Keep cod cool on the trip from the market to your house. Never let it stay unrefrigerated for long. To store cod, remove packaging, rinse under cold water, and pat dry with paper towels. Fish deteriorates when it sits in its own juices, so place it on a cake rack in a shallow pan filled with crushed ice. Cover with cling wrap or foil and set in the coldest part of the refrigerator. Cod will store well this way for up to two days. When well-wrapped, cod can be kept frozen for up to two months in a refrigerator freezer and for three to four months in a deep-freeze. Using lined freezer paper, wrap the fish tightly from head to tail with at least two layers of paper. To thaw slowly, remove the freezer paper, place the cod in the pan, cover, and leave for 24 hours in the refrigerator. To thaw faster, place the whole fish in a sink with cool running water allowing about 30 minutes per pound (450g). For fastest thawing, use the defrost cycle of your microwave, allowing two to five minutes per pound (450g) with equal standing time in between zaps (as one minute defrost to one minute resting).