Episode 9 Rip Off Britain


Episode 9

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There's a lot we don't know about the food on our plates,

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and the shops and the labels don't always tell you the whole story.

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Sometimes, when you have these offers on in the supermarket,

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you think you're getting a good deal, but

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if you're actually throwing it away, it's not a good deal.

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Whether you're staying in or going out,

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you've told us you can feel ripped off by the promises made for what

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you eat and what you pay for it.

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What really winds me up, I suppose,

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is the price of so-called healthy food when compared with the unhealthy stuff.

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The unhealthy stuff seems to be so much cheaper.

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From claims that don't stack up, to the secrets behind the packaging,

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we'll uncover the truth about Britain's food so you can be sure

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you're getting what you expect at the right price.

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Your food, your money - this is Rip-off Britain.

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Hello, and welcome once again to Rip-off Britain,

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and our very special series about food.

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Now, I must tell you that today's programme is absolutely packed with

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nuggets of advice that are not only likely to make your life easier,

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but, at the same time,

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will mean that the food you've bought stays fresh and

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tasty for as long as possible.

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It all adds up to plenty of savings in time as well as money,

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and it's a direct result of a big issue that you've asked us to look into

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on your behalf, and that is how long fresh food should last

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and what's the best way to store it?

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And the answers to those questions are not always what you'd expect.

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So, for instance, if you've got long-forgotten items buried underneath

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inches of ice at the back of the freezer - and who hasn't?

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You've been looking in my fridge.

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-Sounds very familiar.

-And yours.

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I tell you, whatever it says on the label, do not throw them out just yet.

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Wait until you've heard what the experts say is the best thing to do

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with them.

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Coming up, with most of us probably storing the wrong foods in there,

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we settle the debate on what really does need to keep its cool

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in your fridge.

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Fridges are great. The trouble is that people think of them as a

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kind of stasis chamber where time doesn't happen and everything can

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live for ever, and that's not true.

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Things in your fridge will deteriorate.

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Is it still safe to eat those long-forgotten meats lurking at the back of

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the freezer? Why these friends can't agree on what you should do with them.

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These are about six months out of date

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and I don't think we will eat them now.

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They'll either go in the bin or they go in the dog.

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Whereas I would probably eat those sausages.

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These days, the idea of living without a fridge in our home has become,

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for most of us, I should think, unimaginable.

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In fact, so central is it to our home that, very often,

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we just might bung in any old food without necessarily

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pausing to think whether or not the fridge is actually the best place

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for it. So, if you've ever wondered whether you should keep your eggs in

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or out, your butter warm or chilled - to fridge or not to fridge?

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That is the question!

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And we're going to be answering it with, I think,

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some pretty surprising results.

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The raiders strike at 3.31.

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These days, kids of all ages make a beeline for the fridge as soon as

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they get home. But back in the '50s and '60s,

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when the appliance first became widely available,

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both here and across the pond, they were very much a novelty.

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And this Westinghouse 1955 refrigerator is frost-free, too.

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And that means no defrosting in the freezer and no defrosting

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-in the refrigerator.

-Now, of course, almost every kitchen has a fridge.

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But opinion continues to be divided on some of the things that we should

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keep in them. I'm going to ask you where you would store these things

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-for freshness.

-OK.

-Eggs?

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-Fridge.

-In the fridge.

-Fridge.

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Where would you keep eggs?

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-Fridge.

-Erm, in a cupboard, not in the fridge.

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Well, if where to store eggs caused confusion,

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jam proved a sticky one, too.

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Jam? Actually, when it's open, in the fridge.

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-Jam?

-Yeah, that's in the fridge.

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Jam? No, in a cupboard.

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It's in a cold cupboard, really.

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Well, I hope when you go home today, your wife will let you put all the food away.

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No, no, no, I don't want that job!

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It was an e-mail from Celia Kay on the Isle of Man that first got our

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team in the office fiercely debating what should be refrigerated and what

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should not. She remembers a time when most foods didn't need to be

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chilled at all, so she asked us why things have changed so much.

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When I was a little girl in the 1950s,

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most of our food was stored in a cupboard or a cool place.

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And yet, now, on the packaging, everything says "store in a refrigerator".

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I'd really like to know why that is.

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To trace how our kitchens have changed since Celia was a girl,

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she's stepping back in time...

