Freezy does it
Frozen food isn’t always seen as the healthiest option as many people assume fresh is best. But sometimes freezing food can help lock in the goodness and it means you can eat some products out of season. MARIA CROCE looks at how to get the best out of freezing food
FRUIT AND VEG
MANY people assume fruit and vegetables will be better for you if fresh – but freezing doesn’t necessarily lessen the goodness.
Vegetables that are high in water soluble nutrients such as vitamins B and C, like cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and mushrooms, generally have more goodness if eaten fresh as some of the vitamins can be lost when frozen or reheated.
But once fruit and vegetables are harvested, they begin to release heat and lose water, which slowly reduces their nutritional value. It can mean they have a lower nutritional quality than frozen – especially when it comes to Vitamin C.
Veggies that are high in the fat-soluble vitamins A,D,E and K, such as carrots, leafy greens and broccoli, are less affected by freezing.
The texture might be lost when you freeze some fruit and vegetables – so you can freeze them pureed or stewed instead. Puree tomatoes to use for pasta dishes and puree strawberries for smoothies or a sauce. Apples can be stewed.
POTATOES
We waste 4.4million whole potatoes every day in UK homes – and 17 per cent of these are wasted because we cook, prepare, or serve too much. If you have cooked potatoes left over from dinner, such as mash, roast potatoes and chips – you can freeze them. For uncooked potatoes, according to lovefoodhatewaste. com, boil them for about five minutes and freeze them for later. When you want them, thaw overnight and roast the next day.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
Semi-skimmed and skimmed milk freeze better than whole – and if it separates once defrosted, give it a good shake.
It’s best to freeze milk as soon as possible after buying and when you need it, thaw in the fridge. According to lovefoodhatewaste.com, plastic containers are OK for freezing milk but the milk will expand so pour out a small amount before you freeze it. Or try using an ice cube tray to freeze your milk in tea-sized portions. If you’re off on holiday and there’s just a little bit of milk left in the bottle, freeze it in cubes, and you can pop in a cube of milk when you have a cuppa. You can freeze hard cheese. Grate it, then freeze it so you can grab a handful whenever you want a pasta or pizza topping.
BREAD
You could freeze the whole loaf when you buy it or freeze the last few slices. You can toast bread straight from the freezer. According to lovefoodhatewaste.com, it’s best to slice whole loaves and loosely tap them on a hard surface before freezing to stop the frozen slices getting stuck together.
FROZEN FOOD SAFETY
You can freeze most raw or cooked foods – but you need to stick to the food safety rules.
Dr Jacqui McElhiney, head of food safety at Food Standards Scotland, said: “Freezing is a useful tool for preparing meals in advance and avoiding food waste but it’s important to make sure you read instructions on labels and follow good food safety practices to avoid the risk of getting food poisoning.”
FSS also has a Kitchen Crimes game for people to see if they’re guilty of any the 20 common food safety crimes including a “counter melter” who defrosts meat or chicken outside the fridge.
Dr McElhiney said: “About a third of people in Scotland still do this but it’s a food poisoning risk because bacteria can grow if food becomes warm too quickly.”
Here are some tips from Food Standards Scotland: Freeze food before the “use by” date; Follow any freezing or thawing instructions on the label; Thaw food in the fridge so that it doesn’t get too warm; Use food within one to two days after it’s defrosted – it will go off in the same way as if it were fresh.
Freezing food does not kill any harmful bacteria in food.
When defrosting meat, it is safest to do this in the fridge because when food is above 8C and below 63C, bacteria grow and multiply.
Defrosting meat and fish can leave them in a puddle that can contain harmful bacteria so it’s best to keep it covered or in a sealed container at the bottom of the fridge so it can’t drip down on to other food.
You can freeze again once cooked – but you’ll only be able to reheat it once after that.
DON’T FREEZE
It’s not recommended you freeze salads as it can make them soggy.
And you shouldn’t freeze raw eggs, soft cheese or already defrosted meat/fish, unless you cook it from raw and then refreeze.