SOS Tips: Freezing Foods

We are often a little lost when it comes to freezing and defrosting dishes. There are however, certain basic principles that will help you preserve the flavour and freshness of food.

Five guidelines for successfully freezing foods

1- Select good containers and packaging

It is absolutely necessary to avoid any contact between frozen food and air, as this will cause a loss of moisture and create “freezer burn”. So, for optimum freezing:

• Do not freeze food in its original packaging. Remove the foods from the packaging and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Next, place it in a freezer bag and remove all of the air from it.
• Use containers that are specially designed for storing and freezing foods. Aluminum foil should not directly touch the food, as it may lead to oxidation. It’s therefore better to place plastic wrap underneath the foil.

2 - Adopt the right technique based on the food type

For vegetables:

Blanch beans, broccoli, cauliflowers and then plunge them into ice water. Lay them out on a tray and place the tray in the freezer. The aim is to freeze the veggies individually before putting them together in a container or bag.

Sweet peppers can be roasted in the oven or grilled on the barbecue. They should be cooled down rapidly. This is done by dividing them into small portions before putting them into the freezer. When it’s time to use them, you can simply defrost the required portion, and no more.

For berries:

Wash them and dry them with a clean dishcloth or by using a salad spinner.

To avoid ending up with a block of frozen fruits, you should freeze them by spreading them out on a tray in the freezer. Once frozen, you can put them into a same container. This way, they will be easier to “portion out” when they are required.

For homemade dishes:

Put the portion in a plastic container. Seal the food directly with plastic wrap to keep out any air. Then, cover with the lid.

3 - Note down the date of preparation and the contents of each food item that is being frozen. This will help you to maintain a good rotation and consume the foods when they are still at their best.

4 - Create an inventory of the frozen foods
As they are consumed, cross them off the list. This way, you can keep track of everything stored in the freezer.

5 - Check that the temperature in the freezer is always below –18°C.

How long will they last?

How to avoid the risk of contamination

Unlike cooking, freezing does not destroy microorganisms. It only slows down their activity and that of enzymes, while our foods are in the freezer. Therefore, we should be careful how we handle foods before and after freezing.

Do not reuse freezer bags. After they have been used once, reusing them could increase the risk of developing microorganisms.

Consume foods within three days of defrosting them.

Once your foods have been frozen, then defrosted, you should not refreeze them.

How to defrost?

It’s not a good idea to defrost foods at room temperature, since this method is very likely to multiply the amount of microorganisms in the food.

Instead, it is better to defrost them in the refrigerator. Depending on the type of food and the quantity, this should take around 24 hours. Cold water is an alternative for packaged foods.

Microwaving is a much quicker option. You should however cook the foods immediately after defrosting them.

This text was prepared for the October 10, 2009 episode of Par-dessus le marché. Watch the corresponding video.