If you know the secrets to successfully freezing food it is quite simple once you avoid the causes of failure and freezer burn. How many times have you pulled an expensive roast out of your freezer to find it is freezer burned beyond saving? Or opened your garden vegetables to find them dry and gray? With a few tools and some know how, you can successfully freeze food you buy ahead and it will cook up beautifully and retain its nutrients. We all love to find those bargains and stock our freezers. And when the growing season is full on or is coming to an end, you want to save some of those beautiful vegetables so plentiful during the summer. So protect your investment and your family’s nutrition and enjoyment of meals with the skills of properly freezing food. Freezer Burn Prevention What is freezer burn? Freezer burn appears as frost crystals on the food, with the food being discolored and dry. When food freezes, millions of water molecules within the food form ice crystals. These crystals will migrate through evaporation, which can mean out of the food and toward the walls of your freezer. This loss of water drys out the food. Oxygen enters the damaged food cells as water escapes, causing loss of color, nutrients and flavor. And if temperatures are uneven the escaping water will thaw and freeze again, forming the crystals of ice you see. Freezer burned food is safe to eat, but can be tasteless and the texture is unappetizing. So, what can you do to prevent freezer burn? 7 Secrets to Successfully Freeze Food 1. Keep your freezer below 0° and don’t open it unless you need too. 2. Never put hot food in the freezer. It causes dramatic warming and freezer burn on what is in there. 3. Freeze small amounts, not more than a pound per portion, and use Food Labels with the food and the date! 4. Wrap meat tightly with heavy plastic, then aluminum foil, then pack in airtight containers. 5. Blanch and thoroughly drain vegetables, then pack tightly in plastic containers, “burping” out the air. Be sure to leave enough space for expansion during freezing, and seal the top with heavy plastic wrap before you snap on the lid. 6. With soups, leave expansion room at the top, and thoroughly cool. Seal the surface with plastic wrap before covering and freezing. 7. If your freezer is half full, fill containers with water, leaving expansion room, and freeze. This stabilizes freezer temperature. Use the right materials and procedures and your food will stay at its peak until you are ready to cook it. Food storage containers for freezing are available now that are FDA approved. These plastics contain no BPA or harmful chemicals and are safe to go from freezer to microwave. Portion out the food in less than one pound amounts. Pack the containers to the top and label them with dates and contents. If you purchase a varied size set, you will be able to nicely stock your freezer. Freezers work best if well stocked. Now that you know 7 secrets to successfully freeze food you never again have to find your carefully planned meal spoiled because your ingredients are ruined from freezer burn. And it’s easy now to get the proper equipment to preserve your food at its peak.
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Freeze food successfully when you can prevent freezer burn by knowing the causes. Learn how to properly prepare and store food for freezing.
Save yourself money and frustration by using these secrets to sucessfully freeze food and employ the best quality procedures and food storage methods. And did you know you can stock your freezer and economically buy groceries online now to be delivered to your front door? Click here, because Life IS getting easier!
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