Freezing + Defrosting

It’s really timely for me to be creating this class.

Coronavirus is in full swing so we’re all trying to shop as infrequently as possible.

AND my fridge is broken.

Actually the defrosting heater on the freezer is broken. So every few days the fridge part freezes everything. And the freezer warms up. Not ideal.

Luckily we have a spare fridge in the shed. So I keep the most perishable items there.

But it’s actually been fun because I’ve been inadvertently freezing things I normally wouldn’t.

Before we get into the details, here are the four most important things I want you to take away from this class.

4 Essential Freezing Facts…

1. Nothing actually ‘can’t’ be frozen.

From a food safety perspective nothing is going to make you sick by freezing it. Unless it was going to make you sick in it’s unfrozen form.

When we say something ‘can’t’ be frozen it actually just means you can freeze it but it won’t taste or look as good if you do.

2. Freezing doesn’t kill microbes

Unlike other food preservation methods like canning or drying, freezing doesn’t kill the bugs.

It just slows their growth down.

But as soon as you defrost, the bugs are there ready to multiply like crazy.

Which is why we need to be careful when defrosting.

And why even frozen food will eventually go bad.

3. Goodness in. Goodness out.

Like the rest of life, you get out of the freezer what you put in.

So the fresher and better quality your food is before freezing, the better it will be after.

4. Label Label Label

I probably should have put this first but I can’t stress how important it is to label. Unless you like playing ‘freezer meal roulette’.

I keep a marking pen in the kitchen close to the freezer so it’s easy to follow this rule.

The easier you make things for yourself, the more likely it is you’ll do it.

So if you don’t have a pen in the kitchen. Stop reading and go an get one.

That’s it for the absolute essentials.

If you want to stop there.

You can.

But of course if you want more… it’s time to ‘dive in’!

Have fun!

Jules x

ps. I have heard of people creating their own cryo chambers with a chest freezer. So you can take the ‘dive in’ literally if you want. Haha.

7 Golden Rules of Freezing Food

1. Don’t refreeze raw food
Freezing doesn’t kill food spoilage yeasts and bacteria. It slows them down dramatically but, they’re still alive.

Once food is defrosted, the little critters can get going quite quickly, so if you freeze the food again, you can be freezing much higher levels of microbes that may make the food unsafe to eat.

By sticking to rule number 1, you minimize the risk.

But like all good rules there’s an exception!

If the food has been in the fridge the whole time, and it hasn’t been out of the freezer for more than 2 days. Then it’s OK to refreeze. Just make a note to use it asap.

2. It is OK to thaw food, cook it and then refreeze

By cooking the food you’re effectively killing the yeasts and bacteria and bringing the food back to safe levels.

Think of it as starting with a clean slate.

3. Cool your food before freezing

The problem with putting hot food in the freezer is that it can increase the internal freezer temperature for a while and possibly start to defrost the already frozen food.

It makes more sense to cool first but make sure you’re not leaving food sitting around for more than 2 hours at room temperature.

The other benefit of cooling first is you can allow the steam (excess moisture) escape so you’ll end up with less ice crystals in your food.

4. Freeze things asap

Freezing is a great food preservation technique but it’s only going to be as good as the food that goes in.

Best to freeze food at it’s freshest so that it will be at it’s best once defrosted.

The wonderful sweetness we take for granted in frozen peas wouldn’t be possible if the peas were old when frozen.

5. Choose appropriate packaging / containers

The air in your the freezer is very dry, otherwise you end up with the insides of your freezer looking more like an igloo.

If your food is exposed to the air, it’s going to loose moisture, dry out and get that awful freezer burn look and flavour.

Don’t assume that all plastic bags are going to protect your food in the freezer.

Best to go with freezer bags or ziplocks that are designed for freezer use.

Or better yet, invest in some pyrex containers that can go from freezer to oven.

I also freeze in glass jars but it’s important not to over fill (see next point).

NOTE: I reuse ziplocks for freezing things like rice, home made pasta and leftover bones for bone broth. When I empty each bag I return it to the freezer and then use these bags next time I make a big batch.

6. Allow for expansion

Water, and therefore food, expands when it freezes. Make allowances for this and avoid messy explosions.

7. Freeze smaller portions

There are 2 benefits here. First is that smaller volumes will freeze and defrost more quickly.

Second you can just defrost and use what you need rather than having a whole heap of food on your hands.

As my Dad found out recently when he splurged on gluten free bread and popped them all in the freezer without slicing.[/tab][tab]

Defrosting 101 – The quickest and safest methods

1. In the fridge

The safest and easiest method because the food never gets above refrigerator temperatures. And as we discussed if you plans change, it’s OK to refreeze without cooking.

