Peas are one of the best vegetables for freezing. They taste nearly as good as when fresh.
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.
• 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.
• 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.
Blanching vegetables
one Bring 5–10 quarts (5–10 L) water to a boil, and plunge prewashed vegetables in it. Return to a boil.
two Remove vegetables from the boiling water after 2–3 minutes, drain well and plunge into ice water.
three Transfer the vegetables to a colander and let them drip-dry thoroughly before packing.
• Whole raw or cooked eggs can’t be frozen. Egg yolk and beaten egg white, however, can be frozen in appropriate plastic containers.
• Milk products don’t belong in the freezer. The exceptions to this are cheese and homemade ice cream.
• Keep most exotic fruit away from the freezer. When exposed to extreme cold, bananas turn brown and whole citrus fruit get spots. However, peeled, cubed pineapple freezes exceptionally well.
• Don’t freeze water-rich fruit and vegetables such as tomatoes, cabbage and onions, which take on an unappetizing color or become soft. Cooked spinach freezes well, however, and whole tomatoes can be frozen in bags for adding to soups and casseroles.
• For quick meals from the freezer, arrange ready-cooked meals on foil plates, making sure the meat is covered with gravy or sauce. Cover with plastic wrap or foil, seal and freeze.
• When freezing leftovers, store them in portion sizes so that you can take out exactly the number of servings you need.
• Make extra sauce or gravy and freeze in ice cube trays. Thaw just the amount you need.
• Freeze a cooked casserole in a foil-lined casserole dish. When frozen, lift out of the dish and wrap completely in more foil to store in the freezer. To cook, unwrap the frozen casserole and return to the original casserole dish to defrost and cook.
• To save time when entertaining, prepare butter balls or curls in advance, drop into ice water, drain and pack into boxes to freeze. Thaw at room temperature about an hour before needed.
• Frozen slices of lemon or lime are great to add to drinks. Just slice the fruit and freeze in bags.
• Before a dinner party, scoop ready-to-serve portions of ice cream or sorbet on paper-lined trays and refreeze.
• For instant pie decoration, roll out pastry trimmings and cut into shapes such as leaves or hearts. Freeze in containers and use straight from the freezer to decorate pies before baking.
• Cakes are best frozen without icing. If the cake is decorated, freeze before wrapping so that the top will not get squashed.
CAKES ARE best frozen WITHOUT ICING and decorated AFTER thawing.