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..and into a 1950s prefab near Bromsgrove.

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Oh, a Bush television!

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Yes, we had one of those

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in black-and-white only and nine-inch screen.

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And we had similar crockery to the green.

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And we had a clock on the mantelpiece that used to be wound up.

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This is a unique museum called Avoncroft,

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made up of almost 30 historical buildings and structures,

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all rebuilt and restored to their former glory.

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It's all bringing back memories.

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Although it's not quite the same, it's very similar.

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But there's one appliance here that Celia didn't grow up with - a fridge.

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In fact, by the end of the 1950s, only 16% of British homes had one.

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The rest, like Celia's, had other solutions.

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We had a larder and that was the main area to store food.

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But I did have an aunt who had a fridge,

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and I can remember eating home-made ice cream and thinking it was the

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most wonderful thing ever invented.

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So I think it must have been quite a posh family

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to have had a fridge that early on.

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1950s housewives often shopped every day for fresh food

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because keeping such produce at its best wasn't always easy.

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But when refrigerators became more affordable, all of that changed.

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It wasn't until I was in my early teens that we actually had a fridge.

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It delighted my mum because she could shop a little bit less frequently.

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I think Dad was quite delighted because Mum was happy,

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so it worked for everybody.

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The type of fridge that Celia's parents would have bought is almost

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unrecognisable next to today's modern fridges.

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Thanks to the consumer boom in the 1970s and '80s,

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they're now found in just about every kitchen across the country,

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and they've transformed the way we shop.

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Food historian Andrew Webb has traced the rise of the refrigerator.

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How have refrigerators changed over the years,

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since they were first introduced?

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Well, if we look at this one here, it's not much bigger than a cupboard.

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And unlike pretty much everything else in the modern world,

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which has got smaller, fridges have got massive.

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They are much, much bigger.

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In effect, they've become the new pantry.

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We don't have a pantry any more and so everything goes in this huge,

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-chilled wardrobe.

-But Celia wants to know whether that's really necessary.

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Many of us bung all sorts of things in the fridge,

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regardless of whether or not that's the best place for them.

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And they're often the type of foods that Celia's mum would have kept in

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-the pantry.

-Can I ask you why so many things have to be stored in

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a fridge now, whereas they didn't in years gone by?

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I think there are a number of factors involved in this.

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Some of it's kind of health and safety

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and a kind of belt-and-braces approach and not wanting to take risks.

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And storing foods at low temperatures is vital for products that have

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fewer preservatives than they used to.

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A lot of sauces and condiments, for example,

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have lower salt levels than they, traditionally, used to have.

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Now, that salt inhibits bacterial growth.

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Manufacturers lower the salt in their products -

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they've got to store them in other ways.

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But are there some things we put in the fridge that don't necessarily

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have to be kept there at all?

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Where do you find eggs in the supermarket?

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They're not in the chiller cabinet with the cheese and the milk,

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are they? And yet, you get them home, straight in the fridge.

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Eggs are pretty robust things.

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They can survive in a cool, even-temperatured space,

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away from other strong smells.

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Current official advice says store eggs at a constant temperature below

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20 degrees Celsius.

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So whilst, for many of us, that might be in a fridge,

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as long as they're kept cool, then out of the fridge is absolutely fine.

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Keeping them in the fridge won't damage them,

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but Andrew says the same can't be said for some fruit and veg.

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Tomatoes, for example, shouldn't go in the fridge.

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They're a fruit. If you put them in the fridge,

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the cold starts to break down the membranes inside the tomato -

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you get a mealy tomato.

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Potatoes - they shouldn't be kept in the fridge.

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They'll start to turn sugary and give you a sort of weird texture.

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All sorts of soft fruits.

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I think fridges are great pieces of technology.

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The trouble is that people think of them as a kind of stasis chamber

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where time doesn't happen and everything can live for ever!

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And that's not true. Things in your fridge will deteriorate.

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Celia reckons that, like a lot of us,

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she's guilty of sometimes getting this wrong.

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So she's asked Andrew to tell her whether she's committing any other

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fridge faux pas.

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You've been kind enough to photograph your fridge and send us

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some examples here. And, on the whole, it's pretty good.

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There's a few things I'd like to point out, though.

