Chapter 13

Baby, It’s Cold Inside! Freezing Fresh Food

IN THIS CHAPTER

Bullet Exploring the freezing process

Bullet Getting acquainted with the spoilers of frozen food

Bullet Discovering packaging methods

Bullet Perfectly thawing your frozen food

Welcome to freezing, the simplest and least time-consuming method for preserving food. Freezing works well for almost any food. With a minimum of planning and equipment (you may already have most of it), proper storage containers, and basic freezing techniques, keeping food from spoiling and tasting as if you just took it out of the oven or brought it home from the store is a piece of cake. This chapter gives you the basics. The remaining chapters in this part give detailed instructions on freezing particular foods.

Defining Freezing

Since the advent of home refrigeration, people have discovered the joys of prolonging the life of fresh food by freezing. Freezing food is easy, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. The results produced from freezing food are superior to canning or drying. When food is properly prepared, packaged, and quickly frozen, there’s no better method for retaining its natural color, flavor, and nutritive value.

The process of freezing lowers the temperature of the food to 0 degrees or colder. This low temperature halts microorganism activity by slowing the growth of enzymes. Freezing doesn’t sterilize food or destroy the microorganisms; it only stops the negative changes in the quality of frozen food. The goal with freezing is to preserve the fresh quality of your food.

Follow these tips for best freezing results:

Prepare your food quickly. This means you should be ready to freeze your foods the same day you pick them or purchase them. Have your supplies ready and the time set aside to freeze at the peak of freshness.
Package your food in moisture- and vapor-proof wrappings. These products don’t permit the penetration of air or moisture, two common spoilers. (To find out about other spoilers, head to the next section.)
Keep your freezer at 0 degrees or colder. Frozen food stored at 15 to 20 degrees may appear as solid as food stored at 0 degrees or colder, but the quality of your thawed food stored at the warmer temperature is lower than food stored at 0 degrees or colder.
Properly thaw your food to preserve its quality and eliminate bacteria growth. For thawing instructions, head to the later section, “Thawing Out Your Frozen Food.”

Meeting the Spoilers of Frozen Foods

Before getting started, you need to recognize the spoilers of frozen food. These spoilers reduce the quality, flavor, and freezer life of frozen foods. One or more of these spoilers may appear before, during, or after freezing. For detailed information on these spoilers, refer to Chapter 3.

Bacteria, molds, and yeast

All fresh food contains microorganisms or bacteria. When active microorganisms are present in food, they multiply quickly and destroy the quality of the food, sometimes right before your eyes. The best example of this is a loaf of bread that becomes covered with green mold.

Prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, or yeast in your food by following these guidelines:

Select food of the highest quality.
Freeze your food at a temperature of 0 degrees or colder.
Use sanitary conditions when handling and preparing your food.

Some bacteria may cause disease; other bacteria are actually good and are required for the fermentation process, such as that used for making beer.

Enzymes

Enzymes speed up the ripening process and change the color and flavor of your food. Use these methods to retain the colors and flavors in fresh fruits and vegetables before the freezing process:

Add sugar and antioxidants (commercial anti-darkening agents; see Chapter 5). These ingredients keep fruit from darkening in color.
Blanch your veggies. Briefly plunge them into boiling water and then into cold water to stop the cooking process.

Not all enzyme reactions are bad: When beef is aged, it sits in a chilled room for about one week. The enzymes naturally tenderize the meat, making it more desirable to consume. Fermenting foods, that is, allowing good enzymes to change a food’s basic makeup, creates healthy and delicious new foods.

Freezer burn and oxidation

Freezer burn and oxidation result from air coming in contact with your frozen food. Freezer burn is a change in color, texture, and flavor in the food during the freezing period because the air in the freezer removes moisture from the food and dries it out. Freezer-burned food is not dangerous to eat. However, freezer burn does render the food unappetizing to look at and unpleasant to taste.

Oxidation is a chemical change in your frozen food. The technical term is lipid oxidation, which occurs on an atomic level and has to do with hydrogen atoms and free radicals. Oxidized foods have a funny or off taste and color, but they are still safe to eat just unappetizing.

What is important to know is that enzymes have a lot to do with oxidation. By blanching foods (most commonly vegetables) before freezing, you stop or at least slow down the enzymes’ actions and delay oxidation. Other steps you can take to prevent oxidation are to properly wrap foods, use suitable containers, and follow correct storage times. (Check out “Packaging Your Food and Filling Your Freezer,” later in this chapter.)

Ice crystals

When you think of ice crystals, you probably think of winter and snowflakes. But in the world of freezing food, ice crystals aren’t charming at all. They cause your frozen food to lose liquid and darken.

