Modern household appliances have greatly simplified the life of housewives. One of these useful devices is the refrigerator, in which you can store almost any cooked food, and for a long time. Just take them out and heat them up. But it happens that some lovingly prepared dishes become completely unfit for consumption. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to freeze food correctly.
What foods can be frozen?
First you need to figure out what should not be frozen. It is best not to put canned food, chopped boiled potatoes, cottage cheese, eggs, custard, jelly, cream, unsterilized milk, mayonnaise in the freezer. Also, remember that food should not be placed in the refrigerator while warm.
What foods are frozen? Here is the most complete list:
- fresh, young, boiled vegetables, mashed them;
- almost all types of fish, scallops, oysters, shellfish;
- crab, lobster, shrimp;
- ripe fruits (except those that contain a largeamount of water);
- dairy products - cheese, margarine, heavy cream, butter, lard;
- meat;
- buns, cakes, bread;
- dough;
- ready meals;
- broth;
- flavored butter;
- seeds, nuts.
Refrigeration and freezing technology
Any refrigerator freezes food, and they can be stored for a very long time only after deep freezing. If you follow the storage rules, then even after a fairly long time they will be of high quality and contain all the nutrients. You should pay attention to this point: the cold helps to preserve the quality of products, but does not increase it. If good-quality fruits, vegetables and meat were initially frozen, then a few months after they are thawed, they will be the same. Rot, frozen meat, affected root crops will remain the same.
If prepared foods contain harmful bacteria, the cold will slow them down, but they will still remain. At a temperature of -18 degrees, their number, as a rule, remains unchanged, but if the temperature starts to rise in the chamber, the bacteria will immediately become active and will actively multiply.
What should I freeze food in?
Using the right freezer packaging, you can be sure that even after a fairly long time, they will retain their freshness, color, taste, nutritional value and moisture content. Products can be frozen raw in their original packaging, but additional packaging is best.them into a layer of plastic. Also, you should not put milk, ice cream, pancakes, meatballs, etc. in cardboard boxes for freezing, you should use bags or containers for this.
Packaging for frozen foods must meet the following requirements:
- be impervious to moisture, air, grease and oil;
- be strong, reliable;
- it should not tear, crack or break easily at low temperatures;
- close easily and securely;
- should not prevent the penetration of foreign odors.
Frozen food can be stored in two types of packaging - solid containers and flexible bags or film.
Rigid containers are made of plastic or glass and are commonly used to freeze easily creased and liquid foods. Plastic bags and film are essential for freezing dry foods, as well as those that are irregularly shaped and difficult to fit into containers.
Proper food preparation
Before freezing food, they should be carefully inspected. If something starts to deteriorate, then it should be thrown away without regret. After that, the products must be thoroughly cleaned. They should be prepared in such a way that after defrosting they can be consumed immediately. To do this, the products are sorted, washed, cut, boiled, blanched, the bones are removed from the fruit, and the fish is gutted. After washing, be sure to dry everything. Now smallportions put everything in bags or special dishes.
Warm fruits, vegetables, herbs or meat are first cooled to room temperature, then placed in the refrigerator, and then in the freezer.
Freeze
Freezing should be carried out as quickly as possible, because in case of delay, ice crystals form on the surface of the products, which can tear the fabric. As a result, all the juice flows out, the gastronomic and nutritional properties decrease, the taste and color deteriorate. Therefore, the temperature in the freezer should be -18 degrees. This prevents bacterial growth and helps maintain nutritional value.
Freezing must be complete, i.e. carried out to the entire depth of the product. The lower the temperature, the better the freezing. Violation of the rules for the implementation of such a procedure may subsequently affect human he alth.
Secrets of efficient freezing
In order for frozen food to retain its quality for a long time, you should know a few secrets.
- Freezing is best done in thin portions, as in this case such a process will go faster. Large fruits must be cut into small pieces before this.
- It is best to stack food in the form of briquettes vertically in the freezer, leaving a small gap. In this case, they will fully freeze, and the gap is necessary for air circulation.
