Canning and Preserving For Dummies (39 page)

Thawing Out Your Frozen Food

Following the guidelines for freezing won’t guarantee a great product without practicing proper thawing methods. So what’s the big deal about thawing? Freezing only halts the growth of microorganisms. After thawing, bacteria and enzymes in your food are free to multiply as if they hadn’t been frozen. Keep this growth at a standstill by thawing your food at a low temperature, preferably in a refrigerator, in its freezer container or packaging.

Thaw only what you need, using your food immediately upon thawing. If your food tastes funny or smells odd, harmful microorganisms may be present. Don’t hesitate to dispose of any questionable food.

You don’t need to thaw vegetables before adding them to a dish you’re cooking. Instead, you can add them directly to the dish in the last 10 minutes of cooking. You can also place frozen unbaked goods directly into the oven to bake. Many previously prepared foods can be placed directly into the oven to reheat and bake as well.

Choices for thawing

Heat makes the spoilers grow faster, so the lower the temperature during the thawing period, the better for you and the quality of your food. Here are your best options for safely thawing and maintaining the quality of your food:

Thawing in your refrigerator:
This is the best and safest process for thawing your food because of the low temperature. Plan your meal the night before and place your choice in your refrigerator to thaw.

Thawing at room temperature:
Leave your frozen food at room temperature for 2 hours; then immediately place it in the refrigerator for the remainder of the thawing process. This option is a great alternative if you forgot to take your food out of the freezer the night before.

Thawing in the microwave:
Use this method only if your microwave has a defrost cycle. This is important because you want the food to defrost evenly, not be cooked in one portion and frozen in another part.

Thawing in water:
Immerse your packaged food in cold water, never hot or warm water. By maintaining the lowest temperature possible when thawing your food, you’ll inhibit bacteria and enzyme activity.

Unplanned thawing

No matter how good technology is, everyone experiences a power failure at one time or another. This may be for a few minutes, a few hours, or, in the worst-case scenario, a few days. Don’t panic, keep the freezer door closed, and resist the temptation to open the door to check the temperature.

A fully loaded freezer at 0 degrees or colder usually stays cold enough to keep your food frozen for up to two days. A freezer that’s half-full may not keep your food frozen for more than a day because air space doesn’t maintain a constant temperature as efficiently as a piece of solidly frozen food.

If you do have a power outage, follow these tips for saving the contents of your freezer:

Check with your electric company to estimate the length of your power outage.

If you find that your freezer is the only electric appliance that isn’t operating, check the electrical cord and plug for a good connection. If this isn’t the problem, check your electrical panel for a blown fuse.

If you receive advance warning that your electricity will be off, set your freezer temperature to its coldest setting.
The colder temperature delays thawing during the time the electricity is off.

In the worst-case scenario, your freezer may be out long enough for your food to defrost.
Locate a supplier of dry ice and pack your food in the dry ice before it defrosts completely. (Ask your dry-ice supplier for safe packing and handling instructions.)

Dry ice
is a refrigerant of solid carbon dioxide. Handle dry ice with care and never touch it with your bare hands. Even a short exposure to dry ice may cause frostbite.

To refreeze or not to refreeze thawed food

From time to time, even the best-laid plans change and your defrosted food doesn’t get used when you planned. If your food is only partially defrosted, indicated by the presence of ice crystals, it may be refrozen.

We don’t suggest refreezing food as a regular practice, but if you’re considering it for any reason, keep these things in mind:

Don’t refreeze completely defrosted low-acid foods, such as vegetables or meat sauces, after they reach room temperature. These foods may not be safe to eat.

You may refreeze high-acid foods and most fruits and fruit products if they’re still cold.

You may safely refreeze partially thawed foods containing ice crystals if the food was thawing in your refrigerator.

Refrozen foods have a shorter shelf life than when first frozen. They may also taste different. If you refreeze an item, make a note on the package including the refreezing date. Use refrozen food as soon as possible. Follow this simple rule when evaluating refrozen, thawed food: When in doubt, throw it out! Eating spoiled food can be quite dangerous.

Chapter 14

Meals and Snacks in a Snap: Freezing Prepared Foods

In This Chapter

Keeping frozen food as tasty as fresh food

Saving time and money by freezing prepared foods

Freezing meat, poultry, and fish

Work, children, school, after-school activities, and more! If you’re like most people, you may struggle to get everything done and get a nutritious meal on the table. Filling your freezer with already-prepared or prepackaged meals and snacks allows you plenty of nutritious choices.

Freezing is a great option for taking advantage of buying food in large quantities at bargain prices, making large quantities of food, or saving leftovers. Taking a few minutes to package your food in meal-sized portions allows you flexibility in the amount of food you thaw. In this chapter, you get great tips on freezing food and hints for planning your meals.

The Whys and Wherefores of Freezing Food

There are many benefits of freezing food purchased from your supermarket or foods prepared in your home. These include:

Time saving:
Freezing food saves you time twice: First, when you plan to freeze a portion, you make extra. Making a double batch of something (like soup or spaghetti sauce, for example) takes less time than it takes to make the same recipe at two different times. Second, getting an already-made and previously frozen food on the table or in the cookie jar takes less time (and effort) than making the item from scratch.

