DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Freezing Food

DEVELOPMENT REPORT - Freezing Food
By Gary Garriott

Broadcast: Monday, December 27, 2004

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 Celsius¹. 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 frozen², 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 blanched³ before freezing. Blanching⁴ 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 kerosene⁵ 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 Assistance⁶. 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.

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

3 blanched   

v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮

参考例句：

• The girl blanched with fear when she saw the bear coming. 那女孩见熊（向她）走来，吓得脸都白了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Their faces blanched in terror. 他们的脸因恐惧而吓得发白。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 blanching   

adj.漂白的n.热烫v.使变白( blanch的现在分词 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮

参考例句：

• Finally, blanching enhances the color of most vegetables and fruits. 最后热烫增强了大部分水果和蔬菜的颜色。 来自互联网
• Presently, Peroxidase is employed as indicator for blanching treatments of vegetables. 目前蔬菜的热烫终点以过氧化物酶作为指示剂来确定。 来自互联网

5 kerosene   

n.(kerosine)煤油，火油

参考例句：

• It is like putting out a fire with kerosene.这就像用煤油灭火。
• Instead of electricity,there were kerosene lanterns.没有电，有煤油灯。

6 assistance   

n.援助，帮助

参考例句：

• She called and called but no one came to her assistance.她叫了又叫，但没有人来帮。
• He will get the great possible assistance.他将获得尽可能大的帮助。