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Freezing and deep-freezing food in the kitchen
What is freezing? What is deep freezing? And above all, what is the difference between the two? Below you will find some tips on how to distinguish between freezing and deep-freezing. You will also find some tips and advice on how to freeze your food better on a daily basis and how to preserve your food in the kitchen.
Difference between freezing and deep-freezing
- Deep freezing and freezing differ in time and degree. Deep freezing is an industrial process that accelerates the freezing process, allowing the food to be frozen in a few minutes at a temperature of -30°C. This technique preserves the food from contamination by germs and micro-organisms.
- Freezing is a slower process that takes place in a freezer or refrigerator-freezer at a temperature of -18°C. After freezing, the food can be stored at low temperature until consumed.
- Freezing and deep freezing are both ways of keeping food for longer. The main difference between them is that with freezing, there is no change in the colour or texture of the food as opposed to when it is frozen - where it can change colour and texture due to the formation of ice crystals inside.
Golden rules for freezing food
In order to store food in the freezer properly, it is important to follow certain rules:
- Ripe foods (fruit and vegetables) and soon-to-be-expired products should not be frozen.
- Always place a label on each product to indicate the name of the food and the freezing date.
- Cook certain foods before freezing, such as oysters, clams or mussels, which are sensitive to boiling.
- Blanch the vegetables before freezing.
- Measure the temperature of your freezer regularly, it should be between -12 and -18°C.
- Clean food before freezing.
- Put food in an airtight bag or box before freezing. Empty the air from the plastic bags before closing them.
- Allow hot food to cool before freezing.
- Write the date and place of freezing on each product.
- Check your freezer regularly: it should be between -12 and -18 degrees Celsius.
- Avoid refreezing products that have already been frozen and melted because freezing puts the germs to rest without killing them, and when the heat increases sufficiently, the bacteria awaken and reproduce. Eating them can cause food poisoning.
How to store food in the freezer?
Cold preserves the nutritional value of food. It preserves colour and taste well, but it can alter the texture. Foods with a high water content such as milk, pasta, tofu or yoghurt lose their texture after freezing. Here are some tips for freezing foods:
- It is advisable to stir the frozen milk before consumption so that it regains its original texture.
- It is important to respect the freezing time, because even if it preserves the food, after a while the products lose their flavour and can become inedible.
- Some foods are not suitable for freezing, for example: raw or cooked eggs, certain cheeses such as Brie or Ricotta, as well as vegetables such as lettuce, potatoes or radishes which lose their crunchiness.