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Cheese here, depending on the type of cheese -

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I presume this is a sort of Cheddar-style cheese -

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that's OK outside of the fridge as well, just somewhere cool.

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Most fridges are too dry for cheese.

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If you put a piece of Stilton in a fridge, you'll see it start to kind of

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almost shrink and crack, and that creaminess is lost.

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OK, hands up those of you who do keep your Stilton in the fridge.

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And there's plenty more where that came from.

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We've even invented products, like spreadable butter,

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to get around the problems that are caused by storing the traditional

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kind in a place where it doesn't even need to be.

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It's interesting that you've got spreadable butters.

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Traditional butter is fine in a butter dish and just a cool place,

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if you get through a fair amount of butter like I know I do in my house.

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-Like these two here...

-Next,

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Celia always keeps her mayonnaise in the fridge so, this time,

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is she doing the right thing?

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And then, mayonnaise, as well,

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that's definitely something that should be kept in the fridge with...

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Although it's pasteurised, it's still something you want to be wary of.

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I would like to ask you about jam.

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-OK.

-When I was a child, we made our own jam.

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-Yep.

-It was properly sealed, it was kept in the cupboard,

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and even when opened, it was still kept in the cupboard.

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But now we're told that any jars of open jam must go into

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a refrigerator. Is this right or wrong?

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Ooh, it's a tricky one.

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The manufacturers would say it helps keep the product safer and last

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longer. I think, again, common sense is a good one here.

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I keep mine in the cupboard and if, by chance,

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it does go off, you'll see a tiny little bit of mould.

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It sort of tells you when it's gone past.

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So, fridges are great.

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They're great for things like meat. They're great for things like fish.

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Obviously, you want to keep all these things very cold.

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Milk - that should be kept cold.

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But there's loads of things that you can keep out of the fridge.

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Well, you can pretty much guarantee that among all that lot,

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there's going to be something that, just like Celia,

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you're not keeping in the best place, either.

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And as well as compromising the quality of some foods,

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if you overfill your fridge, it'll work less efficiently.

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But how much of all this has Celia taken in?

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After a pretty exhaustive crash course...

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..it's time to test her new-found knowledge.

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My name is Celia Kay and my specialist subject is refrigeration of food.

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Where should sauces and condiments be kept?

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Brown sauce and ketchup can be stored in a cupboard.

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They don't necessarily have to go in a refrigerator.

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Brown sauce can be kept in a cupboard,

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but ketchup should go in the fridge.

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Where can you store eggs?

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Eggs should be stored outside a fridge in a cool place.

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Correct. Where would you store tomatoes?

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Tomatoes should be stored in a fruit bowl in a cool room.

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Correct. Where should you store cheese?

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Hard cheese can be stored outside a refrigerator.

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Soft cheese should always be stored inside a refrigerator.

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Correct. Where would you store...

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BEEPING

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I've started, so I'll finish. Where would you store mayonnaise?

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Once a jar of mayonnaise is opened, it must be stored in a refrigerator.

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Celia, you've scored four out of a possible five.

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But, in case your fridge is still clogged with things that needn't be

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there, other foods that you'd be better storing in a cupboard include

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processed lemon juice,

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which is mainly citric acid and takes ages to go off,

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oils - which go cloudy when chilled, and honey, that never really goes off.

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Plus, keeping it in the fridge makes it harder to spread.

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But that big white box is the place to be for hummus, salad dressings and,

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believe it or not, whole-wheat flour,

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which doesn't go stale so quickly when it's chilled.

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And while, from now on, Celia will be using her fridge more efficiently,

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her reminder of life before refrigeration has underlined that it

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is one mod con she could not manage without.

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Could I live without a refrigerator?

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In theory and in practice, probably I could.

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Do I want to? Absolutely not.

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I would have to go back to daily shopping.

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I would have to go back to daily cooking.

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There would be no way of storing leftovers unless I used a deep freeze.

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No, the convenience is definitely here to stay.

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Britain has the dubious honour of topping the charts for the amount of

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food every household throws away - 7 million tonnes of it between us.

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In fact, astonishingly, we now chuck out more food than packaging,

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and food-waste expert Helen White says that means we might as well be

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putting our money straight into the bin.

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Wasting good food costs the average household £470 a year,

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rising to £700 for a family with children.