The down side is it takes a long time.

About 12 hours for a decent sized steak or salmon fillet but much longer (like days) for a whole chicken or leg of lamb.

2. Straight into a pan / oven

If I want to defrost something like a soup or stew, I just run the bottom of the freezer container under the hot water tap for a little while, enough to loosen.

I then deposit the frozen chunk into a saucepan and slowly allow it to defrost over a low heat. Too easy.

Most frozen veg, like peas, are best popped straight into a pan with a little olive oil, or into a saucepan of boiling water.

Things like this shepherds pie or moussaka can go straight into the oven if they are frozen in an oven proof container. Just cover the top with foil so it doesn’t over brown. Generally 180C (350F) is good. Just allow enough time for the centre to fully heat.

I also cook turkey straight from frozen like this.

3. Defrosting on a metal surface
I thought meat and fish were more tricky, than tubs of soup, until I learned this wonderful new method. I picked up the idea from the food science book, What Einstein Told His Chef.

Basically, things defrost faster, the quicker their coldness is taken away from them.

So you want a surface that will conduct heat to the frozen item (or take the cold away) as efficiently as possible.

While a metal sink is better than a wooden bench top at conducting heat, the ridged surface means that only part of the food is in contact with the metal.

Much better to use a heavy cast iron frying or roasting pan for the maximum heat/cold transfer.

I recently put this to the test defrosting 2 similar sized scotch fillet steaks.

One, I unwrapped and placed directly on my cast iron roasting pan.

The other I left wrapped in it’s Styrofoam tray from the butcher. I turned both every 20 minutes or so.

The winner was the steak on the roasting pan which took about an hour to defrost fully. Whereas the other steak took about 3 1/2 hours to get to the same state.

4. Submerging in cold running water.
This method is newer to me. But if I’m short on time. It’s the best!

Keep your food in the plastic bag then put in a bowl of cold water. Run the tap into the bowl very slowly, just enough to keep the water moving.

Faster than any of the methods above. And safer because the food stays as cold as your cold water.

Magic!

5. Microwave
I don’t own a microwave but you’re welcome to use the defrost setting. Just be super careful not to overcook especially raw meat.

For more on defrosting. This YouTube video gives an excellent rundown of the options (with some science!)[/tab][tab]

Freezable Recipes

• Addictive Green Curry of Broccoli Soup
• Creamy Mushroom, Leek & Spinach Soup
• Chunky Cauli & Sausage Soup with Parsley Oil
• One Pot Cauliflower, Chicken & Peanut Curry
• Super Green Saag Chicken
• Simple Baked Meatballs
• Seriously Easy Moussaka
• 5-Ingredient Shepherds Pie
• Creamy Mushroom, Beef & Almond Pies
• Cabbage ‘Lasagna’ (Low Carb)

For the most up-to-date list of recipes see the Freezable Archives over here.

Freezable ‘Building Blocks’

• Almond Bread
• Almond Pasta
• How I Make Bone Broth (Stock)
• Bistro Pâté
• Perfect Fluffy Rice
• Lovely Lentils
• Roast Cauli & Onion
• Beautiful Broccoli
• A BIG Pot of Beans
• Quick Beef Ragu
• Easy 1-Dish Ratatouille

Freezable Meal Plans

* Spring FREEZER MEALS

* Autumn FREEZER MEALS

* 15-Minute FREEZER MEALS

* 15-Minute FREEZER MEALS

Things that Love to be Frozen

• Bread – just slice it first!
• Soups, stews and stocks.
• Cooked veg – all cooked veg freeze well.
• Cooked legumes – all cooked beans, chickpeas and lentils freeze well.
• Cooked rice. Great to have on hand for egg fried rice.
• Meat & fish – although they will loose some moisture upon thawing,
• Bacon – great to keep on hand for when there’s an emergency call for pork products
• Bananas – great for making banana bread or if you remember to peel them first almost instant ‘ice cream’.
• Berries – freeze them in a single layer on a tray. Then pop them in a freezer bag or container.
• Pastry – I always make more than I need then freeze the rest for later.
• Fresh spices – chilli, horseradish, tumeric & ginger.
• Herbs – While they will loose their fresh appearance, the flavour will still be great. Especially good for the woody herbs like rosemary & thyme.
• Bones – I keep leftover raw and cooked bones in a large ziplock bag until I have enough to make bone broth.
• Nuts and nut meal – extends shelf life
• Most cakes and desserts – freeze in individual serving sizes for lunchboxes or treats.
• Egg whites and yolks (out of the shell).
• Hard Cheese – hard cheese especially work well.
• Butter.

Don’t Freeze These

NOTE: None of these will make you sick. They just won’t be as palatable.

