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STORING
IN THE REFRIGERATOR INFORMATION
To maintain quality and prevent spoilage, many common
foods should be refrigerated. As different foods require
different storage temperatures and as there are wide variations
inside the average refrigerator (from as low as -18°C
to as high as 13°C) each of the items listed opposite
has been given a letter which corresponds with an appropriate
area on the refrigerator diagram.
Most fresh produce will keep longer if it is cool and
dry before being stored because moisture encourages deterioration.
Some fruits and vegetables keep better if they are wrapped
while others, such as bananas, onions, pumpkins and potatoes
keep well out of the refrigerator in a cool, dark place.
Joints of fresh meat (such as a leg of lamb) have a longer
storage life than smaller cuts and all meat should be
unwrapped and occasionally turned to expose all surfaces
to the cold air. Poultry should be unwrapped, dried and
loosely covered. Fish, minced meat and offal are best
stored in the coolest
area, even for short periods. Most fruits and vegetables
should be kept away from this area as they lose quality
if kept at a temperature which is too low.
Do not pack the refrigerator to overflowing - an overcrowded
refrigerator prevents proper air circulation and could
result in reduced storage times. Food that is going off
will not improve if moved to a colder area (or the freezer)
and it may taint other food.
The smaller freezer compartment of a single door refrigerator
can have a temperature of around -9°C, which is not
low enough for long term storage. And, as the temperature
will rise when the compartment door is frequently opened,
frozen food, especially meat, should not be kept there
for longer than three to four weeks.
Generally, storage times should not exceed those given
opposite. Although refrigerated foods may stay 'fresh',
the longer they are kept the more they lose texture, flavour
and nutrients.
Vegetables
Leftover cooked vegetables deteriorate quickly, so either
use them as soon as possible or freeze them immediately
for adding to soups or casseroles.
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Shape mashed potatoes into patties,
roll in flour, dip in beaten egg, then in breadcrumbs,
and cook in butter or margarine for about two minutes
on each side.
-
Whip mashed potatoes with milk, add
grated onion, top with grated cheese and bake, uncovered,
in a preheated 180°C oven for 20 minutes.
-
Puree leftover vegetables with some
milk or cream and reheat
-
Use finely chopped vegetables in fillings
for stuffed capsicums, mushrooms or eggs.
-
Leftover cooked cabbage or Brussels
sprouts can be chopped and mixed with an equal amount
of mashed potato to make ‘bubble and squeak’.
Fry in bacon fat or butter, season and brown on both
sides. A dish such as this goes well with grilled bacon,
sausages and grilled tomatoes for a traditional hearty
breakfast.
Poultry, Meats, Fish
A number of the recipes in this book make imaginative
use of leftover chicken and turkey, beef, pork and lamb.
Here are some additional ideas.
-
Dice cooked chicken for use in soups,
salads, sandwiches, casseroles, or pies.
-
Chop leftover chicken, turkey, beef
or pork, and add to a white sauce or a spaghetti sauce.
Season, heat and serve over pasta.
-
Add cubed beef, lamb or pork to cooked
rice, along with onions and other vegetables, to make
a rice pilaf or mince the meat for meat patties or meat
loaves.
-
Make omelettes, salads or baked sliced
potatoes more substantial by adding a sprinkling of
chopped ham. Ham is also good with green beans and in
casseroles, patties or croquettes.
-
Use chopped cooked lamb as a base for
a curry or shepherd's pie or as a stuffing for zucchini
or eggplant.
-
Add leftover gravies and pan juices
to soups, stews and casseroles.
-
Turn cooked fish into a sandwich filling
or salad by flaking it into small pieces and mixing
with capers, chopped celery, onion, sweet pickle relish
and mayonnaise.
Dairy Products
Don't shy away from recipes calling for egg yolks but
not the whites, or vice versa.
-
Use uncooked egg yolks for making mayonnaise,
hollandaise sauce or custards.
-
Make a creamy salad dressing by mixing
a raw egg yolk to every '/4 cup of plain vinaigrette
dressing.
-
To save unused egg whites, freeze them
in ice cube trays, one white per segment. They will
thaw easily for later use in angel food cakes, meringues,
macaroons and souffles.
Fruit and Vegetables
When storing fruit and vegetables the rule to observe
is 'cool it'. Deterioration of produce largely depends
on temperature; too hot and it will ripen and rot, too
cold and it will soon lose its freshness. Some fruits
and some vegetables such as bananas, pumpkin and marrows,
squash, cucumber, zucchinis, tomatoes, capsicums, potatoes,
sweet potatoes and most tropical fruits are 'chilling
sensitive' and may spoil by prolonged exposure to temperatures
below 10°C.
Fruit and vegetables need to breathe and may suffocate
if enclosed in sealed airtight containers. Store produce
sensitive to refrigeration in the coolest part of the
house; potatoes must be stored in the dark as exposure
to light may produce poisonous green patches. The wilting
of leafy vegetables and those with tender skins such as
green beans and zucchinis can be retarded if they are
wrapped in thin plastic film. Refrigerate other vegetables
in perforated plastic bags.
Meat and Poultry
Most state authorities require fresh chicken sold in
plastic wrap to be date-marked. It should not be kept
in the home refrigerator for more than three days and
then only in the coldest section. Dressed fresh poultry
sold unwrapped is not required to be datemarked. Frozen
poultry is not datemarked - it can be stored, frozen,
for many months. Smoked chicken, like other smoked products,
should not be stored in the household freezer.
-
To quickly prepare bacon rashers for
cooking, stack the slices and cut them crosswise into
the required strips or pieces instead of cutting one
rasher at a time.
-
It is much easier to cut very thin slices
of beef before cooking if the meat is partially frozen.
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