The key to maintaining a food's quality is speedy freezing. The faster the food is frozen, the smaller the ice crystals that are formed in and around its cells. These tiny crystals do not cause as much tearing as the larger ones formed by slow freezing. The food's texture therefore will suffer less damage. Another related benefit is that the food - particularly meat - will not lose as much of its juices during thawing because its cell walls remain relatively intact.

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