Best containers for freezing food
We’ve all been there, shuddering within the chilly air of the freezer whereas blindly foraging by opaque luggage and blocks for dinner. Freezing is a good way to increase your meals provide, however issues can simply get misplaced or fall prey to freezer burn. With the suitable gear, in addition to a couple of savvy strategies for packing, thawing, and organizing your meals, you possibly can replenish and likewise be certain that nothing goes to waste. We carried out hours of analysis, together with speaking to food-safety specialists and cooking editors, to seek out one of the best gear and techniques for freezing meals.Freezing is likely one of the best steps you possibly can take to make elements or cooked meals last more. It requires a lot much less effort than different strategies equivalent to canning, fermenting, or dehydrating. As well as, in the event you’re happy with the freezer area you have already got, you don’t want as a lot additional tools as you do for different preservation strategies.Reading: Best containers for freezing foodFreezing is a flexible approach. You possibly can protect a season’s bounty straight from the backyard or grocery retailer (assume summer season berries for a tart, juicy pie on a wintry day, or spring peas to brighten a creamy pasta). You possibly can freeze meals made prematurely to pad your ready-to-eat provide. You possibly can inventory your freezer with citrus juice and minced herbs, alliums, or ginger root so as to add brightness to a dish at a second’s discover, with out a journey to the shop.It’s plain that some frozen meals don’t retain the identical flavors or textures as their recent predecessors. However once you select what to freeze correctly, and pack it utilizing the suitable containers and strategies to keep up high quality, you’ll give your future self a present of elements and premade meals past what your pantry and even your fridge can accommodate.
One of the best gear for freezing meals
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Air and ambient moisture are the most important enemies of frozen meals: They trigger freezer burn, which creates a tricky or rubbery texture after thawing. The appropriate packaging can stop that dreaded aftereffect. Elizabeth Andress, meals security specialist and professor of meals and diet on the College of Georgia, stated, “Different types of [materials] will vary in how much air they let through them, as well as odors and what we call moisture vapor, or airborne moisture.” Hermetic containers, in addition to thicker luggage, sturdy foil, and coated paper designed for freezing, could make an enormous distinction in post-thaw high quality. They’ll be certain that no matter you freeze stays higher for longer.One of the best heavy-duty freezer luggage Thick reusable silicone luggage might help stop freezer burn. Photograph: Sarah KobosZip-top luggage are particularly good for freezing meals as a result of you possibly can extra simply get all of the air out of them than out of inflexible containers. You should utilize them for every part from blanched spinach to rooster thighs and, after laying them flat to freeze, stack them to economize area. We like Hefty Freezer Slider Baggage, however in the event you can’t discover them, search for an choice that’s labeled for freezing. Freezer luggage are thicker than common ones, so that they’re much less prone to puncture or tear, they usually’re designed to be much less brittle when frozen. We’ve discovered that luggage with sliders are simpler to fill and seal even with saucy meals, which may gum up the zippered seals on different luggage.You possibly can wash and reuse a freezer bag till it goes kaput, however in the event you’re involved about utilizing disposable plastic, reusable silicone luggage additionally work nicely. “Silicone allows even less transmission of air and moisture vapor,” stated Andress. Of the reusable luggage we’ve examined, we advocate the Stasher Reusable Silicone Bag Multi-Pack, which incorporates a number of sizes in brilliant, enjoyable colours. These sturdy luggage seal tightly, don’t impart any flavors, retailer flat in a drawer, and are dishwasher protected and straightforward to wash. The draw back is that they’re rather more costly than plastic luggage; a pack of 4 prices $50 at this writing. And since the Stasher luggage are extra inflexible than plastic ones, it’s just a little tougher to compress the air out of them.To get as a lot air as potential out of a bag earlier than freezing, attempt urgent it towards a desk, hugging it to your physique, or rolling it from the bottom towards the seal. When you’re sealing a number of luggage directly, it’s price filling a big container with water and utilizing this helpful trick for almost-like-a-vacuum-sealer outcomes: Submerge a crammed, barely opened bag into water with the zipper simply above the water line. Let the air escape as you slowly sink the bag, and seal it proper earlier than you submerge the opening. This course of might help push extra air out of silicone luggage, too.Thick or coated wrapsFor gadgets which can be too unwieldy to slot in a freezer bag, equivalent to massive cuts of meat, a loaf of bread, or a bundt cake, you should utilize any of a number of kinds of freezer-specific wraps to seal them tightly. It comes all the way down to choice or what you might have readily available. A freezer-grade plastic wrap will work however might be laborious to seek out; Suzanne Driessen, extension educator in meals science on the College of Minnesota, recommends Glad Press’n Seal Freezer Wrap, which is offered out on-line at this writing. In case you have solely common plastic wrap, which is thinner, use a number of layers for higher high quality.Aluminum foil can even conform