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How to Properly Store Meat For Your Freezer A freezer is an excellent investment for families because it can help save money on weekly groceries and offers a fantastic method to cook in bulk. Food frozen in the freezer is quick, easy and healthy. The high-pressure refrigerant that is hot is sent through condenser coils to cool down and reduce the pressure. It is then sent through a small tube, called the evaporator where it is converted into a liquid. Meat Making sure you have enough meat to last and buying in large quantities is a great way to save money. It also helps to have a ready supply of food in case of bad weather or last-minute food changes. The freezing of meat can help preserve its taste, texture and nutritional value. However, it is important to store the meat properly to maximize the value of it. By freezing at the right temperature, you can prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and microbes. It also helps prevent the breakdown of nutrients. The best way to freeze your meat is to put it in sealed bags. This will prevent air from coming into contact with the food, which can cause an oxidation (when food items lose color) as well as loss of moisture and exposure to contaminants such as bacteria. Plastic wrap and freezer bags are ideal for this purpose. You should consider vacuum sealing when you are planning to store large quantities of meat. This will ensure the tightest possible seal. This will prevent freezing burn and ensure that your meat stays fresh for a longer time. Once the meat is frozen, it should be stored in an area that is dry and clean. This will prevent freezer burn, which occurs when water molecules on the surface evaporate before moving into their liquid phase. The resulting ice may damage the meat's cells which makes it difficult to eat and unappetizing. Freezer burn also causes an unpleasant smell, and could make the meat smell stale. Another problem when freezing meat is that the ice crystals could pull moisture away from muscles and fat, resulting in a drier cut. It is important to avoid washing the meat before freezing as this will cause ice crystals that are larger to cause freezer burn. To avoid this from happening, it's recommended to make sure you use clean cutting boards when preparing meat for freezing. Before wrapping the meat, remove any excess fat or bones. Lastly, you should use enough freezer paper to wrap the meat in two layers. This will stop the frozen ice crystals from sticking together and causing freezer burn. It is also recommended to organize your freezer by meat type and use the FIFO (first in, last out) method when storing your meat. This will enable you to remove the older meat before cooking. Fruit If you have an extremely productive yard, or too many cartons of strawberries that are ripe or you want to satisfy your sweet tooth fast, freezing fruit can be a convenient and economical alternative. Food freezing is more energy efficient than canning, and requires less heating treatment to preserve nutrients. Once frozen, bacteria, yeast and molds cannot reproduce, so food stays safe to eat for a longer period of time. The preparation of fruits for freezing is contingent on the type of fruit and its intended use. Some fruits, like bananas are best eaten as whole. They can be quickly frozen on a cookie sheet prior being placed into freezer bags or plastic freezer containers to store them. Other fruits can be prepared for freezing by slicing, dicing or mashing. A slotted spoon or a mashing tool made of wire is ideal for crushing soft fruit, while a food processor is better for larger pieces of firmer fruit. To collect any pulp or juice you can use a strainer, colander or bowl. Use galvanized containers to keep or prepare fresh or frozen fruits. Acid can harm metals. The majority of frozen fruits are stuffed with a light syrup in order to keep their texture. Sugar is not essential to the preservation of most fruits, and it can be omitted or replaced by an artificial sweetener to suit those who are watching their sugar intake. To make a syrup pack, you can place the fruit into containers with a little sugar water and then freeze it until it's solid. This method can be used with an array of fruits including berries, pears mangoes, peaches and cherries. Freeze-dried fruits are another option to store in your freezer, particularly if you are making smoothies. These fruit snacks are typically packaged in cans or pouches that have the oxygen sucked out with oxygen absorbents, making them ready for long-term storage. They may not contain all the minerals and vitamins that fresh or canned fruit does however they are a convenient and easy way to get your daily doses of Vitamin C and other antioxidants. Vegetables Freezing vegetables and fruits is a great way of preserving them for the future. It preserves nutrients and numerous studies have shown that frozen foods contain as much or more minerals and vitamins than their fresh counterparts. Some fruits and vegetables do not can be frozen properly. Some even lose their original flavor once they are removed from the freezer. To prevent this, freeze them when they are as at their peak of ripeness. Blanching is an important step to be taken prior to freezing the majority of vegetables and fruits. It eliminates enzymes that can cause color, flavor, and loss of texture. It also cleans the surface of the produce and kills microorganisms living on it. Blanching should be fast but effective. It must be followed by a rapid cooling in order to stop the cooking. Some berries or greens can be blanched and frozen, however, most require it to maintain their color and texture. It is recommended to blanch them for a brief time in boiling water and then cool them immediately in cold water. This is especially necessary for dark greens such as chard, kale, and spinach. Leafy greens aren't suitable for freezing in whole, so they must be cut into smaller pieces prior to placing them in freezer bags or other storage containers. Vegetables that have a high water content are likely to become mushy upon thawing like radishes and cucumbers. This is the reason they are better cooked prior to eating instead of being eaten raw. It is essential to make use of a food temperature gauge to monitor the temperature of your freezer and follow the recommended freeze times. Be sure to freeze your food at 0 ° Fahrenheit, or lower. Freezing above this temperature will reduce the lifespan of your frozen food items. It is also beneficial to freeze foods in small amounts at a time so that the freezer doesn't overflow and slow down, which could reduce the quality of the frozen food items. For the best results sheets of pan are ideal for placing vegetables in the freezer as they can be easily transferred from the pan to other storage containers afterward. Catering Having an extra freezer in your fridge allows you to prepare meals in large quantities. This can be advantageous for families since it gives them the opportunity to eat healthier and not have cook each day and to take advantage of sales at the grocery store. It can also allow you to avoid seasonality by storing fruits and vegetables that are expensive when they're out of season. Freezers are very versatile and come in various sizes to suit your needs. They can be as small as a dorm size or as large as a walk-in commercial model. All of them employ vapor compression as a refrigeration principle. This involves a fast-moving refrigerant stream that is vaporized and moves through the four main components to absorb and eliminate the heat from the food storage compartment. A good freezer should provide enough storage space to hold all the foods you want to keep. You must think ahead about how much space you'll require. Most freezers are listed by their capacity inside in cubic feet, however this may differ from one manufacturer to the next. Check the label to make sure you're comparing similar models. When you are choosing a freezer, make sure you select a model that has the option of a door lock. This feature can prevent crime and protect your belongings. A door lock is also crucial for families with small children. Keeping a freezer full of organized food items makes it easier to locate what you need when you're in a rush. It's also beneficial if you have relatives who have different diet restrictions. By freezing dishes for the person who can't eat gluten or avoids sugar and sugar, you can provide them with a meal without having to make two separate meals. A deep freezer is an excellent choice for those who need to store food in high quantities. These models have a larger capacity that allows you to store larger portions of meat and more perishable food items. These freezers also have a quicker cooling process that can help keep bacteria from spoiling as quickly as they would in a traditional freezer.