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Freezing guide: what foods can be stored in the freezer for years
And what, on the contrary, it is absolutely impossible to freeze.
Do you know how many products mankind throws into the trash every year? About a third of all purchased. In terms of numbers, this is about 1,3 billion tons. Enough to feed all of Africa. When all of humanity was stocking up on food for future use due to forced self-isolation or shortages due to coronavirus, even more had to be thrown away. After all, it is impossible to eat so many things. And now, you see, quarantine will be introduced again – due to the second wave of the pandemic …
However, there is a great way to preserve food – freezing. No preservatives needed, no chemicals needed, just put food in the freezer. True, this trick does not work with everything. Wday.ru has compiled detailed instructions on which foods can be frozen and which cannot.
All food must be allowed to cool to room temperature before freezing. If they are colder, then you do not need to heat them.
Chop the herbs, mix with water or vegetable oil and pour into ice cube trays. So they will better preserve the aroma, and it will be more convenient to cook. You can also freeze wine and broth in cubes.
Meat, fish and poultry must be properly packed to prevent leaks. In addition, over a long time in the freezer, these products freeze out – they lose moisture, become dry and tough. High-quality packaging will also protect you from this trouble.
Defrost meat and fish at room temperature before cooking. All other foods can be cooked straight away: for example, toast with frozen bread.
Never re-freeze meat and fish. After the second defrosting, the product will creep into fibers and lose all its taste.
Do not fill the freezer too tightly. There must be air in the chamber.
Yeast or puff pastry only tastes better after freezing. So prepare it fearlessly for future use.
What foods need to be stored in the freezer
Boiled pasta
Cooked rice
Nuts (if stored in the air they can turn rancid)
Flour
Butter
Grated cheese
Peeled bananas
Bread, rusks, bread crumbs and mixes
Herbs
Wine (poured into bags or ice containers)
Eggs without shell, divided into whites and yolks, poured into containers
Meat, fish and poultry – both raw and cooked
What foods cannot be frozen
Milk: After defrosting, it stratifies.
fried food: it will surely get damp, and what should be crunchy will turn into a sticky mess. The same goes for all deep-fried and batter dishes.
Cream: defrosted sour cream will not make the original product.
Leafy salads and other foods with a high water content (cucumbers, for example): after defrosting, they will creep into an indistinct mass.
How long can food be stored in the freezer
Year: whole poultry, steaks, blanched vegetables, fruit in syrup, jam.
8 months: frozen fruits, butter, white fish.
Six months: individual parts of poultry carcasses, cut meat, fruit juice, bread, cakes and pastries.
4 months: oily fish, cookies, salted butter, ice cream.
3 months: chopped bacon, soups and sauces, yeast dough.
By the way
Some nutritionists believe that frozen vegetables are even healthier than fresh ones.
“Vegetables are blast-frozen shortly after harvest. Thanks to this, all the nutrients are retained in vegetables, berries and fruits. This is even better than buying fresh vegetables and fruits, which God knows how much they brought to the store, and there it is still unknown how long they have been on the counter. After all, all this time they have lost their nutritional value – microelements simply disintegrate, evaporating through the skin, ”says the nutritionist.
We add that fresh fruits are also often treated with a variety of substances so that they are stored longer: the same wax on apples helps to preserve the presentation, but not benefits. And the opinion that vitamins and microelements are lost during freezing is erroneous. Useful substances disintegrate during heat treatment, but freezing does not affect them in any way.