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That's the equivalent of around £60 a month.

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Making things worse is the fact that half of the food thrown away could

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still have been eaten. And often,

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whether it's bread that's gone mouldy or vegetables that have started to

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rot, it's the way we store the things we buy that makes them go bad faster

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-than we'd like.

-One of the simplest things that you can do is learn to

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store food correctly,

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so I've got some simple tips and tricks to help you to save money,

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save food waste and save time.

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One of the most common things we throw away is half-eaten bags with salad,

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so Helen's kicking off with some basic advice on how to make those leaves

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last longer once they've been opened.

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A neat trick for saving salad -

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tip any leftover leaves into a storage container and fold a piece of

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kitchen paper into the bottom, click on the lid and store in the fridge.

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I'm not promising it'll keep for days on end,

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but it'll give you a little bit more time, just to use that up.

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We've already seen what a minefield it can be deciding what to put in

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the fridge, but if you haven't got enough cupboard space for some of

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the essentials that don't need to go there,

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chances are you have some other spots that work well for storage.

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Most of us use potatoes and onions every day and we buy them in big bags.

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It makes sense. It's good value.

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So the best place to keep these guys is in a cool, dark and dry place,

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like a store cupboard. If there's not enough room in the store cupboard,

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a garage will do, or even a shed in a storage box.

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If you're struggling for space,

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how about popping them in the boot of the car for a wee while?

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Well, that's a bit different.

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And here's another everyday food that's best kept well away from your fridge.

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Don't keep bread in the fridge -

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it'll actually go stale quicker in there.

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The best place for it is in a bread bin or a store cupboard

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and use a bag clip to keep your loaf fresher for longer.

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Of course, the best way to avoid wasting food is not to buy too much of it

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in the first place. And,

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while generations of shoppers have controlled what they buy with a list,

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Helen has a much quicker suggestion for keeping track of what you need.

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Use one of these to take a "shelfie" of your fridge,

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your freezer and your cupboards,

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and then use it in the supermarket to remind you what to get so you

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don't buy the same thing twice.

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Now, where would we be without our freezers?

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It's the appliance that's revolutionised our ability to store food in

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the home, and it's been credited as the most useful kitchen gadget in

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the fight against food waste because, of course,

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the life of almost any food can be extended by putting it into deep freeze.

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But how long can you leave meat in a freezer before the quality deteriorates

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or it actually becomes dangerous to eat?

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Well, get ready for some tips and advice that may transform the way

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you store your food.

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It's a cold, dark place, and in it lurk things that time forgot.

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Deep down at the back of the freezer lies that pork chop that went missing

0:17:210:17:25

in action, and there are those poor old sausages, now frozen solid.

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But now you've rediscovered that meat, are you going to eat it?

0:17:300:17:34

If you had meat in the freezer,

0:17:340:17:37

how long would you let it be there before you used it?

0:17:370:17:40

I have kept meat in the freezer up to three months.

0:17:400:17:43

If you had meat and it was in the freezer, how long would

0:17:430:17:45

you think it was safe to leave it there before you used it?

0:17:450:17:48

Probably about four weeks, a month.

0:17:480:17:50

I think you'd probably lose the nutrients in the meat

0:17:500:17:54

and the freshness the longer it's left in the freezer.

0:17:540:17:57

Six months, maybe, I don't know, I would guess.

0:17:570:18:00

So, to keep and cook or just to dump?

0:18:020:18:06

That's a real kitchen conundrum when it comes to old meat.

0:18:060:18:08

Imogen and Wilma from Cheshire have been friends for 18 years.

0:18:130:18:17

They share a love of food and they're both keen cooks.

0:18:170:18:20

But they don't agree on how long it should be kept in the freezer,

0:18:200:18:23

so they've agreed to let us settle the argument once and for all.

0:18:230:18:28

I think most of the meat in my freezer gets used within about six months,

0:18:280:18:33

but I've definitely come across things that are nine months old and still

0:18:330:18:38

used them and, occasionally, a year old, and that's when I start to think,

0:18:380:18:43

probably we should have had a better system in the freezer

0:18:430:18:45

and rotated it and used the older stuff first.

0:18:450:18:48

But Wilma isn't quite so gung-ho.

