Preserving Food Through Freezing

Different kinds of food such as meat, fruits and vegetables are commonly preserved both by stores and locally by placing them in freezers. This works effectively in extending the life span of your food supplies by turning their water content into solid so there is no moisture to serve as breeding ground for bacteria. The temperature turns these microorganisms dormant so the process of decay gets very, very slow and you can still get edible food even after a year.Food that will be frozen for prolonged storage should be handled properly so as to lessen the elements that could contribute to quick spoiling. It's not just about getting your products from your farm, garden or nearest grocery store and shoving them directly into your home freezer.When freezing meat, select the fresh and choice cuts and not ones that have had enough time to spoil already. If you have a very large piece, cut them first into smaller sizes and group them into serving portions so that when the time comes for you to use them, you don't have to take everything out and defrost it just to get a small portion. An important thing to remember is that defrosted meats shouldn't be placed back in the freezer because the bacteria would have gotten active again and grown. To freeze meats for a long period of time, wrap them heavily in cling wrap or aluminum foil to prevent air from getting in. Lastly, label your packages. Write down the type of food inside your package as well as the packaging date so you'll know when it's time to take out and use that ground beef or pork chop before it spoils.Freezing fruits is a very simple task to do. When in their prime (not unripe nor overripe), they can either be frozen as is, or added with some syrup, sugar or ascorbic acid. Fruits such as berries can be frozen with only their stems removed, while bigger fruits with pits such as mangoes are better frozen if the pit is removed and the flesh is sliced into pieces. Place them in sealable bags and place in the freezer for future use. The fruits can be sprinkled with some sugar or placed in syrup before freezing. Some fruits such as bananas and apples require covering with ascorbic acid prior to freezing to prevent the natural darkening color when exposed.Vegetables are simple to freeze. Slice them to pieces or remove unnecessary parts such as stalks or leaves. Some types of vegetables such as pepper can be directly frozen but others such as broccoli, celery, and beets have to be cooked or blanched and placed in cold water before they are placed in the freezer. This can preserve your food for up to 6 months.
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