CHAPTER 3: FREEZER TECHNIQUES FOR GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR FOOD

You can get a great deal out of your food though the use of your freezer one you know how. You can store almost anything in the freezer if you are willing to learn and go through a bit of trial and error and take notes on what works well when you try it, and what does not.

For example, fruits and vegetables can sometimes freeze well, while at other times they will be a disaster. This is because of the high water content of some items and their relative delicacy. So for example, trying to freeze a lettuce would not be a good idea because the leaves are very thin and the end product would be very watery once it was defrosted, but you can freeze berries and even bananas because they are more firm. 

A great way to store fruits and vegetables for future use or eating is to freeze them at the peak of their flavor and color. Freezing will preserve this by putting a sudden halt to the ripening process. We are sure you have had a banana that was overripe to the point of blackness on the outside that you might have ended up throwing away. Believe it or not, it can make a great base for a banana bread or even frozen banana dessert provided it is not completely rotten.

Many vegetables can also be frozen right at home.  If you live on a farm or you have taken to growing your own vegetables in your garden to save money, or you love to go to farmer's markets but tend to overbuy, freezing vegetables is ideal.  Before freezing vegetables, they should be blanched for a few minutes. Blanching is the process of putting them in boiling water. In this case, you would put the vegetables that you wish to freeze into boiling water for about 2 minutes. This allows the colors to come out and the flavors to develop. Once they have been blanched, they should be left to cool to room temperature and then frozen individually, laid out flat on a cookie sheet, for example, before being bagged up.

Laying them out on a cookie sheet and placing the sheet in the freezer for three to five hours can help you flash freeze them and prevent everything from sticking together. Once they have started to freeze, only then should they be bagged together.

Fruits are a little different. Because of the sugar content in most fruits, they tend to get very gritty when they are frozen. However, they can freeze well if you freeze the fruits in simple syrup or a sugar compound with a little ascorbic acid (vitamin C to slow down the oxidation process. Oxidation is the process of a change in the molecules in food due to various factors, including contact with the oxygen in the air.  The oxidation that occurs is usually what discolors the fruit and gives it a brown appearance. Treating the fruit with sugar and Vitamin C can help preserve their great color as well as taste.

If you plan to store large amounts of meat, divide the meat up into smaller portion sizes before freezing. This will make thawing easier for individual servings. Take the meat out of the original packaging, divide, and re-wrap well.  Make sure there are no holes or perforations in the plastic wrap or food bags you use. You might even wish to wrap in plastic first and then slip into a sturdy freezer bag to help cut down on the risk of freezer burn and so that you can re-use the freezer bags again because they will not have come into direct contact with raw meat.  Meat is far too costly these days to treat it casually and just put it in the freezer straight from the skimpy supermarket package. Freezer bags can also add up in price and if you want to live in a more green family, you will want to avoid over-consumption of plastic bags as much as possible and re-use as much as you can instead.

Most typical meats can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days at the proper temperature, but no more than that. Do not leave your fresh meat hanging around in the refrigerator for no reason. For one thing, you really have no idea how long it has been in the supermarket refrigerator or at what temperature it had been kept, especially in the summer.

If you are not planning to use the meat within two days of purchase, freeze, then thaw. If you do not plan to use meat within two months, wrap the meat a second time with heavy-duty plastic wrap or put it into a sturdy freezer bag to avoid freezer burn. Many people love going to the warehouse clubs because they think they are getting bargains, but it is no bargain if you end up throwing the meat away because it looks like a dried up mummy. 

Ideally, plan to cook as soon as you get home from the supermarket. Why unpack it all and tuck it away or try to find room for it when you can start cooking it immediately and have a piping hot meal in minutes? Then cool the remaining portions and store for make and freeze dishes you can eat any time.

Help out your freezer. Keep the long-term storage items in the back or at the bottom, keep your freezer stocked, and practice proper freezing techniques. These simple tips will keep your food fresh and also help to lower your energy bill, yet another way to save money as you eat better at the same time.

One other essential part of using your freezer successfully to eat well and save money will be preserving the food well in proper freezer containers and bags. Let’s have a look at the kinds of items you should have on hand before you start cooking your make and freeze meals.