0:18:480:18:51

I would keep the meat in the freezer for about three months

0:18:510:18:55

because I feel that after that, it doesn't look as appetising,

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and you then worry about the quality of the actual product

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and if it would taste as nice.

0:19:020:19:04

So, what exactly is lurking in Imogen's freezer drawers?

0:19:040:19:08

So, this is my freezer.

0:19:080:19:10

I've got some meatballs there.

0:19:100:19:13

They were bought quite recently.

0:19:130:19:14

Minced beef - that's quite recent.

0:19:140:19:17

And then, let's have a look at the back...

0:19:170:19:19

Quarter pounders, burgers - that date is much more than six months ago,

0:19:210:19:26

so they should be eaten fairly soon,

0:19:260:19:28

but they've gone to the back of the freezer.

0:19:280:19:31

And Wilma has brought along some of the meat from her kitchen's freezer.

0:19:310:19:35

Well, in the back of my freezer, I found these sausages, which are about

0:19:350:19:40

six months old, and that is really part of one of my problems -

0:19:400:19:43

that you buy things which are on offer

0:19:430:19:46

because you need a product on the day and you think "Oh,

0:19:460:19:49

"it's a bargain," and then they go in the freezer and you don't really

0:19:490:19:52

use them again. So these are about six months out of date,

0:19:520:19:55

and I don't think we will eat them now.

0:19:550:19:57

They'll either go in the bin or they go in the dog.

0:19:570:19:59

Whereas, I would probably eat those sausages.

0:19:590:20:03

So, who's right?

0:20:030:20:04

How long can meat be stored in your freezer?

0:20:040:20:06

Well, it might surprise you to know that,

0:20:060:20:08

according to the Food Standards Agency,

0:20:080:20:10

there's actually no time limit on how long food, including meat,

0:20:100:20:14

can be frozen for. But,

0:20:140:20:16

while it shouldn't do you any harm if you eat it after a long time,

0:20:160:20:19

the more time it's been there, the less likely it is to taste as nice.

0:20:190:20:24

The best place to look if you want to work out how long to store meat

0:20:240:20:28

and to retain the taste is your actual freezer.

0:20:280:20:31

As a general rule, each should have a star rating to indicate how long

0:20:310:20:35

food will keep at its best in that particular appliance.

0:20:350:20:39

And a quick look at the manual will tell you what the ratings on your

0:20:390:20:42

appliance mean.

0:20:420:20:43

But just to add to confusion, there's the supermarket packaging,

0:20:440:20:48

which often says keep food for just a month.

0:20:480:20:50

And Steve Kershaw,

0:20:510:20:52

a forensic scientist at Manchester Metropolitan University,

0:20:520:20:56

says there's a simple reason for that.

0:20:560:20:59

The supermarkets have got to err on the side of caution when they're

0:20:590:21:03

recommending to consumers what ought to be done with the product.

0:21:030:21:06

The supermarket is not going to have an awareness of what the consumer

0:21:060:21:10

does with their meat once they've left the shop.

0:21:100:21:13

They can have a bad start by leaving it in the back of the car while they

0:21:130:21:17

go for a meal and go to see a film on the way home.

0:21:170:21:19

So, it isn't easy to put a definitive time limit on how long your meat

0:21:200:21:24

will stay at its best in your freezer

0:21:240:21:27

because it's all a question of how quickly and efficiently you

0:21:270:21:30

put it there.

0:21:300:21:32

It is important to freeze meat as soon as possible

0:21:320:21:34

after it's been purchased, while it's fresh.

0:21:340:21:37

And very, very rapidly, the micro-organisms will start to grow, multiply,

0:21:370:21:43

they'll produce off-flavours, off-tastes and surface slime on your meat.

0:21:430:21:47

Freezing does kill some of the bacteria,

0:21:470:21:50

but the rest that survive the freezing process,

0:21:500:21:53

as soon as you thaw, will start to multiply and grow again.

0:21:530:21:57

As well as the taste of your meat,

0:21:590:22:01

freezing can also have a big impact on its texture.

0:22:010:22:04

So, once it's in your freezer,

0:22:040:22:06

the time it takes for the food to reach freezing point can make a big

0:22:060:22:10

-difference.

-Meat contains about 50-75% water and ice crystals form.

