Frozen foods are the best choice for home stockpiling
Under frozen conditions, microorganisms cannot reproduce, so there is no need to add preservatives, and frozen foods can be preserved for a long time. Common frozen foods include fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry, and aquatic products.
1. Frozen vegetables: space-saving and convenient
There are all kinds of frozen vegetables in the frozen section of the supermarket, such as peas, broccoli, corn kernels, carrot slices, etc. It is recommended that you store some in moderation for emergency use when there are no fresh vegetables.
After taking the frozen vegetables out of the refrigerator, they can be cooked directly after a quick boil in boiling water, which is very convenient.
When buying frozen vegetables, pay attention to the products with complete packaging, shiny surface, and no large amount of frost crystals remaining.
Some people think that frozen vegetables are very low in nutrition. In fact, although frozen vegetables will lose some water-soluble vitamin C and B vitamins, dietary fiber, minerals, carotenoids, vitamin E, etc. are well preserved.
2. Meat and poultry: small nutritional loss
Under extremely low-temperature conditions, the water in the meat will be frozen into ice crystals, causing the protein to undergo freezing denaturation and a series of changes in physical and chemical properties, which will indeed affect the taste and may make it taste dry and hard.
However, the content of protein and minerals will basically not change during the storage process. Although a small amount of soluble protein, salts, vitamins, and other water-soluble nutrients will be lost, it will not affect the core nutrition.
Go to regular supermarkets and stores to buy products produced by qualified companies; pay attention to check the production date, shelf life, and QS mark of the product; the product packaging must be sealed and intact; the product surface is glossy, without a large amount of frost crystals remaining; touch the surface of the product, it feels hard and has not softened; meat and poultry products do not have a large amount of blood or ice residue.
3. Fresh seafood: dehydrated and then frozen
Fresh fish, shrimp, shellfish, etc. have high water content. After being frozen in a home refrigerator, their taste will change significantly, such as the meat losing elasticity and the muscles becoming loose. Therefore, it is not recommended to stock up on fresh seafood in large quantities.
If you have already purchased fresh seafood, you can do some simple processing before storing it. For example, blanch shrimp, blanch shellfish, marinate fish with shredded ginger, salt, cooking wine, chili, etc., and then freeze the ingredients in small portions.
After processing, the ingredients can be dehydrated to a certain extent, which can reduce the damage to the taste of the meat caused by freezing.
There is a “storage schedule” for frozen foods
Refrigerators can keep food fresh and extend its edible time, but refrigerators are not safe. Different foods have specific safety limits for refrigeration (around 4°C) or freezing (around -18°C).
The storage time of frozen meat is related to the storage temperature, the type of meat, and the freshness of the meat before freezing.
| Food types | Semi-finished fresh meat such as braised beef, braised pork elbow, steamed pork with rice flour, and fried meatballs |
| Red meat such as pork, beef and lamb | 10~12 months |
| Poultry meat such as chicken, duck, goose and pigeon | 8~10 months |
| Seafood such as fish, shrimp and shellfish | 3~6 months |
| Semi-finished fresh meat such as braised beef, braised pork elbow, steamed pork with rice flour and fried meatballs | 3~6 months |
| Minced meat | 3~4 months |
| Offal | 3~6 months |
| Cooked meat and meat dishes | 2~3 months |
| Fresh leafy vegetables/root vegetables | Do not freeze |
| Fresh eggs/boiled eggs | Do not freeze |
| Blanched vegetables | 1~2 months |
| Quickly frozen dumplings, buns, rice balls, wontons, etc. | About 1 month |
Pre-processing has a great impact on the shelf life of frozen food. Here are some tips for stockpiling to extend the shelf life:
1) Fresh fish can only be kept for 1 to 2 months if it is frozen without any processing; but after scientific processing and freezing, the shelf life can be extended to half a year.
2) Poultry, seafood, and river fish should be cleaned of their internal organs and washed inside and out before freezing; other foods and meats should also be carefully cleaned before freezing to remove surface bacteria.
3) All foods should be divided into portions for one consumption before being placed in the freezer, and carefully wrapped in fresh-keeping bags or plastic wrap to prevent moisture loss.
4) It is best to put a label with the date and name on the outer packaging for easy access later.
4. It is not recommended to thaw food in water
Some people like to soak frozen food in hot water. Although this method thaws quickly, the ice crystals in the food will pierce the cell wall during thawing, causing the fat in the food to escape prematurely, affecting the nutrition and taste of the food.
Others like to soak food in tap water to thaw, which can easily cause nutritional loss, destroy the taste of the food, and cause microbial growth.
In short, we do not recommend thawing by soaking in water!
It is also unscientific to defrost food at room temperature. Most pathogens multiply in an environment of 5℃~60℃, and thawing at room temperature usually takes more than 2 hours, which gives bacteria ample opportunities to grow.
Two nutritious and safe thawing methods are recommended:
1) Thaw in the refrigerator in advance
Take the food to be thawed out of the freezer in advance, pack it in a fresh-keeping box or fresh-keeping bag, and place it in the lower layer of the refrigerator’s refrigerator compartment. It can be used for cooking after thawing.
This method is the most recommended, safe and convenient. The only disadvantage is that it takes a long time. Generally, large pieces of meat should be placed in the refrigerator at least 12 hours in advance, and small pieces can be put in half the time.
Therefore, it is recommended not to put the whole piece of meat directly into the refrigerator, but to cut it into small pieces before freezing the food, or directly cut it into shredded meat or slices. According to the amount of food consumed at one time, wrap it in a thin layer with a fresh-keeping bag or plastic wrap, and freeze it in batches.
2) Defrosting with a microwave
If you are in a hurry to cook, you can use a microwave oven, which can be thawed in a few minutes. Microwave thawing heats the food from the inside, the thawing time is short, and the nutritional loss is small. However, the temperature setting should not be too high during microwave thawing, otherwise it will cause protein denaturation and water loss.
In addition, the shape of the food to be thawed should be as regular as possible, preferably flat, so that it is heated more evenly; if you don’t know how long it takes, you must try a shorter time first.