Dairy & Eggs

• Sour cream, yogurt – separate and become grainy.
• Soft cheese, cream cheese – become grainy but hard cheeses are fine.
• Custards and puddings
• Un-Homogenized Milk
• Raw Eggs in shell – they crack as they expand.
• Egg based dishes – this depends on the amount of egg. If there’s only a bit like in a cake it’s fine. But I find eggy dishes like frittatas or omelettes go spongey when defrosted.

Produce

• Lettuce and salad greens – turn slimy
• Cucumbers, celery, and radishes – become watery and limp
• Raw potatoes – turn mealy and discoloured — though cooked potato dishes freeze fine
• Tomatoes – fine for cooking, but texture is ruined for fresh eating
• Watermelon and other high-water-content fruits
• Raw garlic – texture turns mushy and flavour can become bitter (fine if going straight into a cooked dish)

Sauces & Emulsions

• Mayonnaise and mayo-based dressings (separate and become oily)
• Hollandaise and béarnaise sauce
• Cream-based sauces – can split on reheating

Meat & Protein

• Cooked chicken — especially plain breast (fats oxidise, ice crystals damage texture, and it absorbs freezer odours; much better frozen in a sauce or broth)
• Cooked plain pork — chops or roast (fat oxidises faster than chicken, texture goes dry and grainy; fine in a braise, stew, or curry)
• Tofu – goes spongy when defrosted.

Other

• Fried foods – lose their crispness entirely
• Soft herbs like basil – blacken and go limp — though you can freeze them blended in oil)
• Gelatin-based dishes – weep water as they thaw
• Jam – the pectin which causes the jam to gel breaks down at freezing temperatures.
• Carbonated drinks – pressure buildup, potential explosion
• Canned foods still in the can – the can can burst

How to make home frozen vegetables

1. Wash and prep your veg.

Generally I like things chopped into bite sized pieces because they’ll freeze and defrost quicker. But it’s up to you.

If you want to pop a whole eggplant into the freezer you can.

2. Cook your veg (optional).

While cooking first isn’t essential, I prefer it because the veg are then ready to use when I want them. Plus cooking first deactivates enzymes and decreased the microbes present so the veg will last longer.

For things like broccoli, beans, broccoli and greens I like to steam / boil them in a few centimeters (an inch) of salted water.

Cabbage I like sauteed like this (without the egg)

For most other veg I like them roast. Like this ratatouille, or this cauliflower or these mushrooms.

3. Cool your veg if they’ve been cooked.

If you freeze them hot it puts extra load on your freezer plus the steam will be collected as frost which will make your veg more watery when defrosted.

If you’re in a hurry you can plunge the cooked veg into a bowl of chilled water. But I generally don’t bother.

5. Place in freezer proof containers (or ziplock bags).

6. Pop in the freezer.

Where your veg will last for months and months (if not years!)

How to make home frozen fruit

1. Wash and dry your fruit.

2. Place in freezer proof containers (or ziplock bags).

3. Pop in the freezer.

Too easy.

8 things I always have in the freezer

1. Meat, Fish & Poultry.
The biggest drawer in our freezer is usually full of different meat, fish and poultry because I like to shop less frequently. There’s usually some salmon fillets, sausages, steaks, a larger piece of meat like lamb shoulder and some sort of chicken.

I also keep a ziplock bag for bones for stock that I fill as we go. I used to think it was too much hassle but every time I make the stock, I feel so virtuous for not wasting all those bones that it’s become a habit.

2. Almond Pasta.
Fresh almond pasta for my boys (much healthier than dried pasta) and cooks in a few minutes from frozen.

3. Cooked Rice

To make Egg Fried Rice for my boys.

4. Bolognese Sauce.

I make a big batch of bolognese every few months and freeze in individual jars so I always have a quick kid-friendly meal at the ready. I’ve just realised I haven’t put my simple baked bolognese recipe on Simple Meal Plans. Need to do that soon!

5. Bread.
We don’t eat much bread. It’s usually almond bread and occasionally some pita for the boys.

6. Egg Whites.
I love love love home made mayo Which generates a lot of egg whites. So I freeze to use in my Little Almond Breads. Note: 1 egg white = 40g (1.4oz).

7. Yoghurt Starter Culture.
It’s hard to beat home made yoghurt! Most times I use the previous batch to ‘seed’ my new yoghurt but I keep my freeze dried starter culture in the freezer for when I forget to save some. I’ve had it for almost 2 years and it’s still going strong.

8. Ice Cream.
A Saturday night treat for the boys.

As you can see I’m not a big fan of squirreling away complete freezer meals. I prefer to have ingredients or building blocks ready to create different meals as needed.

What about you?

Anything you always keep a stash of in your freezer? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below…