0:22:100:22:16

If meat is frozen rapidly, as it should be,

0:22:170:22:20

then the ice crystals that form are quite small,

0:22:200:22:23

and that means that the quality will be good when it's thawed out.

0:22:230:22:27

If meat freezes too slowly,

0:22:270:22:29

then the ice crystals that form will be quite large,

0:22:290:22:32

and that will do more damage to the meat than a rapid freeze.

0:22:320:22:36

Well, that's the science,

0:22:370:22:39

but what are the practical ways to maximise texture and taste when

0:22:390:22:42

you're freezing meat at home?

0:22:420:22:44

We've brought Wilma and Imogen to meet chef Sarah Bridge.

0:22:440:22:47

Hi, ladies. Welcome to the cookery school.

0:22:480:22:50

-I'm Sarah.

-She's going to show them how to make sure that the meat you

0:22:500:22:54

freeze stays in tiptop condition

0:22:540:22:56

and keeps as much of the taste as the day it was bought.

0:22:560:23:00

So, Sarah, if you've bought fresh meat...

0:23:000:23:02

-Yes.

-..and you're going to freeze it,

0:23:020:23:05

how long should you be looking to keep it in the freezer for?

0:23:050:23:08

-What would your advice be?

-I would say three months.

0:23:080:23:10

Every now and again, I would have a look what's in the freezer before you

0:23:100:23:13

go shopping to just make sure that you're not doubling on buying things.

0:23:130:23:18

Checking your freezer for long-forgotten meats is a good start if you want

0:23:180:23:22

it to stay tasty.

0:23:220:23:23

But how you store it can also be crucial.

0:23:230:23:27

What would be the best way, then, to store meat in a freezer?

0:23:270:23:30

I would always do it in a zip-lock bag.

0:23:300:23:33

I always write on it exactly what it is and the date that you froze it,

0:23:330:23:37

so I would put today's date, and I'm going to put the date for three

0:23:370:23:40

-months' time...

-When it has to be used.

-..as when it has to be used by.

0:23:400:23:44

So the first thing I'm going to freeze are the pork chops.

0:23:440:23:46

And then the first pork chop is going in.

0:23:460:23:49

And then the second pork chop goes in.

0:23:500:23:52

So, this bit's important - that you want them flat,

0:23:540:23:57

but away from each other. You don't want them to freeze them next to

0:23:570:24:00

-each other.

-So they're not supposed to be touching?

0:24:000:24:02

They're not supposed to be touching, no.

0:24:020:24:05

And keeping them flat is about much more than simply saving space.

0:24:050:24:10

The reason why we're going to keep them flat is because they freeze

0:24:100:24:12

quicker and they'll defrost quicker,

0:24:120:24:14

but by keeping them away from each other, the moisture between each one -

0:24:140:24:19

that can encourage freezer burn.

0:24:190:24:21

Freezer burn happens when changes in temperature cause the ice around food

0:24:210:24:25

to evaporate, drying it out.

0:24:250:24:27

It's often caused by too much opening and closing of your freezer door,

0:24:270:24:31

quickly raising and dropping the temperature.

0:24:310:24:34

While it's not harmful to eat,

0:24:340:24:35

it will affect your food's texture and appearance.

0:24:350:24:39

Next, Sarah demonstrates the most effective way to freeze mince,

0:24:390:24:43

which probably isn't the way you've been doing it at home.

0:24:430:24:45

So squeeze it out into the corners.

0:24:470:24:50

So then you know all of the air is out of it.

0:24:500:24:53

I'm going to seal it up.

0:24:530:24:54

And I'm going to freeze that...

0:24:570:24:59

flat in the freezer.

0:24:590:25:01

So the benefits of freezing it quite thinly -

0:25:010:25:04

it freezes really quickly, but when you take that out of the freezer, it

0:25:040:25:10

also defrosts really, really quickly.

0:25:100:25:12

Never seen that before.

0:25:120:25:13

It's a very good idea.

0:25:130:25:14

Now, chances are, many of us will freeze meat in its original

0:25:140:25:17

supermarket packaging, but Sarah says that's not the best idea.

0:25:170:25:22

I'd always thought if you bought it sealed from the supermarket

0:25:220:25:26

that if you're going to freeze it, you should just keep it sealed.

0:25:260:25:28

But it doesn't matter, then, that you opened that...

0:25:280:25:31

-No, no.

