These tips keep food safe, preserve quality in the freezer
Foods in the freezer—are they safe? Every year, thousands of callers to the USDA Hotline aren’t sure about the safety of items stored in their own home freezers.
The confusion seems to be based on the fact that few people understand how freezing protects food. You can freeze almost any food. Some exceptions are canned food or eggs in shells. However, once the food (such as ham) is out of the can, you can freeze it.
Being able to freeze food and being pleased with the quality after defrosting are two different things. Some foods simply don’t freeze well. Examples are mayonnaise, cream sauce and lettuce. Raw meat and poultry maintain their quality longer than their cooked counterparts because moisture is lost during cooking.
Food stored at 0 degrees F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. Freezing keeps food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage.
Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and foodborne illness. Freshness and quality at the time of freezing affect the condition of frozen foods. If frozen at peak quality, thawed foods emerge tasting better than foods frozen near the end of their useful life. So, freeze items you won’t use quickly sooner rather than later.
Store all foods at 0 degrees F or lower to retain vitamin content, color, flavor and texture. The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage.
Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burns. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its original packaging, however this type of wrap is permeable to air, and quality may diminish over time. For prolonged storage, overwrap these packages as you would any food for long-term storage.
It is not necessary to rinse meat and poultry. Freeze unopened vacuum packages as is. If you notice that a package has accidentally been torn or has opened while food is in the freezer, the food is still safe to use; merely overwrap or rewrap it.
Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It can look grayish-brown, leathery in spots, and that is caused by air coming in contact with the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded for quality reasons.
Color changes can occur in frozen foods. The bright red color of meat as purchased usually turn dark or pale brown depending on its variety. This may be due to lack of oxygen, freezer burn or abnormally long storage. Freezing doesn’t usually cause color changes in poultry. However, the bones and the meat near them can become dark.
Bone darkening results when pigment seeps through the porous bones of young poultry in the surrounding tissues when the poultry meat is frozen and thawed. The dulling of color in frozen vegetables and cooked foods is usually the result of excessive drying due to improper packaging or over-lengthy storage.
Freeze food as fast as possible to maintain its quality. Rapid freezing prevents undesirable large ice crystals from forming throughout the product because the molecules don’t have time to form in the characteristic sixsided snowflake.
Slow freezing creates large, disruptive ice crystals. During thawing, they damage the cells and dissolve emulsions. This causes meat to “drip” and lose juiciness. Emulsions such as mayonnaise or cream will separate and appear curdled. Ideally, food 2-inches thick should freeze completely in about 2 hours. If your home freezer has a “quick-freeze” shelf, use it. Never stack packages to be frozen. Instead, spread them out in one layer on various shelves, stacking them only after frozen solid.
CREAMY CHICKEN RICE SOUP
Makes 4 Servings
312 Calories per Serving
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium-high heat; sauté carrot, celery and onion until tender.
Add the garlic; cook and stir for 1 minute. Stir in the rice, seasonings, and broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer covered, until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Mix the flour and milk until smooth; stir into soup. Bring soup to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, heat through.