tightly to baked items or different non-uniform gadgets. Go for a heavier foil equivalent to Reynolds Heavy Responsibility Aluminum Foil as a result of it’s thicker and tougher to tear in the event you’re stacking or transferring issues round. As an additional line of protection towards freezer burn, you possibly can first use a layer of plastic wrap earlier than masking with foil.For wrapping meats snugly, Andress likes utilizing freezer paper like this one made by Reynolds. Freezer paper could also be tougher to seek out, nevertheless it’s one other good, hermetic various to plastic wrap. Freezer paper will not be the identical as wax, butcher, or parchment paper: It has a wax or plastic coating on one facet that acts as a barrier to carry in meat juices however is uncoated on the opposite facet so that you could simply write the contents and date on the surface of the package deal. When you select to wrap your meals in freezer paper, comply with this demonstration of two folding strategies (video) from the extension program on the College of Alaska Fairbanks to just be sure you wrap it tightly. It’s a good suggestion to seal the paper with tape and to label what you’ve packed.Also read: Best pour over coffee maker 2021Even in the event you purchase proteins equivalent to rooster, beef, or fish prewrapped, it’s usually greatest to switch them to freezer packaging. “There’s short-term packaging and longer-term packaging,” defined Driessen. “So when you buy something from the meat counter in that plastic wrap, it’s designed for short-term use and not lower temperatures like a freezer.” The meat that you just discover packed on a tray lined with a skinny movie will not be nicely sealed, so air and moisture can get in and trigger freezer burn. Vacuum-packed meat wrapped in thicker plastic is probably going advantageous, however for the very best quality Driessen nonetheless suggests repacking it. When you’ve put meat straight from the shop into your freezer, that’s okay, however Driessen recommends utilizing that meat inside two weeks for the very best quality.Hermetic containers These glass Pyrex containers stack simply and are oven protected. Photograph: Michael HessionIn contrast with luggage, reusable containers stack extra neatly and could also be simpler to fill with liquids, stews, or soups. After testing dozens of units for our information to one of the best meals storage containers, we advocate the Pyrex 18-Piece Merely Retailer Meals Storage Set. These sturdy tempered-glass containers stack nicely and received’t choose up stains or smells. They’re additionally conveniently oven protected in addition to freezer and dishwasher protected, although Pyrex cautions towards transferring them straight from a chilly freezer right into a sizzling oven for reheating—the shock of the sudden temperature change could trigger them to shatter. As an alternative, let the container defrost within the fridge after which place it on a room-temperature baking sheet earlier than transferring it to the oven. The additional layer supplies a buffer between the very popular oven rack and the chilly glass, lessening the possibility of the container shattering (and stopping stuff from spilling throughout your oven if the glass does break). We’ve used that technique for baking chilled pies, and we’ve by no means had a difficulty.The Pyrex containers aren’t leakproof—for that, we just like the Glasslock 18-Piece Container Set. The Glasslock containers have locking lids that stop leaks, however the lids additionally put stress on the lip of the containers, which makes the glass liable to chipping over time. For an reasonably priced plastic set, we just like the Rubbermaid TakeAlongs 40-Piece Storage Set containers, that are tight-sealing and microwave protected, though we discovered that they could soften within the microwave throughout defrosting.Keep away from reusing the cartons from yogurt or bitter cream for freezing, as a result of their lids don’t seal nicely and can let air in. “If you have a dip container where you peel off a plastic kind of top, then that outer lid may not have to be quite as tight a seal as if it were being manufactured for freezing,” stated Andress. We’d additionally keep away from plastic takeout containers, which may turn out to be brittle within the freezer after which crack or shatter simply.You’ll by no means be capable of get the entire air out of inflexible containers, although tight-sealing lids might help. However attempt to fill the container as a lot as you possibly can whereas leaving ample headspace for liquids to develop as they freeze—particularly when utilizing glass containers that may crack or shatter. (We’ve some recommendations on how a lot headspace to go away in all kinds of containers under.)Tools to put money into Vacuum-sealing elements is one of the best ways to guard them from freezer burn. Photograph: Sarah KobosIndividuals who freeze gadgets ceaselessly or who purchase meals in bulk could wish to put money into a vacuum sealer to maintain elements brisker for longer. Vacuum sealers get as a lot air out of a bag as potential, which helps cut back freezer burn. “In addition to pulling the air out of the package, they are much more preventative at letting anything [in the air] transmit through the plastic itself,” Andress stated. We sealed floor beef and pork chops with 10 totally different machines for our information to one of the best vacuum sealers, and all of them got here out with minimal freezer burn after spending a number of months within the freezer. We advocate getting the easy-to-use Nesco VS-12, which affords highly effective suction, a number of helpful settings, and the choice to single- or double-seal luggage, but when it’s offered out you’ll find different options in our information.
