TIP OF THE DAY: How To Prevent Freezer Burn | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures - The Nibble Webzine Of Food AdventuresTIP OF THE DAY: How To Prevent Freezer Burn | The Nibble Webzine Of Food Adventures
Freezer burn and ice crystals result from temperature fluctuation and too much oxygen. Most of us have found it on chicken and other meat, as well as on ice cream.
Here are some tips to reduce the amount of burned and crystallized food you need to throw away (burn isn’t harmful, it just ruins the taste and texture):
Tightly cover foods—even those in their original packaging—with freezer-weight plastic bags. Don’t rely on the flimsy bags from the produce department to protect your food. Squeeze out as much air as you can before sealing the bag.
Don’t put hot food directly into the freezer. To avoid the temperature fluctuation that causes ice crystals, let it cool to room temperature, or place it in the refrigerator to cool.
A special tip for ice cream and sorbet: Tamp a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface of the ice cream to keep it from contact with the oxygen in the container. Then cover the entire top of the container with plastic wrap and replace the lid. Even if the package is unopened, you can remove the lid and add the plastic wrap.
And finally:
Keep freezer burn off ice cream with plastic wrap. Photo courtesy Ben & Jerry’s.
Open the freezer for only seconds at a time. Don’t spend minutes with the door open, pondering your selection and letting the temperature fluctuate. If you can’t make quick decisions or don’t know what you have, keep a list of all the contents on the freezer door.