If you make soup or a casserole, double your recipe and put one in the freezer. If you’re baking cookies, freeze some for another day or freeze some of the raw dough and bake it later.

Cost saving:
By taking advantage of sale pricing and purchasing perishable food in large amounts, you can reduce your food costs.Watch your weekly food ads for specials, buy those items in bulk, and freeze them. This is a great way to keep the foods you enjoy on hand
and
protect your budget at the same time.

Convenience:
You’ll always have a quick meal or quick dessert at hand for reheating, partial cooking, or complete cooking, depending on your time allowance.

Not enough pans? Here is a frugal tip: Line your pan with heavy-duty foil, prepare the dish and cover tightly with more foil. Freeze and then pop out the frozen meal. Label with name, date, and heating instructions. When you’re ready to cook the frozen dish, just place it back into the original pan!

A guide to planning your meals

The best way to budget and be able to serve healthy foods is to plan your meals. No more coming home from a busy day to find something to throw together. With a meal plan, you’ll never have to wonder what to fix, and everyone benefits from a home-cooked meal. Here are some tips for meal planning:

Review your schedule for the upcoming week to determine your time available for preparing meals.
Use prepared meals, like soups or stews, on busy days. Cook meat or bake casseroles on not-so-busy days.

Make a list of your planned meals, including snacks.
Keep a second list with a complete inventory of food in your freezer.

Create a basic list of 14 meals that are sure hits for your family. As long as you can pull out one of these favorites, you will always have a meal on hand.

Keep your lists (planned meals and freezer inventory) on the front of the refrigerator.
Cross off items as you use them and the meals as you make them.

Get your family involved in meal planning and meal making.
I (Amy) like to offer each person two or three choices for their meals. Once everyone chooses, I have plenty of ideas to rotate through the week and everyone feels like they have something special coming up.

A great way to allow children get involved with mealtime is to include reheating directions when you freeze your foods. Then all they have to do is follow the directions to be the cook!

The key to delicious frozen prepackaged food

Just as with any other food-preservation method (like canning or drying, for example), the quality of the food you choose and the care you take when storing it have a big effect on the quality of the final product. So keep these points in mind:

Check your purchased foods for a sell-by or a use-by date. If the food is still on the shelf after the date, don’t buy it. Just like fresh foods for canning, you want the freshest foods to go into the freezer as well. (Not all foods are dated. If you have a product that has no sell-by date, use the first in, first out plan and work these foods into your meal plan as soon as possible.)

As Chapter 13 explains, excess air left in your freezer packaging is the number-one enemy causing damage in frozen food. Preserving the quality of your food during freezing requires quick freezing at a temperature of 0 degrees or colder. Unfortunately, packaged food from your store is rarely in moisture- and vapor-proof packaging. To preserve the quality of store-bought food, repackage your food following the guidelines in Chapter 13.

How you thaw your food also matters. (Yes, there’s a correct process for thawing frozen food.) The preferred method is in the refrigerator, but there are exceptions. Some prepared frozen foods may be used in their frozen state; other foods may be used partially frozen. Check out Chapter 13 for details. (Note: If there are special thawing instructions for the foods listed in this chapter, they’re described within the section for that food.)

Freezing Convenience Meals

Meals of convenience include casseroles, soups, and sauces. Freezing them in family-sized portions or as single servings provides options for meals later. Always use masking tape or freezer tape, label the food, and write reheating instructions right on the container. This makes it easy for you or anyone else to pull out a meal and know how to prepare it without looking up the basics in a cookbook.

Main dishes

Prepare your recipe and transfer your food to rigid freezer containers. If you’re making a casserole, prepare it in a baking dish (approved for the freezer) up to the point of baking. Wrap it in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Thaw the unbaked casserole in the refrigerator and bake it according to your recipe. These dishes stay fresh one to two months in the freezer. If freezing noodle dishes, undercook the noodles slightly for a better finish to the reheated product.

Soups, stews, and sauces

Ladle hot soup, stew, or sauce into rigid freezer containers, based on the portion you’ll be using. Allow headspace of 1/2 inch for your pints and 1 inch for your quarts (head to Chapter 3 for more information on headspace). These items freeze well for 3 to 4 months. Here are some freezing tips:

Soups:
Use freezer containers no larger than 1 quart for quickly freezing your soups and preventing loss of flavor in your thawed product. If your workplace has a breakroom with a stove or microwave, freeze portions in single-serving containers and enjoy a hot lunch.

Potatoes frozen in soup and stew may darken or become mushy or mealy after freezing. You can still use them if you don’t mind this, or simply leave them out and add them when you reheat.

Stocks:
Use rigid freezer containers to store larger portions of stock; use ice-cube trays to store smaller portions (each cube is roughly equivalent to 1 ounce). Transfer the frozen stock cubes to a freezer bag for storing. Add one to a soup or sauce for added flavor. You can find a couple of delicious stock recipes in Chapter 12.

Sauces:
Package your sauces in rigid freezer containers in quantities suited to your family’s usage.

Clear soups and unthickened sauces freeze better than milk-based and thickened gravy dishes because the milk or thickener may separate during thawing. Make a note to add thickener to gravies when you reheat them or any other ingredients (like milk or cream) that you need to add before the meal is finished.