Because the freezing process essentially turns the water in food to ice, the way to eliminate destructive ice crystals is to keep them as small as possible. This is accomplished through a fast freeze and keeping foods as cold as possible, at a temperature of 0 degrees or lower.

Gearing Up to Fill Your Freezer

Whether food is fresh from your garden or fresh from a store, the choices you make have an effect on the quality of your food after it’s thawed. Of course, packaging materials, packaging procedures, and thawing methods also play an important role in the quality of your frozen food.

Knowing what should (and shouldn’t) be frozen

In theory, any food can be frozen. In reality, because of their different textures and composition, not all foods freeze well. The key to being happy with the results of freezing is to make sure you select foods that freeze well. There are almost too many categories of good foods for the freezer, but in general, you can freeze most fresh vegetables and fruits, meats and fish, breads and cakes, and clear soups and casseroles.

Here’s a list of foods that don’t freeze well:

Cooked frostings and frostings made with fluffy egg whites and whipped cream. These types of frostings become soft and weep (emit a thick liquid). Note: Butter-based frostings freeze well.
Cooked pasta. Reheated cooked pasta is soft, mushy, and shapeless.
Custards and cream-pie fillings. These foods turn watery and lumpy.
Egg whites and meringues. These crack, toughen, and turn rubbery.
Mayonnaise. This condiment breaks down and separates.
Raw fruits or vegetables with a high water content. Foods with a high water content break down when frozen and become mushy beyond recognition when thawed. Some examples are lettuce, watermelon, citrus fruit, and cucumbers. Tomatoes are an exception to this rule if you’re using them in cooked dishes, like stews. Tomatoes also become soft and watery, but usually this texture is desired in a soup or other cooked dish.

When freezing fresh tomatoes, cut them into quarters. Package them in one-cup portions for quick freezing and easy measuring.
Sauces and gravy. Thickened sauces and milk gravies separate when they’re frozen. Freeze your pan drippings; these juices, produced from cooking a roast or turkey, freeze without the need to add a thickener.
Yogurt, cream cheese, and sour cream. These tend to separate when frozen.
Soft cheeses, ricotta, and cottage cheese. These tend to break down and separate when frozen.
Potatoes. These become watery and grey when thawed. You could use them in a cooked dish, but even then, the texture is so mealy that they’re not recommended in your frozen foods list.

Evaluating your freezer

Before you embark on a freezing frenzy, you need to make sure your freezer is in good working order: frost free and maintaining a constant temperature of 0 degrees or lower.

Getting rid of frost: Today, most freezers are frost free, automatically defrosting any buildup of ice in the freezer. Freezers that don’t automatically defrost require defrosting when the ice buildup is ¾ inch, or at least once a year. You need to empty your freezer before defrosting it. (Refer to your owner’s manual for instructions on defrosting your freezer.)

Keep your freezer operating in top-notch condition with proper care and maintenance according to the manufacturer’s recommendations (refer to your owner’s manual). If you’ve misplaced your manual or have questions regarding maintenance or usage, contact your local appliance company or search on the Internet for the manufacturer’s website.
Checking your freezer’s temperature: Adjust your freezer thermostat, as needed, to maintain a temperature of 0 degrees or colder. Purchase a freezer thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of your freezer.

Add no more food to your freezer than can freeze solid in 24 hours, about 2 to 3 pounds of food for each cubic foot of freezer space. Adding a large quantity of food to your freezer at one time may raise the temperature in the freezer above 0 degrees. This stops the quick-freezing process and may affect the quality of your frozen food.

Packaging Your Food and Filling Your Freezer

Proper packaging is important for preserving the quality of your frozen food both during the freezing process and after it’s thawed. Any excess air in your container may compromise the quality of your thawed food. Remove as much air as possible in bags and wraps, and allow the recommended headspace in rigid freezer containers.

How you fill your freezer is also important. Put too much unfrozen food in at once and the temperature may rise above 0 degrees. Fail to rotate your food and you’re more likely to use newer food before older food. The following sections explain how to package your food, pack your freezer, and keep everything organized.

It’s a wrap! Choosing a container

Protecting foods during the storage period requires containers that are easy to seal, suitable for low temperatures, and, most importantly, moisture- and vapor-proof. Three types of packaging materials meet the criteria for properly freezing food: rigid containers, freezer bags, and freezer paper and wrap.

Rigid containers

Rigid containers are the perfect solution for freezing any soft or liquid food, such as casseroles and soups, and they’re reusable. The most desirable material for rigid containers is plastic, although some glass containers are made for freezing. Container sizes range from ¼ cup to 1 quart, with a variety of sizes in between. Purchase container sizes that fit your family’s needs.

Choose square- or rectangular-shaped containers. They save space and fit better in your freezer than round containers.

