Freezing chicken

[maximo]

Hi! I have a quick question...I bought some chicken fillets and put them in the freezer (still in the box, the kind with the plastic film on top). Is it ok to do it that way, or do you have to take them out of the box and put them into a special freezer box/bag? also, can I then take them out and cook them even after the "best before" date if they have been frozen? Sorry, I've never had a freezer before! :-) Thanks in advance.

[rja211077]

yes it's ok to freeze them in the box, yes you can eat them after the bb date. in theory what you can do with your freezer depends on its rating. it will have a number of snowflake type starts - between 1 and 4. see the following from wikipedia
"* / temperature = -6�C. Maximum storage time for frozen food / 1 week

** / temperature = -12�C. Maximum storage time for frozen food / 1 month

*** / temperature = -18�C. Maximum storage time for frozen food / 3 months

**** / temperature = -21�C. Maximum storage time for frozen food / long term, up to 12 months

Fresh food can only be frozen in a freezer with a four star (****) rating."

but in practice you can bend these rules to a very large extent, as long as you're sensible

[maximo]

Thank you!

[patsyann]

Hi Maximo,
The only trouble with putting the whole box into the freezer is that the fillets will all be stuck together and you may not want to use them all at once.I usually wrap the fillets individually with cling fillm and then repack them in the box.I do that with anything I buy in bulk that has not already been packed for the freezer at the manufacturers.

[jennyp]

If you don't want to go to the hassle of cling filming everyone, lay them side by side in a plastic bag and freeze flat on a baking tray. A sharp rap will separate them.