The right way to package deal meals for the freezer
Moreover the containers and luggage you employ, the way you pack meals will change how they freeze and thaw. Freezing issues as shortly as potential is necessary for sustaining high quality: The slower the method, the extra doubtless it’s that bigger ice crystals will develop, making meals soggier or more durable once you reheat them. So keep away from including a ton of non-frozen meals to your freezer directly, and contemplate decreasing the temperature the day earlier than freezing a load. Packing smaller parts can even assist pace up freezing occasions.When freezing cooked dishes, be certain that every part has cooled down utterly earlier than you pack it. “Warm foods are going to cause condensation inside your packaging. And that again is very bad for frozen food quality,” stated Andress.When you’re freezing a meal with a number of elements that may freeze and thaw at totally different charges, equivalent to rooster and broccoli, take the time to pack them individually. Andress stated to consider how air would stream in a container full of totally different elements of various shapes once you’re deciding what to pack with what: “Any air pockets or trapped air around the food is very detrimental to quality,” she stated.For meals you wish to freeze in bulk however use little by little, the dry-pack technique—which entails packing meals up after they’ve been frozen—is vital. This method is nice for berries that may often clump collectively, balls of cookie dough you wish to bake a couple of at a time, slices of bread, or bacon from a pack you received’t eat abruptly. Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper (moist elements will stick to reveal steel), organize gadgets in a single layer so that they’re not touching, after which put the sheet within the freezer. Our favourite baking sheet, the Nordic Ware Pure Aluminum Business Baker’s Half Sheet, works nice for this activity (you may get it in smaller, quarter-sheet and eighth-sheet sizes, too, which can match higher into an already crammed freezer). Driessen recommends checking the gadgets each 30 to 60 minutes and packing them up as quickly as they’re frozen, which often takes one to 2 hours. As soon as they’re frozen, you possibly can wrap up the parts and put them in containers or luggage for additional safety or organizational functions.When you’re freezing a meal with a number of elements that may freeze and thaw at totally different charges, equivalent to rooster and broccoli, take the time to pack them individually.Also read: Best coffee maker under 200For freezing small quantities of sauces, herbs, citrus juice, or condiments in order that they’re simple to throw right into a dish, use an ice dice tray. We advocate the OXO Good Grips Ice Dice Tray over others as a result of it has a inflexible plastic lid that retains smells out and prevents spills; plus, it permits for simple stacking so you possibly can maximize area. You possibly can freeze cubes of pesto, tomato paste, lemon juice, minced garlic, and even particular person, cracked eggs.Meals develop after they freeze, so go away some headspace if you find yourself placing something in a jar, a container, or perhaps a bag to stop cracks or rips. Usually you need to go away about half an inch of room, however the quantity varies primarily based on what’s inside and the form of container you’re utilizing. The Nationwide Heart for House Meals Preservation has a chart to assist decide how a lot headspace to go away in containers.