Rigid containers approved for freezing prevent the spoilers from attacking your food, and also stop moisture and vapors from penetrating your food. When you use them, be sure to allow the proper headspace so that your food or liquid can expand without forcing the top off (you can find a table listing headspace guidelines in Chapter 15). A good rule: Allow ½ inch of headspace for shallow containers and 1 inch for tall containers.

Freezer bags

Freezer bags are readily available, are reasonably inexpensive, require a minimum amount of storage space, and come in a variety of sizes. When using freezer bags (I prefer the locking zipper variety), purchase bags that are labeled for freezing, because their thickness is moisture proof and protects the flavor of your food.

After placing your food in the bag, force out as much air as possible by folding the filled part of the bag against the nonfilled part of the bag, and pressing the air out while sealing the bag.

Freezer paper and wraps

Freezer paper comes coated or laminated and protects your wrapped food from air and freezer burn. Other freezer papers include heavy-duty foil, clear plastic wrap, waxed paper, and polyethylene (plastic) sheets.

These papers and wraps are especially useful when packaging irregularly shaped foods, such as steaks and roasts. Freezer paper is primarily used for meat, because tight wrapping forces out excess air.

To freezer-wrap something, I recommend using the butcher wrap technique; follow these steps (see Figure 13-1):

Tear off a piece of freezer paper about double the size of your food (to ensure there are no exposed areas).
Place the food on the paper as close to a corner as you can get it without overlapping the paper.
Fold the corner tightly over the meat.
Fold the sides tightly over the center, one at a time.
Roll the package over until you reach the end of your freezer paper.
Securely tape the ends with freezer tape, a tape suited for cold temperatures.

Alternatively, you can use drugstore wrap, also shown in Figure 13-1. When deciding between the two, the butcher wrap works well with irregularly shaped foods, like chicken breasts or legs, and the drugstore wrap works nicely on flat cuts, like steaks or chops.

Schematic illustration of the freezer-paper wrapping techniques. — FIGURE 13-1: Freezer-paper wrapping techniques.

Vacuum sealed bags

A vacuum sealing machine is a handy appliance that’s great for packaging foods in freezer-safe bags. Air is almost completely removed from the package through a suction process, the trademark of this appliance. Most vacuum sealing machines use materials that are freezer safe or even microwavable and boil-proof. (This is handy for single-serving meals for home or at work.)

Consider these additional factors when you’re purchasing a vacuum sealing machine:

Cost. Electric plug-in types range from a low of $50 to upward of $300. Battery- or hand-powered vacuum sealers are available for as little as $10.
Replacement bags. Most machines include bags to get you started. Consider the cost of replacement bags and the reputation of the manufacturer. Investing in a vacuum sealer that can only use a certain make of bags may limit the use of your machine in years to come.
Storage requirements. Depending on the size of your kitchen, storing a vacuum sealing machine may or may not be an issue. The ideal location for a vacuum sealer is usually on a counter, where you can use it at a moment’s notice. Many vacuum sealing machines can now be stored vertically or horizontally, saving space.

To extend the life of your vacuum sealing bags, cut them larger than necessary and reseal them each time you remove some of the food inside. This works well for dry products. You can also refill and reseal the bags if the item inside is dry and fresh. This technique is not recommended for juicy foods or meats.

Many vacuum sealing machines now have an attachment that removes air from a canning jar. This technique is excellent for storing dehydrated foods. For more on using vacuum sealing machine attachments, see Chapter 16.

Tracking your frozen food trail

How many times have you looked in your freezer in astonishment that it’s full, and yet have had no idea what’s taking up so much space? Have you ever defrosted what you thought was soup, only to discover you’re now having stewed tomatoes for dinner? Solve the dilemma of mystery freezer food by following these simple tips:

Label each package with the item and the date before placing your food in the freezer. Also include the weight of a roast, the quantity of cut-up tomatoes, your preparation method, or the number of servings. Use an indelible marker or a waterproof pen, which won’t rub off.
Keep an up-to-date written record of food in your freezer to help with your meal planning. Any sheet of paper works well. Make columns with the following headings: date, item (roast, spaghetti sauce, and so on), quantity or weight (1 cup or 3 pounds, for example), and any recipe or preparation ideas. Keep the list on your freezer door, crossing off items as you use them.

Packing your freezer

How you pack your freezer has an impact on the quality of your frozen foods. Follow these guidelines:

Cool your food to room temperature or chill it slightly before putting it in the freezer. Doing this speeds up the freezing process (the freezer doesn’t have to work so hard to get the prechilled food down to 0 degrees or lower) and uses less energy.
When you first place your foods in the freezer, pack them loosely. Once they’re frozen solid, you can pack them tightly. The extra space initially lets the cold air circulate and freeze the foods more quickly.
Rotate your food. To rotate your food, simply add new frozen foods to the back of the freezer and bring the older foods up front. That way, you can reach for the front of the group and get the oldest frozen food. Remember this acronym: FIFO (First In, First Out).
Use your frozen food within one year of freezing. Table 13-1 lists approximately how long you can keep food in the freezer.

