What is the difference between freezing and deep-freezing? How should you store food in the freezer?
Frozen and deep-frozen food can be very helpful whenever you don't know what to cook or have little time to hand! But do you know the difference between freezing and deep-freezing? And the best rules and methods for storing frozen or deep-frozen foods?
What is the difference between freezing and deep-freezing?
Freezing is a “sub-zero” food preservation method: food is chilled to temperatures between -7°C and -12°C (for fish and meat, even -18°C) and stored between -10°C and -30°C. This method is very effective for prolonging the food’s shelf life.
Deep-freezing, instead, is an ultra-rapid freezing technique: products reach -18°C very quickly, forming micro-crystals of water that do not damage the biological structure of the food.
How to store frozen and deep-frozen food
Talking about frozen and deep-frozen food, there are a number of ways of helping you store it optimally:
- When shopping, remember to always bring your frozen products home in insulated thermal bags.
- At home, place the food in a separate freezer compartment. This will bring it to its correct temperature.
- Be sure to avoid contact with previously frozen food.
- Remember not to store products beyond the mandatory or recommended expiry date stated on the label.
But what are the rules to freezing food and preserving its nutritional properties?
- Frozen food should not be refrozen once it has thawed out. This could lead to the formation of bacteria or harmful substances.
- Store solid and liquid foods in single or small portions instead of in large quantities. Liquids, for example, can be frozen in cubes.
- When storing liquid, do not fill containers to the rim as, during freezing, the liquid’s volume will increase.
- Separate slices of meat with a layer of cling film.
- Frozen food must be clean: wash and dry vegetables, bone and clean the fat off meat, gut and fillet fish.
- Do not allow food to come into direct contact with the freezer’s ice: store food in aluminium trays, polyethylene bags or glass jars.
- To store food properly, you will also have to clean the freezer regularly as ice build-up may prevent the food from being chilled properly.
- When you need to use frozen food to prepare your lunch or dinner, remember that defrosting should take place slowly. However, there are ways of making this step faster, such as using the microwave oven’s Defrost function (Link articolo Come scongelare velocemente gli alimenti in microonde?) or a traditional oven.
Used to stocking up on frozen or deep-frozen products but have little room to store them? Candy’s freezers may be the right solution for you! Depending on your needs, you can choose from a range of chest (or horizontal) freezers and upright (or vertical) freezers. The new Chest Freezer range is perfect for all your day-to-day needs. Extremely functional and easy to use with their built-in handle and counterbalanced door, these freezers allow you to store large amounts of food.
And if you can’t remember what’s in the freezer, don't worry: the Freez-in App will remind you! This application allows you to monitor the products in your freezer and their expiry dates, receive useful information on food storage, and self-diagnose any technical problems. Organising your freezer has never been easier!