The right way to thaw frozen meals
The USDA affords a number of strategies for protected defrosting. One of the simplest ways to thaw is within the fridge, which retains meals out of the temperature hazard zone through which current micro organism can quickly multiply. To safeguard towards spills or melting frost from the surface of containers, place packages on high of a baking sheet or in a bowl.The drawback to thawing meals within the fridge is that it takes a very long time—it’s not a course of you can begin an hour earlier than dinner. One quicker choice is to put sealed luggage in a big mixing bowl full of chilly water (by no means use heat water) that you just change out each half-hour till your meals thaws. We advocate the deep Cuisinart Stainless Metal Mixing Bowls, which let you absolutely submerge massive packs of meat or stew, however any massive bowls you might have at house will work advantageous. The massive Rubbermaid Business Area Saving Meals Storage Containers, which we like for dry meals storage, would additionally work nice for this function. If it’s good to thaw even quicker, you possibly can all the time use a microwave. Simply just be sure you use what you’ve defrosted instantly, as a result of meals can begin to heat up within the microwave, and also you shouldn’t let it sit at an unsafe temperature at which micro organism can develop.Alternately, you possibly can cook dinner many frozen meals immediately from the freezer, so long as they’ll warmth quick sufficient. Premade frozen meals equivalent to soups or stews are advantageous to defrost immediately in a pot. In case you have a sous vide setup, it’s the proper choice for heating a pack of stew or a lower of meat pulled straight from the freezer. Simply make it possible for the meals is nicely sealed in a heavy-duty freezer bag or vacuum-sealed bag and that your water tub stays at a temperature above 140 levels Fahrenheit. Driessen recommends including about 30 to 60 minutes to the cook dinner time.An electrical strain cooker can also be a handy strategy to cook dinner frozen gadgets, together with meat, shortly, though chances are you’ll want so as to add some additional cooking time (On the spot Pot has a desk with options for recent meals that you should utilize as a baseline). We advocate the On the spot Pot Duo 6-Quart, which is straightforward to make use of and comes with a sturdy chrome steel inside pot. However Andress advises towards placing something frozen, particularly meat, straight from the freezer right into a sluggish cooker, which takes too lengthy to warmth meals to protected temperatures and thus permits micro organism to develop.
The right way to arrange your freezer
A freezer is usually a black gap. However in the event you arrange it nicely, label what’s inside, and make a list of what you might have, you possibly can keep away from letting meals sit there for ages untouched. As an alternative, you’ll be wealthy in ready-to-use, easy-to-find meals you can seize straight away.Most issues preserve in a freezer for a really very long time, however you need to nonetheless preserve monitor of what’s inside so you should utilize what you’ve saved effectively—whereas it nonetheless tastes good. The Nationwide Heart for House Meals Preservation has a timetable for the lifespan of frozen meals, however you need to use your greatest judgment in terms of deciding if it’s too late to make use of one thing. “As long as that food stays frozen, then there aren’t any bacteria at work or even molds,” stated Andress. “But quality will continue to deteriorate in the freezer.” Everybody perceives the shift in high quality just a little in a different way, nevertheless it’s a good suggestion to make use of issues inside round eight to 12 months of freezing.To maintain monitor of expiration dates, label packages with tape and markers that received’t disintegrate in colder temperatures. We just like the hardy FrogTape Multi-Floor Painter’s Tape that many kitchen professionals use, however you should utilize freezer tape too. Write the date and elements on tape labels with a Sharpie Tremendous Tip everlasting marker so the writing received’t rub off.We advocate preserving a list of what you might have and what you’ve used, whether or not that’s with a spreadsheet or a written record that you just tack to the fridge with a magnet. Think about doing an occasional freezer edit, the place you undergo and reorganize your freezer, whether or not it’s each quarter or yearly.
What are you able to freeze?
You possibly can freeze virtually something. However harsh temperatures could cause bodily and chemical injury to cells and tissues, which makes some meals limp or watery after thawing. For instance, you’ll by no means get the identical satisfying chunk from a crisp leaf of lettuce after you’ve frozen it, and cream won’t ever whip to as fluffy a texture. There are lots of recipes that freeze very nicely, although: Soups, stews, casseroles, muffins, and cookie dough are only a few examples. Even elements equivalent to bitter cream, tofu, and eggs might be revived after freezing, and gadgets equivalent to tortillas and bread might be zhuzhed up in a toaster or pan.For recipe concepts or recommendation on what is going to freeze greatest, NYT Cooking (Wirecutter is part of The New York Occasions Firm) has a information to freezing many elements, in addition to a number of recipe roundups like “Recipes to Make and Freeze” and “Having a Baby? What to Cook and Freeze Now.” The Nationwide Heart for House Meals Preservation additionally has intensive tips for freezing, though among the suggestions are dated and style preferences have modified. Andress recommends contacting your native cooperative extension workplace if in case you have questions.Read more: 15 food-inspired baby names
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