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Show Cautions When Freezing! . ANOTHER problem area with frozen foods is defrosting. "The only completely safe way to defrost is putting the food in.a plastic bag and trans-fering trans-fering it to the refrigerator," Thorson says. "You should allow approximately six hours per pound of food you wish to defrost in the refrigerator." IF YOU must defrost more quickly, Thorson says the best way is to run cool water over the package of food. "It is important not to use hot water because bacteria can i form on food any time-it is between be-tween 40 and 140 degrees Farcnheit." Thorson says. "Be sure to cook immediately and thoroughly after defrosting." de-frosting." IF YOU are setting up a freezer storage system, energy-wise it is best to keep the freezer near full capacity. Thorson says. The frozen food helps retain the cold and the freezer uses less energy than when it is circulating cold air through empty space. Are there objects -in your food freezer that you don't recognize rec-ognize any more? Or, when you finally go to retrieve a frozen food, do you And it has turned into a brown and dried out lump? IF THESE things happen to you, you are probably not Using Us-ing your freezer to its best advantage. Beth Thorson, extension nutrition specialist at USU. says that although freezing is a good form of storage, some things are just not meant to be frozen. Foods cannot be hurt nutiritonally by freezing, but the color and texture of some foods can be greatly affected, Thorson warns. THINGS NOT to freeze: canned hams become watery and soft; cooked eggs become rubbery; milk sauces curdle; cooked white potatoes become be-come mealy; salad dressings and mayonnaise separate when thawed; processed meats such as bacon and cold cuts lose texture and quality within two months. Thorson says if you do have a food suitable for freezing, your next step should be proper prop-er packaging. The dehydrating properties of today's frost-free freezers requires durable plastic plas-tic freezer wrap, aluminum foil or rigid plastic containers designed de-signed for freezer use, she says. "OFTEN PEOPLE will throw loaves of bread in the freezer straight from the grocery groc-ery store. These bags were not intended for freezer use so you should double wrap to avoid freezer burn," Thorson says. Any good food storage plan should include dating and rotating foods, and freezing is no exception, Thorson says. Most vegetables and meats will retain their quality up to a year, but more delicate things like breads and pastries lose their quality in two or three months. "YOU SHOULD also be careful not to overload the freezer's cooling power," Thorson says. You shouldn't try to freeze more than three pounds of food per cubic foot in freezer space in any 24 hour period. Trying to feeze the food too fast may result in the food's spoiling before it has time to freeze, Thorson says. If you come home with a large quantity of meat, you should store it in the refrigerator refriger-ator first and gradually integrate inte-grate it into your freezer space. |
