Knowing how to keep your food safe when freezing and thawing it for later use is essential. If food isn’t handled properly, the risk of contamination increases, which means so does the risk of food poisoning. So, to help you make sure your frozen foods and leftovers stay safe, we’ve listed the main things you need to watch out for.
Always be Cautious when Freezing
- First of all, when freezing your food try to divide it into smaller portions. This helps the food cool down faster and reduces the time it spends in the Danger-Zone.
- Ensure you don’t overfill your freezer and that cold air can circulate properly. This helps keep the temperature steady.
- Properly wrap food or put it in a sealed container to keep it from suffering from freezer-burn.
- In case of an emergency power outage, keep the freezer doors closed to keep the food frozen. Food should remain frozen within a freezer for approximately 24 hours during a power outage.
When Thawing Food
- Ensure that you thaw foods in the microwave or fridge, rather than simply leaving them on your kitchen worktop to reduce the time spent in the Danger-Zone.
- When thawing frozen food for a meal, make sure that seasoned or stuffed meat, poultry and meat joints that have bones in the centre have been thoroughly thawed all of the way through before you cook them.
- Do not refreeze food which has already been frozen and thawed.