-And then, as long as you freeze it straight away...

0:25:310:25:33

Yeah, it's better to take it out because if you freeze it straight

0:25:330:25:36

from the supermarket without decanting it into a bag,

0:25:360:25:38

there's a lot of water still in there,

0:25:380:25:41

and that water then freezes differently around the meat,

0:25:410:25:44

and that can cause freezer burn.

0:25:440:25:46

And also, the size of the packet that's going in your freezer -

0:25:460:25:49

you don't want to overfill your freezer

0:25:490:25:51

-cos it doesn't work properly when your freezer's over-full and all the space is taken up.

-Right.

0:25:510:25:56

So, it's a fair bet most of us have been freezing our meat all wrong

0:25:560:26:00

and there's stuff to keep in mind when we defrost it, too.

0:26:000:26:03

Take it out of the freezer, onto a tray so nothing can drip.

0:26:030:26:08

And I would defrost it overnight in the fridge.

0:26:080:26:10

So, plenty of food for thought for Wilma and Imogen.

0:26:120:26:15

They'll still be freezing their meat, but, from now on,

0:26:150:26:17

they'll be following Sarah's tips on how they should do it.

0:26:170:26:21

I'm definitely going to be buying some freezer bags

0:26:210:26:23

and I'm definitely going to take the meat out of

0:26:230:26:27

the supermarket packaging now before I freeze it

0:26:270:26:30

cos I can see the benefits of that and, particularly,

0:26:300:26:33

using the idea with the mince and flattening the mince into a bag.

0:26:330:26:37

I think that will be really, really useful.

0:26:370:26:39

Freezer bags will definitely go on the shopping list this weekend.

0:26:390:26:43

Definitely. And I will even, now,

0:26:430:26:44

look in my freezer and keep a better stock control

0:26:440:26:48

and organise the freezer better.

0:26:480:26:50

And what will Wilma do with those six-month-old bangers she found

0:26:510:26:55

lurking at the back of her freezer?

0:26:550:26:57

After all, they're perfectly safe to eat, but might not now

0:26:570:27:00

be to everyone's taste.

0:27:000:27:02

The sausages will still go to the dog...

0:27:020:27:05

..cos they have been in the freezer a long time so, yeah,

0:27:060:27:10

the dog will have a treat tonight.

0:27:100:27:11

Well, I hope, like me, you've picked up some really useful tips today.

0:27:170:27:20

And I can tell you, there are quite a few that I'll be putting into practice when I get home.

0:27:200:27:24

But with some foods lasting for less time than you would expect,

0:27:240:27:27

and others having an almost indefinite shelf life in the freezer,

0:27:270:27:31

I can understand why there are so many people who say that,

0:27:310:27:33

when it comes to how long their food should last,

0:27:330:27:36

they're as likely to follow their nose and a bit of common sense as

0:27:360:27:39

they are the instructions on the label.

0:27:390:27:40

On the other hand, I suppose, you can see why food manufacturers

0:27:400:27:44

will tend to err on the side of caution

0:27:440:27:46

when it comes to predicting the lifespan of their products.

0:27:460:27:49

However, it does seem there's a fair bit of misinformation,

0:27:490:27:52

to put it mildly, flying around,

0:27:520:27:54

which may mean an awful lot of food is chucked away when, in fact,

0:27:540:27:58

it's still perfectly good enough to eat.

0:27:580:28:00

So, if what you've heard today means you won't be throwing away something

0:28:000:28:03

and rushing to replace it, that's a saving in terms of time,

0:28:030:28:07

effort and money.

0:28:070:28:09

And I think that feels like a very positive place on which to leave

0:28:090:28:12

things for today. You know,

0:28:120:28:13

you can share your own food tips and advice on our Facebook page and,

0:28:130:28:17

of course, if you've got a question or a problem that you'd like us to

0:28:170:28:20

investigate on a future programme -

0:28:200:28:22

not just about food, but on any of the topics that we cover throughout

0:28:220:28:25

the year - then we really would love to hear from you.

0:28:250:28:28

But, for now, that's it.

0:28:280:28:29

We'll see you again very soon and, until then,

0:28:290:28:32

from all of us here on the programme, bye-bye.

0:28:320:28:35

-Goodbye.

-Bye-bye.

0:28:350:28:36

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