Modern household appliances greatly simplified the life of housewives. One of such useful devices is a refrigerator, in which you can store almost any cooked food, and for a long time. It is enough then to get them and warm them up. But it happens that some lovingly prepared dishes become completely unsuitable for consumption. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to freeze foods correctly.
What foods can be frozen?
First you need to figure out what you should not freeze. It is best not to put canned food, chopped boiled potatoes, cottage cheese, eggs, custard, jelly, cream, unsterilized milk, mayonnaise in the freezer. It should also be remembered that the products can not be placed in the refrigerator in a warm form.
What foods freeze? Here is the most complete list:
- fresh, young, boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes from them;
- almost all types of fish, scallops, oysters, shellfish;
- crab, lobster, shrimp;
- ripe fruits (except those that contain large amounts of water);
- dairy products - cheese, margarine, fat cream, butter, lard;
- meat;
- rolls, cakes, bread;
- dough;
- ready meals;
- bouillon;
- flavored butter;
- seeds, nuts.
Cooling 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 maintain the quality of the products, but does not increase it. If benign fruits, vegetables and meat were initially frozen, then a few months after they are thawed, they will be the same. Rot, thawed meat, affected root crops will remain the same.
If prepared foods contain harmful bacteria, then the cold will slow down their life, but they will still remain. At a temperature of -18 degrees, their number, as a rule, is unchanged, but if the temperature starts to rise in the chamber, then the bacteria are immediately activated and will actively multiply.
What should be frozen foods?
Using the right packaging to freeze food, 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 it is best to pack them in a layer of plastic. Also, for freezing, do not put milk, ice cream, pancakes, cutlets, etc. in cardboard boxes, you need to use bags or containers for this.
Packaging for frozen products must meet the following requirements:
- impervious to moisture, air, grease and oil;
- to have strength, reliability;
- it should not be easily torn, cracked or broken at low temperatures;
- close easily and securely;
- must not impede the penetration of odors.
Frozen foods can be stored in two types of packaging - solid containers and flexible bags or film.
Solid containers are made of plastic or glass and are commonly used to freeze easily creasing and liquid products. Plastic bags and film are needed to freeze dry foods, as well as those that are irregular in shape and difficult to place in containers.
Proper product preparation
Before freezing foods, they should be carefully inspected. If something begins to deteriorate, then it should be thrown away without regret. After this, the products must be thoroughly cleaned. They should be prepared in such a way that they can be consumed immediately after thawing. To do this, the products are sorted, washed, cut, boiled, blanched, seeds are removed from the fruit, and the fish are gutted. After washing, be sure to dry everything. Now in small portions they put everything in bags or special dishes.
Warm fruits, vegetables, herbs or meat are first cooled to room temperature, then placed in a refrigerator, and then in a freezer.
Freezing
Freezing should be carried out as quickly as possible, since in case of delay, ice crystals form on the surface of the products, which can break the tissue. As a result, all the juice flows out, there is a decrease in gastronomic and nutritional properties, taste and color deteriorate. Therefore, the temperature in the freezer should be -18 degrees. This prevents the growth of bacteria and helps maintain nutritional value.
Freezing should 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 health.
Secrets of effective freezing
In order for frozen foods to retain their qualities for a long time, several secrets should be known.
- Freezing is best done in thin portions, since in this case such a process will go faster. Large fruits before this must be cut into small pieces.
- Products in the form of briquettes are best placed vertically in the freezer, making a small gap. In this case, they completely freeze, and the gap is necessary for air circulation.
- Do not overload the refrigerator or freezer with products intended for long-term storage, as this may subsequently affect their quality.
- Only freeze in sealed packaging.
Next, we consider the rules for freezing certain types of products.
Vegetables, herbs and mushrooms
In order for vegetables to freeze properly, this must be done immediately as soon as they were brought from the store or brought from the dacha. They should be washed, cut into pieces, dried, cooled and packaged in a plastic bag, and then put into the refrigerator. With mushrooms, you also need to do everything quickly, but, unlike vegetables, you can freeze them raw, boiled and even fried. If it comes to greenery, then it is washed, thoroughly dried and placed in a sealed package.
Fruits and berries
Small fruits are usually frozen whole, and large fruits are cut into pieces. The seeds 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 prepare mashed potatoes from them. Raspberries and strawberries are usually stored, sprinkled with granulated sugar.
Meat and fish
Fresh fish and meat are frozen in small pieces in a sealed package. Before storage, fish must be cleaned, washed and dried.
Flour products
When freezing products such as dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, rolls and fresh bread, you must monitor the tightness of the bags. Finished products should not stick together, and it is advisable to cut bread into pieces.
Cheese
This product can be frozen in large pieces, after which it will not crumble. If before storage it is cut into small parts, then 1 tsp should be added to the container. flour or corn starch so that the slices do not stick together.
How to store food in the freezer?
Storage of frozen foods should be carried out at a certain temperature. It is also necessary to comply with deadlines.
It is recommended to store offal and minced meat no more than 2 months, pork, poultry and low-fat mutton - 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 may lie in the freezer all year round.
These recommendations apply only to products that are properly prepared and frozen. If the meat is put into storage in the freezer as a whole piece, then it can deteriorate even before it completely freezes.
Thermo packages for frozen foods
Thermal packages are containers in which refrigerated, 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 package with information about how much it holds cold. Transportation of frozen products, in particular vegetables, is carried out in thermal packages. If it is very hot outside, then such a container remains effective for up to three hours, and in cooler weather - up to five hours. Thermo packages for frozen foods are indispensable for a picnic trip, as they can transport pizza or grilled chicken.
How to defrost products?
The defrosting process should be slow. It is very important to eat the food immediately after this, because the damaged cell structure is quite susceptible to harmful bacteria. That is why thawed food must be fried, boiled, stewed or baked immediately after being removed from the freezer.
To defrost properly, put the food on a plate and place it on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. It is important during this process to ensure that raw poultry, fish or meat do not come into contact with their own juice, as bacteria may be contained in it. To do this, put in a deep plate a saucer, turned upside down, on which the product is placed. Top with a bowl or foil.
Defrosting can last in different ways and it depends 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, a fish with the same weight thaws 3-4 hours.
It is not recommended to defrost products in the fresh air, since there is a high probability of multiplication of microbes on their surface. In a microwave oven, you cannot do this because of a loss of taste, and in hot or warm water, useful properties and appearance are lost. In cold water, it is also undesirable to defrost, but in case of emergency it should be done so that the products do not come into contact with it, for example, placed in a plastic bag.
Semi-finished products from fish, poultry and meat, as well as fruit or vegetable slices, should not be thawed. They are laid out in a pan or in a pan immediately after extraction from the freezer. The exception is minced meat, which is recommended to defrost on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
