What foods can be frozen in the freezer
It is convenient to put many products for long-term storage in the freezer, but there are some that are very harmful to frost. Freezing can lead to many problems - from the destruction of the texture and taste of the product to reducing its benefits to your health. Some products can not be put in the freezer even for a short time. Below is a list of food for which frost should be banned.
This time the new version wins the battle in front of the glass. Better place your hand and squeeze half a lemon each time you need it, instead of turning to the bottle version. This is due to the fact that glass juice, even if it displays a “100% natural” label, still has additives. In addition, the taste is not so strong and fresh that when you squeeze lemons. To always have fresh juice at your fingertips, you can use ice-free ice lining.
Fresh broccoli and frozen broccoli. In most cases, frozen vegetables are better than fresh ones. Frozen broccoli no longer retains its texture, it becomes water and the crunch when cooking. It’s true that it’s easier to use since you’ve found it, and it’s divided into frozen bouquets, but the end result will be more delicious when you use it fresh.
1. Vegetables with high water content
A lot of vegetables can be safely frozen, without fear of harming them or yourself. But you should avoid freezing vegetables with plenty of water. When you defrost them, they run the risk of becoming a soft, shapeless mass with a modified taste. Therefore, onions, radishes, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflowers and other vegetables with a high water content should never be frozen.
Fresh spinach vs frozen spinach. Know that there is a good reason why Drink down some canned spinach, not green spinach. He probably knew that in less time he would swallow a larger amount. Because in a jar many spinach can be squeezed in a small volume. Frozen spinach, however, is better than canned, less salt and better taste. In 250 grams of frozen spinach you will find 4 times more nutrients, fiber, folic acid, iron and calcium, than in the same amount of green spinach.
Choose frozen spinach for dishes and pies, and fresh spinach for salads. Bonus We also offer you a comparison of fresh salmon with salmon, preserved. There are also advantages and disadvantages of salmon canned food. Firstly, they are cheaper than fresh fish, they have a long shelf life, they are already thermally prepared and can be easily added to any dish. However, you can also find salt in jars, and you have to admit that you cannot replace the salmon fillet in the recipe. Canned foods are suitable for salads and sandwiches, and fresh fish is ideal for classic recipes.
2. Dairy products
Dairy products also hit the list. Everything - from soft cheeses and yogurt to milk and cottage cheese - can only be stored in the refrigerator. Liquid products will curl when defrosting, and soft (for example, cheese) is not the most pleasant way to change in its texture. For a short time, you can put only hard varieties of cheese in the freezer, they almost never change when defrosting.
See: Here's how you keep fresh produce longer! Have you ever thought about how much food you throw in the trash and how much money you spend, because you do not know how to properly store or store food? If you make a monthly calculation, you will be scared! Here's what you most often throw at the trash and how to keep your food longer!
Worldwide, food is dumped at a cost of $ 200 billion or more than 6.3 million tons of food every day. Half of this household waste is thrown out without damage. The main reason for this waste is the lack of information on how to preserve food.
3. Fruits
Fruits can be frozen only if you plan to mix them in a blender for cocktails or smoothies after defrosting. Otherwise, do not expect that frozen fruit will not spoil, having changed in texture after being in the freezer.
4 eggs
Raw or cooked, eggs are in any case in the list of prohibited foods for freezing. Fresh eggs in the freezer just crack, and when boiled during thawing, the squirrels will turn into something more like rubber. If freezing is unavoidable, separate the whites and yolks in raw eggs and freeze them in different containers.
Turn brown bananas into cakes, into natural juice or keep them in the freezer. Milk gets to the garbage ahead of time, because it is stored on the refrigerator door. 000 tons is thrown out annually. Store it in the freezer to extend its shelf life and store it in small containers. Ham is one of the most frequently discarded products, because we store it in the fridge and oxidize it, strengthening the edges.
Keep the ham in the freezer, putting a piece of wax paper between the slices. Natural juices are thrown out almost daily, because they are stored at temperatures above 10 degrees instead of 5 degrees Celsius. Store natural juices in the freezer in bottles with a cork. Bread is most often rubbish.
5. Leaf lettuce
Cabbage, lettuce and any green leaf lettuce can also not be put in the freezer, if you want to keep their texture intact after defrosting. The leaves will not only fade quickly, but also lose much in taste.
6. Fried food
Fried foods - from potatoes to chicken - after thawing, become just a wet mass. However, it is still fixable - they can be heated on the stove or in the oven. But the initial taste of such products is still lost.
To extend the period of validity within two days, store the bread in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. Cakes are thrown, because they get to the refrigerator, stored on a plate, or left in a tray, and therefore they become more and more difficult. Store them in a refrigerator at 5 degrees Celsius in closed containers. Chicken meat, a real waste in households. We throw 86 million chickens every year in the trash.