TABLE 13-1 Recommended Length of Time in the Freezer

Food	Length of Storage at 0°F (–18°C)
Fruits and vegetables, excluding citrus	12 months
Citrus fruits	3 to 4 months
Poultry	12 months
Fish	2 to 3 months
Ground meat	3 to 4 months
Cured or processed meat	1 to 2 months

Thawing Out Your Frozen Food

Following the guidelines for freezing won’t guarantee a great product without practicing proper thawing methods. So, what’s the big deal about thawing? Freezing only halts the growth of microorganisms. After thawing, bacteria and enzymes in your food are free to multiply as if they hadn’t been frozen. Keep this growth at a standstill by thawing your food at a low temperature, preferably in a refrigerator, in its freezer container or packaging.

Thaw only what you need, using your food immediately upon thawing. If your food tastes funny or smells odd, harmful microorganisms may be present. Don’t hesitate to dispose of any questionable food.

You don’t need to thaw vegetables before adding them to a dish you’re cooking. Instead, you can add them directly to the dish in the last 10 minutes of cooking. You can also place frozen, unbaked goods directly into the oven to bake. Many previously prepared foods can be placed directly into the oven to reheat and bake as well.

Choices for thawing

Heat makes the spoilers grow faster, so the lower the temperature during the thawing period, the better for you and the quality of your food. Here are your best options for safely thawing and maintaining the quality of your food:

Thawing in your refrigerator. This is the best and safest process for thawing your food because of the low temperature. Plan your meal the night before and place your choice in the refrigerator to thaw.
Thawing at room temperature. Leave your frozen food at room temperature for 2 hours; then immediately place it in the refrigerator for the remainder of the thawing process. This option is a great alternative if you forgot to take your food out of the freezer the night before.
Thawing in the microwave. Use this method only if your microwave has a defrost cycle. This is important because you want the food to defrost evenly, not to be cooked in one portion and frozen in another.
Thawing in cold water, 40 degrees or lower. Immerse your packaged food in cold water, never hot or warm water. By maintaining the lowest temperature possible when thawing your food, you’ll inhibit bacteria and enzyme activity.

Unplanned thawing

No matter how good technology is, everyone experiences a power failure at one time or another. This may be for a few minutes, a few hours, or, in the worst-case scenario, a few days. Don’t panic; keep the freezer door closed, and resist the temptation to open the door to check the temperature.

A fully loaded freezer at 0 degrees or colder usually stays cold enough to keep your food frozen for up to two days. A freezer that’s half-full may not keep your food frozen for more than a day because air space doesn’t maintain a constant temperature as efficiently as a piece of solidly frozen food.

If you do have a power outage, follow these tips for saving the contents of your freezer:

Check with your electric company to estimate the length of your power outage.

If you find that your freezer is the only electric appliance that isn’t operating, check the electrical cord and plug for a good connection. If this isn’t the problem, check your electrical panel for a blown fuse.
If you receive advance warning that your electricity will be off, set your freezer temperature to its coldest setting. The colder temperature delays thawing during the time the electricity is off.
In the worst-case scenario, your freezer may be out long enough for your food to defrost. Locate a supplier of dry ice and pack your food in the dry ice before it defrosts completely. (Ask your dry-ice supplier for safe packing and handling instructions.)

Dry ice is a refrigerant consisting of solid carbon dioxide. Handle dry ice with care and never touch it with your bare hands. Even a short exposure to dry ice may cause frostbite.

To refreeze or not to refreeze thawed food

From time to time, even the best-laid plans change and you don’t use your defrosted food when you planned. If your food is only partially defrosted, as indicated by the presence of ice crystals, it may be refrozen.

I don’t suggest refreezing food as a regular practice, but if you’re considering it for any reason, keep these things in mind:

Don’t refreeze completely defrosted low-acid foods, such as vegetables or meat sauces, after they reach room temperature. These foods may not be safe to eat.
You may refreeze high-acid foods and most fruits and fruit products if they’re still cold.
You may safely refreeze partially thawed foods containing ice crystals if they were thawing in your refrigerator.

Refrozen foods have a shorter shelf life than when they are first frozen. They may also taste different. If you refreeze an item, make a note on the package, including the refreezing date. Use refrozen food as soon as possible. Follow this simple rule when evaluating refrozen, thawed food: When in doubt, throw it out! Eating spoiled food can be quite dangerous.