SUE
WILSON

ANNE
GARDINER

Put the
freeze
on food

WE CAN track the histori-
cal progress of freezing
from burying foods in
snowbanks to low-
temperature, insulated
boxes considered an every-
day appliance in many
homes.

Though the manner of freezing
has changed dramatically, the
process by which it slows the
deterioration of food remains the
same.

But in spite of its simplicity,
care is essential to preserve the
quality of frozen foods. The key
is freezing quickly and at suffi-
ciently low ternperatures, 0°F (-
18°C), to retard the work of en-
zymes, slow chemical reactions,
and prevent the growth of
bacteria.

Keep in mind that even solid
foods are composed of targe
amounts of water. Pure water
freezes at 32°F (0°F)but its freez-
ing point drops as the number of
dissolved sugars, salts, minerals
and proteins increases.

As water turns to ice, freezing
food expands by nearly nine per
cent. This creates stress on deli-

64 Family

cate cell walls as they’re pushed .
and pulled to a jumble of shapes. A Fare is
It’s easy to realize why most foods a
with a very high water content
don’t freeze well. j-

In genera}, the faster the freeze, comp uteri
the smaller the ice crystals which zed,
form within and around cach cell. :
Slow freezing results in the forma- per. sonaliz-
tion of large ice crystals which ed meal
may pierce cell walls, break emul- .
sions and disrupt networks of planning
starches that thicken. °

This means meat juices drip, Service
mayonnaise separates and pud-
dings teak. that

Ice crystals have a tendency to generates
enlarge when freezing
temperatures fluctuate. Thawing weekly
and refreezing means celis lose mea ff

their capacity to hold water,
resulting in fluid loss. Fluctuations
of even three degrees damage
many foods.

Protect food from the extremely
dry atmosphere of the freezer with
moisture-vapor-proof wrappings.
Re sure to squeeze out ail the air
and seal well.

Dry, tough areas of freezer
burn may occur where there’s a
small tear in the package that
feaves an area directly exposed to
oxygen.

Rough, burned-looking patches
with off-flavors result as frozen
water vaporizes in the presence of
air. Cus away any patches of
freezer burn before cooking, as
normal! flavors snd texture can’t
be restored,

For the quickest freeze, limit
the food to be frozen fo no more
than 10 per cent of the freezer ca-
pacity. Take advantage of quick
freeze shelves and spread the food
among already frozen foods. Once
frozen, pack more densely.

plans ...99

Syn *
~.fot ©
ys

GW OFTEN do

you find yourself

sitting down to a
meal that leoks suspicious-
ly like the same dish you
had last week — and the
week before that?

By Peggy Trendeil-Whittaker
News Reporter

With so many priorities com-
peting for the chef’s time, it’s
easy to fall back on the tried-
and-true family favorites when
planning a meal. And even
though we all know that it’s time
for men and children to start
pulling their weight in the kitch-
en, sometimes it’s just easier and
faster to do it yourself, rather
than spend the time training
novice cooks.

Lynn Valley's Chris Gower-
Reese of Family A Fare has the
answer to both problems. He
proposes a method whereby meal
variety is enhanced and the
chef’s workload (usually the
mother’s) is eased.

Family A Fare {fs a com-
puterized, personalized meal
planning service that generates
weekly meal plans based on the
recipes you supply and = your
needs for that particular week.

Gower-Reese takes your
favorite enoee, salad, appetizer,
side dish and dessert recipes —
some families have given him up
to 150 — and inputs them into a
computer program that he
designed.

Each week, participating fami-
lies fi out a list describing the

Unique service

takes guesswork
out of

menu planning

number and type of dishes they
plan to serve. In return, they are
sent a list of menu selections
complete with necessary ingre-
dients and directions on where to
find the recipe in the house-
hold’s stash of cookbooks.

They also receive a shopping
list, which is a compilation of all
the ingredients called for in that
week’s recipes. The shopping list
is organized according to sec-
tions of the supermarket to cut
down on aimless wandering and
to make it easier to divide wn the
shopping amongst family
members.

According to Gower-Reese,
who test-marketed his concept
on four neighboring families for
nearly four months, the shopp-
ing list also cuts down on im-
pulse buying and buying food
“Just in case,”’ only to throw it
out tater.

This saves money, he says,
often enough to pay for the ser-
vice he’s supplying. Each cate-
gory ticked off by the family
each weck costs 25 cents, with a
minimum of $1.25 per day.

This works out to an average
cost of $12 to $15 per week. Is it
worth it? It is if you value your
time and the family harmony
that can result from planning
and executing a well thought out
meal together.

He's gone even one step fur-

ther in making allowances for
his clients’ harried schedules. No

cheques need be written in return

for his services; the appropriate
amount is automatically debited
from the family bank account
ance the client has completed the
authorization form,

lf this is already starting to
feel a little bit Orwellian, with
shades of /984 tugging at your
consciousness, hang on: there’s
more to come. Lots more.

Just for starters, Gower-Reese
is hoping to modify the service
to help people with their nutri-
tional planning or diet; for ex-
ample, he could program his
computer to spew out recipes
that total no more than 1,200
calories a day.

He’s also planning to offer an
emergency gourmet service, sort
of a BCAA of the kitchen range.

If you're faced with unex-
pected guests one night, simply
call Gower-Reese from your of-
fice and tell him your problem.
He wiif go through your com-
puter file, choose an appropriate
menu, and fax a shopping list ci-
ther (o you or to a grocery store
that’s willing to compile your
grocery order for you to pick up
on the way home from work.

One day, he will also be able
to help you in your pursuit of
personal goals — imagine receiv-
ing gentle reminders about your
assertiveness training on your
weekly shopping lisi. Or he
could arrange to send you
reminders of all your relatives’
birthdays.

If this sounds like a service
your family could benefit from,
call Chris Gower-Reese at 986-
3300 for more information.

Wednesday, November 7, 1990 — North Shore News ~ 47
TE I eS TS TE °C

46 He's
also
planning
to offer an
emergency
gourmet
service,
sort of a
BCAA of
the
kitchen
range. 93