Tips for Using Your Home Freezer

Tips on How to Get the Most From Your Freezer

Why Use a freezer?

          Food is a good investment. After all, prices are going up!  Buying food in bulk and freezing can save money.  Freezing can preserve your garden produce for year-round use.  Freeze leftovers to use for another meal to reduce waste and save money.  Freeze food to extend the "fresh" date.  A full freezer uses less energy to run than an empty one, so fill up that freezer!

Let's talk about safety.

          Referring to a freezer separate from the one attached to your refrigerator:  Keep it locked!  Hang the key on a hook nearby and make a household rule that every time someone opens the freezer, they lock it up and hang the key when they are finished.  This will prevent accidentally leaving the door open and spoiling your investment of food.  Also, don’t send children to the freezer unless they are trained and responsible to follow this rule.

          If you have a power outage, DO NOT open the freezer door!  A full freezer will keep food safe for 2-3 days.  Half-full for 1-2 days if you don’t open it!  Refreezing can cause loss of quality in texture, flavor and appearance.  Food can be safely refrozen if it still contains ice crystals and is cold to the touch.

Defrosting your freezer is important.

          If you have a "frost-free" freezer, your food will not keep as long.  Think about it.  In order to keep the frost away, the freezer must increase the temperature temporarily to melt the ice.  A freezer that needs defrosting will maintain a colder temperature constantly.  Keep it full to minimize frost.  When the frost builds up, take care of it so the freezer doesn't have to work so hard and use so much energy to run.  My favorite method is to (1) unplug the unit (2) empty the frozen food into boxes (3) use a blow dryer to loosen the frost (4) wipe it out, repack and plug it in.

What's in there?

          Be sure to label and date EVERYTHING that goes into the freezer.  Use masking tape and a permanent marker.  Post an inventory list on the outside of the door and write down (or tally mark) when you put something in or take it out.  You want to maintain a 'first in, first out" rotation, so stack or store accordingly.

Prevent freezer burn by proper packaging.

          Freezer burn does NOT make food unsafe to eat, just less appetizing.  Oxygen and dehydration are the enemies.  Choose storage containers that are waterproof and easy to seal.

          A commercial vacuum sealing machine is nice (and spendy) but not necessary.  DIY tip:  to vacuum seal freezer bags, zip the bag almost all the way and put a straw through the space.  Suck out all the air, remove the straw and finish sealing the bag.

          Use thick freezer bags.  Save money by washing and reusing freezer bags except those that have been used to store meats.

          Double wrap meat from the store by adding add foil over original wrapper, or if you need to divide quantities, use freezer zip bags. 

          Store-bought frozen fruits and veggies will keep better if you put them in an additional freezer bag to store.

Most foods can be frozen.

          The following are safe to eat frozen, but may have quality or texture issues to make them unappetizing: Lettuce, whole soft cheese (grated is ok), yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, anything with mayonnaise in it.  Don't freeze egg yolks or cooked egg whites; however, raw egg whites can be frozen.

Tune in next time for specific tips on freezing foods from Apples to Zucchini.