Freezing fresh food
Freeze fresh and undamaged food only.
To retain the best possible nutritional value, flavour and colour, vegetables should be blanched before
freezing.
Aubergines, peppers, zucchini and asparagus do not require blanching.
Note: Keep food to be frozen away from food which is already frozen.
The following foods are suitable for freezing:
Cakes and pastries, fish and seafood, meat, game, poultry, vegetables, fruit, herbs, eggs without
shells, dairy products such as cheese and butter, ready meals and leftovers such as soups, stews,
cooked meat and fish, potato dishes, soufflés and desserts.
The following foods are not suitable for freezing:
Types of vegetables, which are usually consumed raw, such as lettuce or radishes, eggs in shells,
grapes, whole apples, pears and peaches, hard‐boiled eggs, yoghurt, soured milk, sour cream,
and mayonnaise.
Packing frozen food
To prevent food from losing its flavour or drying out, place food in airtight packaging.
1. Place food in packaging.
2. Remove air.
3. Seal the wrapping.
4. Label packaging with contents and dates of freezing.
Suitable packaging:
Plastic film, tubular film made of polyethylene, aluminium foil, freezer containers.
These products are available from specialist outlets.
Recommended storage times of frozen food in the freezer compartment
These times vary depending on the type of food. The food that you freeze can be preserved from 1 to 12
months (minimum at ‐18°C).
Bacon, casseroles, milk
Bread, ice cream, sausages, pies, prepared shellfish, oily fish
Non‐oily fish, shellfish, pizza, scones and muffins
Ham, cakes, biscuits, beef and lamb chops, poultry pieces
Butter, vegetables (blanched), eggs whole and yolks, cooked
crayfish, minced meat (raw), pork (raw)
Fruit (dry or in syrup), egg whites, beef (raw), whole chicken,
lamb (raw), fruit cakes
Never forget:
When you freeze fresh foods whit a 'use by /best before/best by/' date, you must freeze them before
the expiry of this date.
Check that the food was not already frozen. Indeed, frozen food that has thawed completely must not
be refrozen.
Food
Storage time
1 month
2 months
3 months
4 months
6 months
12 months
GB
12