The cold facts on frozen foods

Ever since the first frozen ready meal appeared on our plates in 1953, frozen foods have played an important role in the British home and frozen foods are now part of every day family life. As food products get more sophisticated, so have us shoppers! Now, more than ever before, Mums want to know where our frozen food comes from and to feel informed about foods we buy.

So, when you're making shopping decisions for you and your family, you might want to keep up to date on food issues and how frozen foods can benefit family life. The New Ice Age team and our three independent in-house experts on frozen foods are here to answer any questions on frozen foods that you may have – from nutritional advice to cost saving tricks and meal ideas and recipes – The New Ice Age is here to help you!

So, read on to feel confident about using frozen foods... how to store them, how to keep your freezer properly regulated, the life-span of your frozen foods, how to defrost your freezer, the nutritional and convenience and cost benefits of choosing frozen foods – and of course a whole lot more!

History of Frozen Food

It may sound like a modern invention but freezing food as a way of keeping it fresh has been around for 3,000 years since the ancient Chinese first recorded its use! In this section we see how Clarence Birdseye learnt the process from Native Americans who kept their fish fresh this way. We see how consumerism in the 1950s allowed frozen foods to become increasingly popular right up to this decade where families want to know exactly where their food comes from – exactly what this site is here for!

Facts on Frozen Food

Freezing is an excellent means of preserving food. This section gives you useful information on how to get the most from your frozen foods through proper storage and defrosting.

Frozen Food and Waste Reduction

A study by WRAP (the Waste Resources Action Programme) found that, here in the UK, we throw away one third of the food we buy. We explain how this waste can be avoided buy buying frozen foods because, with frozen, it is easy to manage portion control and return what is not eaten to the freezer. 

Environmental Aspect of Frozen Food

This page highlights energy savings of the frozen food process, carbon footprint issues and sustainability information.

Frozen Meat and Poultry

Frozen meats have a hugely extended shelf life, can be bought out of season and can often be better in quality – frozen Chicken Kievs for example encourage the sauce to stay inside!

Frozen Fish

We explain how fish and seafood can start to decline in quality from the moment it is caught – see how freezing fish within hours of a catch, often on board the fishing boat, can freeze in the goodness and preserve the fish's goodness. 'Fresh' fish is sometimes not as fresh as we might hope!

Frozen Pasta, Pizza and Rice

Did you know that blind tasting invariably shows that people prefer frozen Pizza over chilled equivalents? Frozen pizza is popular with all the family – why not buy ready made Pizzas or just Pizza bases and then create you own toppings?

Frozen Potato Products

Reveals some great stuff that most people just don't know. For example – oven chips contain fewer calories than low fat chocolate! 

Frozen Fruit and Veg

A fresh pea loses most of its nutrients within hours of picking – luckily frozen peas have the goodness locked in well beforet hey are lost! Like most vegetables, a pea is normally frozen within hours of picking and this locks in the nutrients for as long as they are frozen.

Frozen Bakery and Bread

By baking off small amounts of frozen bread and pasties, you can maintain that freshly baked appearance, aroma and texture throughout the day without an early morning visit to the bakery each day!

Frozen Appetisers and Buffet Items

Buffet items can be thawed and served for ultimate convenience at busy parties and are a cost effective solution to hand made alternatives.

Frozen Deserts

This page explains how some of the UK's best loved desserts are now more usually associated with frozen – such as yummy tasting profteroles, gateaux and cheesecakes. Scottish rasberries, exotic fruits, English Strawberries – they're all available all year round with frozen!

Frozen Prepared Meals and Entrées 

These are some of the most innovating foods in the frozen food market today. Shelf lives are dramatically extended allowing you to keep meals in storage for months and then produce them at next to no notice! 

Using Frozen Food for Functions and Special Occasions

Whether it's Christmas, Mothers' Day, Valentines or Easter – frozen foods offer a vast selection of time saving recipees so that you can spend more time with your feet up!

Freezer Maintenance 

And finally (Yes, you do need to be kind to your freezer!) – from when and how to defrost to how to reduce your energy usage; we'll give you the information you need. But to help you manage that tricky situation if your freezer breaks down see Facts on Frozen.

Why Not Join In!

The New Ice Age is your independent guide through the world of frozen foods. Enjoy our site and, if you like, why not contribute by asking us a question about frozen food.

If you want to discover anything – from the nutritional benefits of frozen food to how to look after your freezer and from the cost saving benefits of the frozen food option to the time saving opportunities it can provide then do drop us a line!

Alternatively, if you like to know where your food comes from, why not apply to become one of our Field Operatives? As an Operative you can go behind the scenes of frozen food, to film, to write and to publish your findings about the frozen food cycle... apply to go behind the scenes of frozen food.