If we store the meat in the freezer, we can store it for 6 months. Potatoes, stars of garbage, almost 5 million potatoes fall into the basket, because they either germinate or have mold. You can save potatoes in two ways: cook and store in the refrigerator or store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Cooked meals, lost time and waste of food. The most discarded dishes are pasta and chicken meat, because they are not properly contained.
7. Sauces
You can not freeze sauces and mayonnaise. As a rule, when defrosting, they fold, making them absolutely useless. Sauces containing flour or cornstarch are particularly susceptible to freezing, but you will not get the best result by freezing cream or egg white glaze.
Freeze in small portions of the remaining food that is not consumed.
If we store the meat in the freezer, we can store it for 6 months. Potatoes, stars of garbage, almost 5 million potatoes fall into the basket, because they either germinate or have mold. You can save potatoes in two ways: cook and store in the refrigerator or store on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Cooked meals, lost time and waste of food. The most discarded dishes are pasta and chicken meat, because they are not properly contained.
8. Carbonated drinks
Soda can not be frozen, remembering that liquids expand during solidification. Carbon dioxide, which is responsible for the bubbles, will leave after freezing, and the taste of the thawed beverage can change greatly.
9. Thawed foods
To freeze food that has already been defrosted is a big health risk. Repeated freezing promotes the reproduction of bacteria, from which food poisoning can be obtained. Therefore, if you have already defrosted the product, try to cook it all the same.
Unexpected trip or unplanned trip? Do you have a fridge full of cooked meals only? It turns out that many of them can simply be frozen and eaten when they return.
What dishes are ready for a long freeze, says Evgeny Mikhailov, a chef of a large Moscow restaurant.
1. Cream soup or broth
Only cream soups and broths from any meat or fish are ready for freezing. But the usual soups or borscht, which includes potatoes, will turn into a porridge in the process of freezing and thawing. That the potatoes, the cold take away all the moisture, which means that such a soup will lose all its beneficial properties.
The easiest way to freeze cream soup. But before putting it in the freezer, wait until it cools, transfer it to a disposable container or zip-packs. Be sure, this soup can be eaten in a month. The main thing is to defrost it properly: not at room temperature, but in the refrigerator at +4 ... 6 ° WITH.
2. Sauce
You can freeze only those sauces that do not contain cream. The fact is that at a minus temperature, the fat from the protein mass of the cream is separated, and at the exit you will get the unpleasant taste of sour milk, and even the consistency will look ugly. Serve on the table just do not want.
For example, bolognese sauce can be stored at −18 ° From up to 2-3 months.
3. Salted fish
Salted raw fish, cooked at home, easily frozen, if done correctly. Be sure to it must be poured abundantly with any vegetable oil. Oil closes the pores and does not allow moisture to freeze. So, then the fish you get almost fresh and juicy. So the fish can lie up to six months.
4. Chicken roll and jerky.
Of meat products, only chicken roll and various dried foods are subject to freezing: basturma, dry sausages. Chicken roll is better immediately after baking wrap in cling film and put in the freezer. Then you can eat it in 2-3 weeks.
The usual fried meat (chicken, pork, beef) after frosting you just crumble. Not only that, after frying, you get a dry product, but after freezing it will leave the last moisture that connected the fabric fibers.
5. Flour products.
Puff pastries, strudels, apple pie (“share”) calmly tolerate freezing temperatures due to the fact that they contain dry dough. So, the properties and taste of the product will remain the same. It is better to wrap them in several layers of a plastic bag and put them in the freezer only when they are cold. Strudel so can lie up to 2 months, share and puffs - up to a month.
By the way, you can easily freeze ice cream cake several times. But do not leave the biscuit and cream cakes in the freezer.
6. Pancakes
If you assume that the pancakes need freezing, then immediately after removing them from the pan, grease them with butter. This will protect them from breakage after storage in the freezer.
If you are going to freeze pancakes with a berry or fruit filling, then add a natural thickener: starch. Then, after thawing, you will not feel that the taste and appearance of the sweet pancake has changed. You can store pancakes for up to 2 weeks.
7. Cheese
Never try to leave the cheese sliced in the freezer. It will fall apart and become tasteless.
If you understand that the cheese remains, and there is no chance to eat it, then it is best to rub it on a grater and put it in a plastic bag. Later, such cheese can be used for refueling of julienne, pasta, etc. Cheese can be stored frozen for up to a month or two.
8. Kefir
“You can calmly remove a pack of kefir in the freezer and even keep it there for up to a month. Frozen kefir should be laid out on a cheesecloth and allowed to drain. After it is drained, you will get ... sour cream. Eat it for another 5-7 days, ”says the chef.
“Categorically it is impossible to freeze mashed potatoes, any kinds of salads, cutlets, beef stroganoff, goulash. When they freeze, they will fall apart, and the salad will turn into an inedible mess, - says Evgeny Mikhailov. - In general, products containing moisture, it is better not to freeze. When freezing, moisture evaporates much faster than during drying. This means that all its properties and taste will lose the product, you will throw it out after defrosting. ”
