About Freezing Food

 About Freezing Food

The freezer makes it possible to keep many food items

available, ready to whip up a favorite dish. It also allows you

to buy food cheaply in bulk or when it’s in season, and to

bake in batches and save separate portions.

Foods meant for the freezer should be fresh or if they are cooked, they

should be packed up and put in the freezer as soon as they have cooled.

Never refreeze foods that have already been frozen and thawed.

The right way to freeze

• Use only freezer bags, plastic containers, foil trays and special freezer

containers for freezing. Label all items with the type of food and date.

• Never fill plastic containers right to the top with sauce, soup or other

liquids. They will expand and lift the lid or split the container.

• Only partially fill freezer bags so the contents freeze faster and the

bags are easier to stack.

• Prevent freezer burn by getting as much air as possible out of the

bags before sealing them.

•If cooked food does not fill a container, pack the space with

crumpled paper to prevent the food from drying out.

•It’s best to freeze many small amounts of food and thaw the packages

as needed. This will decrease waste, because once frozen food has been

thawed it has to be consumed or thrown out; it can’t be frozen again.

Which foods to freeze and how to do it

•Individual meat portions should be no more than 4 inches (10 cm)

thick, while larger cuts of meat should weigh no more than 5 pounds

(2.5 kg). Remove extra fat and bones from meat, if practical.

Depending on the fat content, meat can be frozen for 6–12 months.

Lean meat lasts longest, as fat gradually becomes rancid at low

temperatures.

• When freezing prepacked meats, always remove the packaging and

rewrap. Cut out the store label and tape to the new packaging.

• Place pieces of foil between slices of cooked meat or uncooked

hamburgers to keep them from sticking together. They will keep for 2

months in the freezer. Chops and steaks separated in the same way will

keep for up to 6 months.

• Before freezing uncooked poultry, remove it from its packaging,

rinse well and rewrap in plastic wrap or place in a freezer bag. After

thawing, rinse under cold running water before cooking. Uncooked

poultry will keep for up to 12 months in the freezer.

• Freeze only freshly caught raw fish that has been scaled, cleaned and

washed in advance. Cook it within 6 months.

• Shortcrust pastry can be frozen raw or baked. Allow yeast dough to

rise once before freezing.

• Bread and rolls are easy to freeze and will keep for 3 months. If you

freeze sliced bread, it can be defrosted as needed.

• Blanch vegetables (see box) to reduce the danger of freezer burn.

Blanched vegetables will keep in the freezer for up to 10 months.

• Mushrooms, red cabbage and legumes such as peas and beans

become even easier to digest after they have been frozen. They lose the

substances that often lead to flatulence.

• Freeze berries or vegetable pieces on a cookie sheet and drop them in

bags. Fruit and vegetables can be kept for up to 12 months in the

freezer.