- Do not overloadrefrigerator or freezer for products intended for long-term storage, as this may subsequently affect their quality.
- Frozen only if sealed.
Next, consider the rules for freezing some types of products.
Vegetables, herbs and mushrooms
In order for vegetables to freeze properly, this must be done immediately, as soon as they are brought from the store or brought from the country. They should be washed, cut into pieces, dried, cooled and packed in a plastic bag, after which they are put in the refrigerator. With mushrooms, everything also needs to be done quickly, but, unlike vegetables, they can be frozen raw, boiled and even fried. When it comes to greens, they are washed, dried thoroughly and placed in sealed packaging.
Fruits and berries
Small fruits are usually frozen whole, and large ones are cut into pieces. The stones are usually removed in advance, as well as the core of pears and apples. If the fruits are quite juicy, then after defrosting it is recommended to mash them. Raspberries and strawberries are usually stored sprinkled with granulated sugar.
Meat and fish
Fresh fish and meat are frozen in small pieces in sealed packaging. Fish must be cleaned, washed and dried before storage.
Pastry
When freezing products such as dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, rolls and fresh bread, it is necessary to monitor the tightness of the bags. Finished products should not stick together, and breadpreferably cut into pieces.
Cheese
This product can be frozen in large pieces, after which it will not crumble. If it is cut into small pieces before storage, then 1 tsp should be added to the container. flour or cornstarch to keep the slices from sticking together.
How to store food in the freezer?
Frozen food must be stored at a certain temperature. Deadlines must also be met.
Offal and minced meat are recommended to be stored no more than 2 months, pork, poultry and lean lamb - 6 months, beef and game - up to 10 months. For ready meals, pure fat and meat, this period is 4 months. Seafood and small fish are stored for about 2-3 months, portioned pieces of large fish - for six months. Frozen fruits, vegetables and berries can be kept in the freezer all year round.
These recommendations only apply to foods that are properly prepared and frozen. If the meat is stored in the freezer as a whole piece, it may spoil even before it is completely frozen.
Packs for frozen food
Thermal bags are containers in which chilled, frozen and hot products are stored and transported. Thanks to the foam layer, which is located between the layers of special foil, frozen foods defrost much more slowly.
Before purchasing such a container, you need to pay attention to the packaging with information aboutHow long does it keep cold? Transportation of frozen products, in particular vegetables, is carried out in thermal packages. If it is very hot outside, then such a container retains its effectiveness for up to three hours, and in cooler weather - up to five hours. Insulated bags for frozen food are indispensable for a picnic trip, as they can carry pizza or grilled chicken.
How to defrost food?
The defrosting process should be slow. It is very important to eat the products immediately after this, because the damaged cellular structure is quite susceptible to harmful bacteria. That is why defrosted food should be fried, boiled, stewed or baked immediately after being removed from the freezer.
For proper defrosting, food is placed on a plate and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. It is important during this process to ensure that raw poultry, fish or meat does not come into contact with its own juice, as it may contain bacteria. For this, a saucer is placed in a deep plate, turned upside down, on which the product is placed. Top with a bowl or foil.
Defrosting may vary depending on the weight and volume of the food. For example, a pound of meat can already be consumed 5-6 hours after being removed from the freezer, fish with the same weight thaws 3-4 hours.
It is not recommended to thaw food in the fresh air, as there is a high probability of microbial growth on their surface. You can’t do this in a microwave oven because of the loss of taste, and in hot or warm water, useful properties and appearance are lost. It is also undesirable to defrost in cold water, but in case of emergency, you should make sure that the products do not come into contact with it by placing, for example, in a plastic bag.
Semi-finished products from fish, poultry and meat, as well as fruit or vegetable cuts, should not be defrosted. They are laid out in a pan or in a pan immediately after being removed from the freezer. The exception is minced meat, which is recommended to be defrosted on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Conclusion
Thus, it is necessary to properly freeze the food so that after a while they can be eaten, and they were at the same time of normal quality. If certain storage conditions are not observed, there is a high probability of spoilage of food, which can adversely affect human he alth.
