Freezing food

Freezers are essential to any chef, as they allow for long storage of perishable foods. At the Army school of catering Army Chefs are taught that all deliveries of frozen foods should be temperature checked and deliveries refused is above -12°C, as there is a danger that parts of the food may have started to defrost. A chisel probe thermometer inserted between packs of frozen food should be used for this check. Here out top tips when working with freezers;

Temperature

The minimum recommended temperature is -18 to -21°C. The freezer temperature should be checked and recorded three times a day.

Cleanliness

The freezer should be defrosted and cleaned regularly (JSP 456 Vol 3 states that this should be done on a monthly basis). Food should be well wrapped, helping to retain the cold whilst it is out of the freezer. Never use a knife to scrape off ice from inside the freezer to avoid puncturing the system. Instead, after turning the system off, place a bucket of hot water inside the freezer and close the door.

Rotating stock

Date and code all foods being placed in the freezer. With chest freezers, new stock should be placed under old stock; with upright freezers, new stock should be placed behind old. Checks should be made to ensure that the ‘last in is the last out’; in other words, rotate your stock.

Overloading

Chest freezers have a load line - do not go above this line, as the freezer will no longer be as effective.

Thawing frozen food

One of the main causes of food poisoning is the insufficient thawing (defrosting) of food, particularly poultry. It is important that food is thawed thoroughly and that the defrosting instructions are followed. Most foods can be taken from the freezer and cooked immediately (e.g. peas, chips, pies and the like), but poultry and meat should never be cooked from frozen. Defrosting meat should be kept separate from other foods so that liquids do not drop onto high-risk foods and contaminate them. Do not refreeze food unless it has been cooked. Even meats can be cooked and then frozen again.