Could you improve your freezer management ?
Do you use it at all ?
Are some simple questions but new studies identified some “funny” facts which maybe you knew about but ignored completely.
The study was made in Great Britain but I think more or less concerns us all. Hear this – 1/3 of the people with a freezer have no idea what they hide there. And those who have an idea about what treasures they're hiding don’t know exactly since when all that stuff is there or what kind of food is advised to be deposited. More than that, 12 million households are binning good food in the trash to make space for newly bought food. Imagine how much money you can loose per year doing this often. So the list of things we should discuss seams long.
1. First of all – should we use the freezer at all ?
Yes, at full capacity. Why ? First because if you have it and anyway consumes your energy than take full advantage of it and second because you can became even environment friendly since a fully filled freezer it’s energy saver. If it’s too much space or air inside, the coils are working more harder to do the job. If you don’t have nothing to put inside fill some plastic containers or milk cartons with water. At least you will have enough ice for your cocktails.
2. Should we respect labels ?
Not necessarily, if you freeze the food on the same day when purchased than can stay even for years like that, the only rule is to not defreeze it again. Another good tip is for a long time freezed food is to defrost it slowly in the fridge before cooking it, this will keep the quality better. But the dates on the label are more for quality purposes than safety ones.
3. What should I do with the food I defrosted but don’t wanna eat it that day ?
First, what not to do is refreeze it. Just in case it’s cooked. Or you can marinate it if it’s meat. But why not make a simple ready meal from it and eat it next day ?
4. What not to freeze ?
It’s a very small list: egg yolks.
5. What to freeze ?– Tips.
- Breadcrumbs - very handy for many recipes;
- Herbs, lemon grass, lemon slices, ginger;
- Leftover redvine for cooking – like icecubes;
- Peas and pastry;
- Fruits looking like it's not going to be eaten (used in juicer later);
- All kind of veggies;
- Fish fingers;
- Bread;
- Soupes ready prepared in portions;
- Milk;
- Reduced foods bought in supermarkets.
6. What about the freezed food quality and nutrients ?
Amanda Ursell's nutrition tips:
"The nutritional levels of minerals such as iron and calcium are not affected by the freezing process, neither are the amounts of supernutrients such as betacarotene in carrots, lycopene in tomato purée or the amount of protein, carbohydrate or fat that foods contain. It is worth noting that when it comes to cooking, foods that have been frozen tend to take up more fat once fried than fresh items.
If freezing takes place less than two and a half hours after harvest, vitamin levels in vegetables such as peas, broccoli and berries can be higher than in fresh versions. To retain these high levels, it is vital that frozen foods are transported as rapidly as possible to the shop and your freezer. And your domestic freezer should be set at minus 18C or colder.
The modern “blast” freezing technique involves directing extremely cold air on to food. The speed of the method leads to the formation of very small ice crystals that help to reduce damage to the look, texture and taste of the food. With fruit and vegetables, if this takes place within a short time of harvest, it ensures the best preservation of vitamin C and several B vitamins that are usually damaged through normal exposure to light and air.
Levels of vitamin C in vegetables that you freeze yourself will depend on the amount present in them before you put them in your freezer. According to my auntie, who is an avid “home freezer” of the produce that she grows in her garden, the old advice to blanche before freezing by plunging runner beans, for instance, into boiling water for a few seconds first, is not necessary for many vegetables. Avoiding this process will certainly retain more vitamins."
7.How to keep track ?
Put labels on anything goes in the freezer, if you forget it there for years you won’t recognize what it was unless you are a psychic. Your frozen food can be unidentifiable but eatable because ice has really magic powers.
Sorce: The Times
This all sounds very good for me to know ? Same with you ?
Cheers
If it’s about children, adults, pregnant women or older people, honey always is a good choice. A normal diet including honey 3 times per day normalize your digestion and blood pressure, helps you in case of many diseases since it’s a general tonic and immune system stimulator. Honey acts good even if it’s about skin disease or internal illness.
