THAWING FRUITS 



Frozen fruits when thawed are ready to be served as 

 dessert. But thaw only enough for one meal at a time. 

 Fruit quickly loses its freshness after it has thawed — 

 the texture becomes oversoft and the fresh flavor de- 

 creases. For a small family, cut a large package in two 

 before thawing, but be sure to keep the unused part 

 wrapped and frozen. 



Serve berries while they still contain a few ice crystals. 

 Though texture of peaches or similar fruits is better when 

 they are still a little icy, flavor is improved by more com- 

 plete thawing. 



If you plan to cook the fruit, thaw it only enough to 

 separate the pieces. 



Always leave fruit in the sealed container during thaw- 

 ing for best flavor and color. Turn package several times 

 during thawing to keep fruit coated with sirup and to 

 prevent darkening. On the refrigerator shelf, it takes 6 

 to 8 hours to thaw a 1 -pound package of fruit. At room 

 temperature, the time is shortened to 2 to 3 hours. To 

 thaw fruit quickly, place package in cool running water 

 for a half to 1 hour. Fruit packed with dry sugar thaws 

 more quickly than that packed with sirup. 



Never refreeze fruits after thawing. To keep frozen 

 fruits that have been thawed cook them first, then store 

 in the refrigerator. 



If you combine frozen fruits with other foods in reci- 

 pes, be sure to allow for the sugar or sirup in which the 

 fruit was packed. In some recipes, no more sugar will be 

 needed. 



Frozen fruit that has lost its fresh quality may still be 

 used in recipes for cooked desserts. 



Use frozen peaches or other fruit promptly after 

 thawing. If you wish to use peach slices in salads, 

 dip them, frozen or thawed, in citrus fruit juice to 

 add tartness and retard darkening. 



Frozen strawberries make excellent shortcake as 

 do other berries and peaches. Arrange on cake 

 while berries are still a little icy. 



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