How to properly freeze food?

Modern household appliances 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. It is enough to get them and warm them up. But it happens that some lovingly cooked dishes become completely unsuitable for consumption. This is due to the fact that it is necessary to freeze the food correctly.

What products can be frozen?

First you need to figure out what not to freeze. It is best not to put canned food, chopped boiled potatoes, cottage cheese, eggs, custard, jelly, cream, unsterilized milk, mayonnaise into the freezer. Also it should be remembered that the products should not be placed in the refrigerator in a warm form.

What products are frozen? Here is the most complete list:

• Fresh, young, boiled vegetables, mashed potatoes from them;
• Practically all kinds of fish, scallops, oysters, mollusks;
• Crab, lobster, shrimp;
• Ripe fruit (except those containing a large amount of water);
• Dairy products - cheese, margarine, fatty cream, butter, lard;
• meat;
• Buns, 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 rules of storage, even after a fairly long time they will be quality and contain all the nutrients. It should pay attention to this point: the cold helps to maintain the quality of products, but does not increase it. If benign fruits, vegetables and meat were initially frozen, then they will be the same after several months of defrosting. Rot, frozen meat, affected root crops will remain the same.

If the prepared foods contain harmful bacteria, the cold will slow down their vital activity, but they will still remain. At a temperature of -18 degrees, their amount is usually unchanged, but if the temperature in the chamber begins to rise, the bacteria immediately become active and will multiply actively.

Where should the products be frozen?

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 in their raw form in their original packaging, but it is best to pack them in a plastic layer. Also, do not put milk, ice cream, pancakes, cutlets, etc., into cartons in a carton, you need to use bags or containers for this.

The packaging for freezing products must meet the following requirements:

• Be impermeable to moisture, air, grease and oil;
• Possess strength, reliability;
• It should not easily tear, crack or break at low temperatures;
• Close easily and reliably;
• Should not prevent the penetration of foreign odors.

Frozen food products 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 malleable and liquid products. Plastic bags and film are necessary for freezing dry products, as well as those that are irregular in shape and difficult to place in containers.

Proper preparation of products

Before freezing food, they should be carefully examined. If something started to deteriorate, then it should be thrown out without regret. After that, the products must be thoroughly cleaned. They should be prepared in such a way that after defrosting they can be immediately used. For this, the products are sorted, washed, cut, cooked, blanched, the stones are removed from the fruit, and the fish are gutted. After washing, everything must be dried. Now in small portions stack everything in bags or special utensils.

Warm fruits, vegetables, greens or meat are first cooled to room temperature, then put in a cold store, and then - in the freezer.

Freezing

It is necessary to freeze frost as quickly as possible, because in case of delay, ice crystals are formed on the surface of the products, which can break the fabric. As a result, all the juice flows, there is a decrease in gastronomic and nutritional properties, the taste and color deteriorate. Therefore, the temperature in the freezer should be -18 degrees. This prevents the growth of bacteria and contributes to the preservation of nutritional value.

The frost must be complete, that is, it is carried out to the full depth of the product. The lower the temperature, the better the freezing. Violation of the rules for the implementation of such a procedure can subsequently affect human health.

Secrets of effective freezing

To keep frozen food for a long time, you should know a few secrets.

• 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 in the freezer upright, making a small gap. In this case, they fully burn out, 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.
• Freeze only in a sealed package.

Next, consider the rules for freezing certain types of products.

Vegetables, greens and mushrooms

To make the vegetables properly frozen, it is necessary to do this 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 packed in a plastic bag, then cleaned in a refrigerator. With mushrooms, you also need to do everything quickly, but, unlike vegetables, they can be frozen raw, boiled and even fried. If it concerns greenery, then it is washed, carefully dried and placed in a sealed packaging.

Fruits and berries

Small fruits are usually frozen whole, and large cut into pieces. Bones are usually removed in advance, as well as the core of pears and apples. If the fruit is rather juicy, then after defrosting of them it is recommended to cook mashed potatoes. Raspberries and strawberries are usually stored, interspersed with sugar.

Meat and fish

Fresh fish and meat are frozen in small pieces in a sealed package. The fish must be cleaned, washed and dried before storage.

Flour products

When freezing items such as dumplings, dumplings, pancakes, rolls and fresh bread, it is necessary to monitor the tightness of the packages. Finished products should not stick together with each other, and bread should be cut into pieces.

Cheese

This product can be frozen in a large piece, after which it will not crumble. If it is cut into small pieces before storage, then add 1 tsp to the container. Flour or cornstarch, so that the slices are not stuck together.

How to store food in the freezer?

Storage of frozen foods should be carried out at a certain temperature. Also it is necessary to observe the terms.

By-products and minced meat should be stored no more than 2 months, pork, poultry and lean 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, portions of large fish - six months. Frozen fruits, vegetables and berries can be stored in the freezer all year round.

These recommendations apply only to those 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.

Thermopacks for frozen food

Thermopacks are packagings in which refrigerated, frozen and hot foods are stored and transported. Due to the interlayer of penoplex, which is located between the layers of special foil, frozen products are thawed much more slowly.

Before buying such a container, you need to pay attention to the packaging with information about how much it keeps the cold. Transportation of frozen products, particularly vegetables, is carried out in thermo-packs. If the street is very hot, then this container retains its effectiveness up to three hours, and in cooler weather - up to five hours. Thermopacks for frozen foods are indispensable for a picnic trip, as they can transport pizza or grilled chicken.

How do I defrost products?

The defrosting process should proceed slowly. It is very important immediately to eat food because the damaged cellular structure is quite susceptible to the effects of harmful bacteria. That is why thawed food should be fried, boiled, stewed or baked immediately after being removed from the freezer.

For proper defrosting, the products are placed on a plate and placed on the lower shelf of the refrigerator. It is important during this process to ensure that the raw poultry, fish or meat do not come into contact with their own juice, since bacteria can be contained in it. To do this, put a saucer in a deep plate turned upside down, onto 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 food. For example, half a kilo of meat can already be consumed 5-6 hours after removal from the freezer, the fish with the same weight thaws 3-4 hours.

It is not recommended to defrost products in the open air, since the probability of multiplying microbes on their surface is high. In a microwave oven, you can not do this because of loss of taste, and in hot or warm water, the beneficial 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, by placing it in a plastic bag.

Semi-finished products from fish, poultry and meat, as well as fruit or vegetable sliced, should not be thawed. They are spread on a frying 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.

Conclusion

Thus, it is necessary to properly freeze the food so that after a while they will eat them, and they were of normal quality at the same time. If non-observance of certain storage conditions is likely to spoil food, which can negatively affect human health.