All hail the freezer. It lets us store perishable foods for a long time and with practically no noticeable drop in quality. But all too often, once you have defrosted your food you end up with soft fruit, stringy meat and dry bread.



“The flavour, characteristics and, last but not least, the vitamin content of food is affected to a large extent not only by the way in which food is frozen, but also the way in which it is defrosted,” according to Ute Gomm of the aid infodienst information service in Bonn. “Particularly when it comes to highly perishable foods such as meat and fish, an incorrect method of defrosting can create favourable conditions for bacteria to flourish,” says the expert in home economics and nutrition.

Therefore, as a rule of thumb: the fridge is the best place to thaw food, with the exception of vegetables, bread and ready meals. This way perishable foods are still stored in a cool environment and the “drip loss effect”, which makes meat stringy and fruit soft, is reduced. 



Micro-organisms are not able to proliferate at the same rate if you thaw your food slowly at fridge temperature either. If you need the job done quickly, fruit, vegetables, meat and fish can also be defrosted in the microwave. Frozen bread is best thawed at room temperature or by warming it in the oven. The nutrient content of vegetables is retained best if the products are used immediately. The vitamin content and aroma of fruit are not affected by the way in which they are defrosted.

Source: www.aid.de, Silke Hoffmann