The freezer is usually a place where the family's “strategic” food supplies are stored. Housewives put meat, fish, berries, vegetables and much more there. All this is stored indefinitely, and sometimes it is taken out of the freezer, defrosted, and then frozen again. However, not everyone knows that the freezer is not only capable of preserving food for a long time, but can also cause serious food poisoning if certain rules related to freezing, defrosting and storing food are not followed
Freezing, storing and defrosting food requires compliance with certain rules. Photo source: nationalgeographic.com
How long can food be stored in the freezer?
The freezer allows us to buy food in bulk and store it for a long time. Moreover, when a product gets into the freezer, its expiration date no longer interests anyone – it stays there until it is needed and defrosted. But are there any restrictions on the storage time of frozen products?
It all depends on the temperature in the freezer. If the temperature is -18 degrees and below, then you really don't have to worry about the expiration date. The quality of the products, of course, may decrease over time, but you won't get poisoned by them if they were fresh when they were frozen.
Meat can be stored almost forever at temperatures below -18 degrees. Photo source: a-flora.ru
It should be understood that frost does not kill bacteria, but it stops their growth. Therefore, the quality of the products and compliance with hygiene rules in the kitchen, including the refrigerator, are much more important than the shelf life. If you freeze contaminated products, you will preserve them with all the bacteria that are in them.
Therefore, it is important to keep the kitchen and refrigerator clean. In addition, it is necessary to separate raw products that require heat treatment from those ready to eat. In this case, even long-term storage in the freezer will not lead to any negative consequences, if, of course, the freezer provides the necessary temperature.
Can you refreeze food?
There is no clear answer to this question. The fact is that it is not the products that freeze in the freezer, but the water that is in them. It follows that products that contain a minimum amount of water can be frozen and defrosted many times. For example, this applies to lard, butter, cheese, etc. Also, no problems arise from repeated freezing of dry-cured products.
Lard can be frozen and defrosted many times. Photo source: eda.ru
However, it should be taken into account that during defrosting, products enter the “dangerous temperature zone”. That is, in the heat, dangerous bacteria can begin to multiply and produce toxins. Therefore, you should not keep products in the heat for a long time.
As for products that contain a lot of water, it is better not to freeze them again, not to mention multiple freezing. The thing is that the water in them crystallizes, and the slower the defrosting, the larger the crystals. They take up much more space in the cells than water, causing the cells to break down. That is why, if you defrost and freeze chicken or fish several times, it turns into some kind of protein cotton wool and literally crumbles in the frying pan.
There is a product that benefits from repeated freezing – this is octopus. If you freeze and defrost it several times, its meat will turn out incredibly tender.
Does this affect the taste of the product? Most often it changes, moreover, some studies have shown that even the nutritional value of some products changes. But the product does not become harmful or dangerous after repeated freezing. Therefore, repeatedly frozen meat can be used for minced meat, and from berries, for example, you can make compote.
For refreezing, it is best to defrost meat in the refrigerator. Photo source: povar.ru
How to freeze and defrost food correctly
If possible, avoid re-defrosting food. For example, if you are going to store a large piece of meat in the freezer, divide it into portions before freezing it so that you do not have to defrost it again later. If you have defrosted meat and do not have time to cook it, do not put it back in the freezer. Meat can lie in the refrigerator for several days and remain fresh.
If re-freezing is impossible to avoid, first of all, you need to defrost the product correctly. It is better to do this in the refrigerator – in this case, you will avoid the risk of proliferation of dangerous bacteria. In addition, the product will not be exposed to “shock” temperature changes. This will allow it to be better preserved and not lose its taste.
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Freezing, on the contrary, should be as fast as possible. Therefore, it is better not to overfill the freezer with food. The products in the freezer compartment are blown with cold air. When the freezer compartment is overcrowded, the airflow is uneven, and the products take much longer to freeze. Thus, by following these recommendations, you can minimize the consequences of freezing and defrosting. However, if you do this repeatedly, no action will help you preserve the products.