Do you freeze food straight away when hot or do you cool it at room temperature, then freeze?

[bamboostalks]

I am really confused by this and am getting mixed messages from internet. I send dd to childminder with her lunch and I like to batch up and then freeze. So not sure what is the safest way to freeze stuff like pasta and sauce and chicken curry.

Thanks!!

god never freeze hot it must be cooled to RT x

Always cool first.

Never put hot stuff in fridge or freezer. It will cause the temperature of the whole unit to rise. Puts other food at potential risk and will cost you a fortune in electricity.

I cool it down then freeze.

otherwise it would melt everything else in the freezer surely? i def agree cool to RT

Chill it at room temperature, then freeze.

Cool, then freeze - it saves energy for the freezer and stops the possibility of bits of other food coming into contact with the heat, melting and then re-freezing.

If you put it in the freezer while still hot it will raise the temperature in the freezer and possibly defrost the food that is already in there. Similarly never put hot food in the fridge.

If you want to cool stuff quickly you can put cold water in the sink and sit the saucepan in that. If the water gets warm then empty and refill the sink. Stir the saucepan occasionally (a bit like cooking in reverse). Then when it's room temperature put it into individual containers and freeze.

Duh, obviously I missed out on some food hygiene course at some point but forgive my ignorance, isn't the bacteria multiplying and the food getting contaminated? How long should you let it cool for?

there wont be any when it has just been cooked and only if you leave it out all dya will there be an opp for them to 'brew' ! also freezing will kill them anyway. all the other reasons partic melting and re-freezing stuff already in the freezer much more dangerous

You need to cool it quickly
put the pan or whatever into a basin of cold water, for instance

Thanks everyone.

If I put hot food in the freezer without knowing that it should be RT, will it still be okay if I remove it quickly, so it can finish cooling down?

If I put hot food in the freezer without knowing that it should be RT, will it still be okay if I remove it quickly, so it can finish cooling down?

Freezing food does not kill bacteria, you are just putting the bacteria on ice.
You should cool hot food as quickly as possible. Unless you inherited your grandparents fridge, your modern fridge will cool the food long before your food heats everything else up, but use common sense. Don't fill every shelf with boiling hot food and uncooked pork in the middle of it.

I generally portion it, let it cool a bit, fridge for a while, then freeze.