How to Freeze Food

1. How to Freeze Food In the food and hotel industry a great care is taken to ensure that the food is properly stored or handled so that it does not perish earlier leading to a lot of loss. There are two main purposes of properly storing foods: Firstly, it is to avoid any kind of contamination in the food. Secondly, to prevent the bacteria from multiplying which are already present in the food. Here comes the importance of keeping them in the right temperature. Controlling temperature becomes an integral part of food storage. Since it is a perishable item, it has to be kept out of the danger zone which is 45 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. When it comes to freezing foods, it is a method of preservation of food which has been used in different ways since ages. During the past days, the process of food freezing was very simple wherein it included to surround the food with a block of freshly carved ice so that the temperature is well maintained. Over the decades, there has been a lot of changes in the methods used for freezing foods however the basic idea stays the same which is to lower the temperature of the food to such a suitable degree so that the bacteria and the germs are unable to thrive and grow. Thus it would lead to increase in the life of the food for future use. Foods should be kept frozen in temperature which is less than zero degrees Fahrenheit or lower. The foods which have been kept frozen should be wrapped tightly or packaged in such a way so as to prevent the freezer burn. Ensure that you properly label and mention the date on each food items. Thaw the foods properly either in refrigerator, under cold water or in the microwave oven if it has to be to be used for cooking and serving immediately. Keep in mind that you do not thaw the food at room temperature since it can lead to the surface temperature to increase above 45 degrees Fahrenheit even prior to the inside of the food being thawed which would result in growth of unwanted bacteria. Certain rules on refrigerator temperature One should not overcrowd the refrigerator and leave some space between each food items so that it allows for the air to circulate properly. The door of the refrigerator should be shut properly when not in use. Maintain hygiene in the refrigerator. Ensure that all the shelves and interiors of the refrigerator are timely cleaned properly. Maintain separate refrigeration process for raw food and cooked food. If there is a need for storing both raw and cooked foods together then bear in mind that the cooked foods should be stored above the raw food. If the cooked food is kept below the raw

2. food, then it would lead to contamination due to the drips and spills which can later turn out to be hazardous since they would not be used for cooking again. All the foods which are refrigerated should be wrapped properly. They can also be covered in sanitary conditions. There should not be any touching of unsanitary surface touching the food items. The bottoms of any container should also not be touching the food since it can lead to bacterial growth. There are two main methods of freezing food: Active packaging: In the process of searching for newer ways to freeze foods, scientist came up with the concept of Active Packaging. This process involves using a variety of new methods or technologies which sense and destroys the harmful bacteria present in the food items. There are certain food product films which allow the oxygen to pass through and one can freeze it in a cold storage or freezer trucks. The air due to the film would keep the food fresh and cooler for longer durations. Flash freezing: This has been one of the basic methods for freezing. It was a device which was invented. This device was used as a pressurized brine and the water solution so as to freeze the food during the transport. This method ensures easy freezing system and the food would be carried anywhere in the freezer trucks. Flash freezing has been one of the effective method in storing fish, meat, vegetables and any other foods for transport purpose. http://novtejdhillon.blogspot.co.uk/2017/08/how-to-freeze-food-novtej-dhillon.html