Last month we visited the joy of canning. I hope you tried it, and if you did please drop us a line at editor@mainstreetmagazine.net and tell us how it went, or if you took pictures, please share those as well.
This month we take a look at Freezing, the process of freezing food, from leftovers to garden produce. So lets get started!
Top 8 quick tips for freezing food
Below are our top 8 guidelines for safe and correct home freezing for your reference, but for more in-depth and extra information, particularly on certain food types, continue reading the rest of the article.
• Ensure that food is in perfect condition before freezing.
• Divide food into small portions. This ensures rapid freezing and better quality on defrosting.
• Use the correct type of packaging or container.
• Make sure that food is tightly wrapped or sealed and that no air or water can get in or out.
• Check that the temperature of the freezer is at 0°F or below.
• Do not freeze too many unfrozen items at once.
• Leave space around newly introduced packages.
• Defrost items in the refrigerator or in cold water.
About the freezing process
Water is the primary element of fresh food and usually makes up between 50-90% of the weight of the product. Freezing is a way of maintaining these water levels and temporarily preventing the growth of micro-organisms and bacteria, as the lack of moisture renders them unable to multiply when the water freezes to ice.
When fresh food is quick frozen, the cold penetrates rapidly, freezing the water and forming a large amount of small ice crystals. The smaller the ice crystals, the better the food quality after defrosting.
If food is frozen slowly, a smaller amount of large ice crystals tend to form. This means that as the water freezes and expands, the cell walls of the food expand and rupture causing structural damage to the food. This is why sometimes certain foods will be limp or mushy when thawed or just taste and feel different on eating.
The faster a food is frozen the better, so make sure that you use the "fast freeze" option if you have one or that you place the unfrozen product at the bottom of the freezer, which is the coldest location, so that it freezes faster than it would in a warmer area.
If you have several items to freeze, spread them out away from each other until they have completely frozen and they will also freeze quicker.
The ideal temperature at which to store food items in the freezer for long periods of time is 0°F (-18°C) or below. Foods stored at temperatures above 0°F will be prone to minimal bacteria activity, food spoilage and deterioration. At 0°F bacteria are inactivated, nutrients are retained and deterioration is at its lowest.