To Freeze or Not to Freeze?

Think back to the last food you took out of the freezer. Was it covered with white spots or ice crystals or did it taste as delicious as if it was fresh? The advantages of freezing are obvious - using leftovers efficiently, being able to buy economical (large) portions, presenting a home cooked meal fast, and preserving seasonal produce. But freezing procedures for a myriad of individual food types are hard to remember. Freezing is not an art - it is rather a simple procedure - and by condensing all those individual guidelines to a few general rules and minimal specifics, you can freeze most food very successfully.

There are two actions in freezing that need to be remembered. The first is to minimize the size and number of ice crystals that form in and on the surface of food. Ice crystals will burst a food item's cell walls, and the food will dry out as water can evaporate even when it is in an icy state. When food dries out, you have freezer burn, as shown by a dry surface with white or gray spots. The second fact to remember is that while freezing retards enzymatic action, it does not prevent it. Therefore, rancidity and spoilage can occur in frozen food.

To combat these processes, remember three guidelines:

1)       Freeze as fast as possible, thereby minimizing ice crystal size. To freeze fast, do not put hot foods in the freezer - allow them to reach room temperature first. Second, do not put too many unfrozen dishes in the freezer at the same time. Third, do not overload the freezer in general, as cold air must circulate around an item to freeze it efficiently. Finally, put new additions against the wall of the freezer or on the freezer floor, where the temperature is the coldest.

2)       Maintain a freezer temperature as close as possible to 0 degree Fahrenheit.

3)       Use a wrapping or container specifically labeled as suitable for the freezer. For example, use heavy plastic wrap, not the plastic wrap on the food brought from the grocery store. Also, it is preferable not to use aluminum foil, as aluminum retards heat transfer, and the food will not freeze as fast. Wrap the food tightly or, if putting into a container, leave some small headroom for expansion. By effective wrapping, you will minimize moisture loss, retard spoilage, and prevent the food from acquiring bad odors. Label the outside of the package with both the contents and the date frozen.

With these three guidelines, you can freeze almost anything - I have provided a list at the bottom of this article of those few specific foods that are problematic. To ensure top quality with some specific food groups, however, there are some additional formulas that are useful to know.

Vegetables both have high moisture content and low acidity, so they are particularly vulnerable to spoilage. The best way to freeze vegetables is by blanching them, i.e. to cook them briefly in rapidly boiling, salted water and plunge them immediately into ice water. This procedure sets both the color and flavor, and kills the enzymatic action that results in spoiling.

Fruits - except for berries and cherries, all fruits have to be treated to prevent enzymatic action. Berries can be laid out on a baking sheet, frozen individually, and then put into plastic bags. Other fruits, however, should be frozen either in a sugar syrup or dry packed in sugar mixed with ascorbic acid (called Fruit Fresh in the grocery stores).

To make a sugar syrup, simply dissolve 1 cup of sugar in 1-½ cups of water, bring to a boil, and boil for three minutes. I usually add a touch of lemon juice to the sugar syrup to heighten the flavor. If you freeze fruit pies, which freeze quite well, freeze them unbaked, as the fruit will not yet have released its moisture.

Meat should be trimmed first, as fat is particularly susceptible to spoilage.

Fish and Poultry should not be stored more than a few months as unsaturated fat spoils faster than saturated fat. Meat, which has a higher ratio of saturated fat than fish, can be stored 4x as long as fish. Do not freeze stuffed poultry (or even stuff poultry prior to cooking), as bacteria thrives there.

Casseroles or prepared dishes freeze very well; however, to maximize flavor, remember two facts. First, freezing particularly effects seasonings. Salted food freezes less well than unsalted, (as salt lowers the freezing temperature), and herbs and spices will change flavor intensity after cooking. Pepper, for example, actually increases its pungency. So be sure and taste any prepared food dish after cooking to correct the seasoning.

Secondly, if the dish is to be cooked before freezing, slightly undercook it, as reheating will add cooking time. This is especially important for dishes with pasta and rice, as these items lose texture when they're overcooked.

Finally, a short list of foods which do not freeze well:

•  Cream sauces
•  Custards
• Mayonnaise
• Any sauce thickened with flour, like gravy
•  Cooked whole or chunked potatoes, (although half cooked french fries - which will have their second frying at serving time - and mashed potatoes do well)
• Fried foods - they get soggy
•  Salad greens and especially high moisture fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, radishes, celery, cucumbers, and grapes
• Eggs still in their shells, or hard cooked egg whites uncooked egg whites