THANKS to frozen foods, we now have access to all kinds of foods like vegetables, fruits, fish, poultry and meats at all times of the year. They are available from the highest mountains to the driest deserts and from anywhere on earth. We no longer have to wait for winter for peas or for summer to enjoy mangoes. We don't have to keep waiting for seasonal foods.

Freezing technology has made all this possible.

In the old days, people believed that foods would lose their nourishment when they are frozen, even though we now know that the reverse is true.

This is because freezing slows down the growth of micro organisms that cause decay. When food is frozen at 18 degrees C it remains safe. Freezing also slows down the loss of vitamins and nutrients. Vegetables and fruits start losing their nutritional properties from the moment they are plucked and also start losing their sugar content. Corn that we love so much loses its sugar content by 50 per cent in just 24 hours. But this can be changed if the vegetables and fruits are frozen and packed soon after plucking.

Today, when people have such little time for shopping, chopping vegetables, meats and cooking, frozen foods have become a great boon without compromising on the health of the family.

Ready-to-eat foods like dals, curries, pullavs, idlis and almost anything else you can think of are available in the frozen food section of a big store. Whole ranges of ready to eat delicacies

such as potatoes, salami, cutlets, cocktail snacks, are also readily available. Juices, soya milk, assortments of fish, meats, and cold cuts make an exotic and tempting display.

Refrigeration has made life easy as all frozen foods can travel great distances without spoiling. It helps the farmers, as their produce can be conveniently sold to distant destinations. They are not dependent on local purchases. Meals can also be planned in advance. Storing frozen foods also helps you avoid many trips to the market. Frozen foods have a shelflife of 6 month to one year, so they can be bought well in advance and used over a long period of time.

For freezing, take 250 grams of any vegetables like carrots, peas and beans. Blanch them for one minute, put in a ziplock bag, press the bag to release all the air and put the bag in the freezer. A number of small bags are easy to take out when you need to cook the contents.

Before cooking, frozen vegetables or meats need to be defrosted. It is most convenient to use a microwave oven, but they can be put in a bag immersed in tap water. Then let them stand for a few minutes before cooking.

You can also take bread, muffins and cakes without icing, put them individually in a ziplock bags, take the air out and freeze them.