Freezing Food

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2004-12-26

I'm Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Development Report.

Freezing can keep food fresh and safe to eat. Freezing lowers the
food temperature below zero degrees Celsius. That is the point where
water turns to ice.

To start the freezing process, it is important to lower the
temperature to between minus fifteen and minus twenty degrees
Celsius as quickly as possible. The faster the freezing process, the
fresher the taste of the food.

Fruits and vegetables can be spread out inside the freezer. Once
the food is frozen, it should be placed in containers and then
stored at a temperature of about minus twenty degrees Celsius.

Fruits are usually not cooked before they are frozen. This allows
them to keep their fresh taste. The simplest way to prepare fruits
is to cut them up and place them in a container inside the freezer.
In some cases it is better to permit the fruit to freeze before
putting it in the container. This will keep it from sticking to the
container. This is called the "dry pack" method.

The second way is the "wet pack" method. The fruit is prepared
along with some of its liquid or juice. You can add some sugar to
fruits that are naturally juicy. The sugar sweetens the fruit and
brings out its natural juices.

Vegetables are either cooked or blanched before freezing.
Blanching means placing the vegetables in boiling water for a few
minutes and then quickly placing them into very cold water.
Blanching slows down the natural chemical aging process. All extra
water should be removed before placing the vegetables into
containers and freezing. Most foods can be stored frozen for up to
one year.

Most freezers operate on electricity, although some work with
kerosene and even solar energy as power sources. One problem is how
to protect frozen food if the power suddenly stops. Generally,
frozen food can be left unfrozen for twenty-four hours before it
must either be eaten or thrown away. In hot climates, the amount of
time may be only a few hours.

Once foods have been unfrozen, they should not be frozen again.
There is a danger of food poisoning if food is frozen more than
once.

You can get more information about freezing food from Volunteers
in Technical Assistance. VITA is on the Internet at v-i-t-a dot
o-r-g. (www.vita.org.) Next week, learn about canning food.

This VOA Special English Development Report was written by Gary
Garriott. I'm Gwen Outen.