost and enables you
to control the quantity you need better.
• Leave cooked food to cool completely. Chill food before freezing if possible.
• Consider how you will want to cook the food before freezing it.
• Don’t freeze food in metal containers if you may want to microwave it straight from the
freezer.
• Use special freezer bags, freezer lm, polythene bags, plastic containers, and aluminium foil
(heavy duty grade only). If in doubt, double wrap your food. Don’t use aluminium foil for
acidic foods, e.g. citrus fruits. Don’t use thin cling lm, glass, or used food containers without
cleaning.
• 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
expansion.
• You can use the space in the freezer most eciently if you freeze
liquids (or solids with liquids, e.g. 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, and then remove it from the container
and seal the bag.
• Label your frozen foods as they will look the same when in frozen
state. Use special freezer tapes, labels and pens with dierent colours.
This allows you to easily organise and to eectively use the freezer. Write the contents and
date; otherwise the frozen food might exceed the storage time and this could cause food
poisoning. Please refer to your food packaging for the recommended storage time.
• You may also add the weight and cooking notes, e.g. “defrost rst”, “cook from frozen” and
keep a separate log of what is in each drawer. This will save opening the door and searching
around unnecessarily.
• The freezer is used for storing frozen food, freezing fresh food, and making ice cubes.
• For freezing fresh food; wrap and seal fresh food properly, that is the packaging should be
air tight and shouldn’t leak. Special freezer bags, aluminium foil polythene bags and plastic
containers are ideal.
• Do not store fresh food next to frozen food as it can thaw the frozen food.
• Before freezing fresh food, divide it into portions that can be consumed in one sitting.
• Consume thawed frozen food within a short period of time after defrosting.
• Never place warm food in the freezer compartment as it will thaw the frozen food.
• Always follow the manufacturer's instructions on food packaging when storing frozen food. If
no information is provided food, should not be stored for more than 3 months from the date
of purchase.
• When purchasing frozen food, make sure that it has been stored under appropriate
conditions and that the packaging is not damaged.
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