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.
The Boston Brewing Company (maker of Samuel Adams beers) has been prolific lately, expanding the line to some 40 different beers of widely varying styles.
While each beer is special in its own way, the variety we find most special is Samuel Adams Wee Heavy, a Scotch ale-style beer. It’s part of the company’s Imperial Collection: beers with big robust taste and complex flavors. The collection also includes Double Bock, Imperial Stout and Imperial White–this is our kind of beer.
Scotch ales, nicknamed Wee Heavy, are strong ales. Samuel Adams’ Wee Heavy is inspired by both traditional Scotch ales and Scotch whiskies.
Take a sip and you’ll find notes of Scotch, thanks to the highly roasted, peat-smoked malt. Exclusive to Scotland, it’s the signature ingredient of Scotch whiskey. Other Scotch ales don’t use smoked malt in beer, so Wee Heavy has a unique aroma and flavor. Smoked malt is also used in Samuel Adams Scotch Ale.
This complex, full-bodied beer offers deep roasted flavor, earthy smokiness and intense malt flavors.
The company says that the flavors will develop with age, but we haven’t been able to store any bottles: They get consumed in short order.
Check out the different types of beers in our Beer Glossary.
Just in time for Easter and Mother’s Day, we have seven artisan chocolatiers for you to meet.
Producing gourmet chocolates by hand, these dedicated artists make their chocolate into literal eye candy, as each creates distinctive looks and shapes for their bonbons.
Filled with creamy chocolate ganache in many flavors—plus some salted caramels—these chocolates will solve your gift-giving needs and give you an excuse to look through some delectable photos.
If you enjoy snacking on nuts, you may wish to focus on pistachio nuts. New research shows that they are a weight-wise snack.
A USDA study presented on Monday shows that pistachio nuts, already one of the lowest-calorie nuts, may contain fewer calories per serving than originally thought.
Why? Scientific research indicates that fat from nuts is poorly absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract.
The study confirmed that the fat from pistachio nuts, specifically, is not completely digested or absorbed, resulting in a lower energy value. Energy value translates into calories. (The exact calorie savings has yet to be calculated.)
Fats make up the largest component of nuts. Here’s the nutritional breakdown for pistachios.
The study also confirmed the heart-health benefits of pistachios among individuals who included 1.5 to 3 ounces of pistachio nuts in their daily diets.
Dubbed the “skinny nut” by nutrition experts, about 30 pistachio kernels make a satisfying, 100-calorie snack. Another research finding: In-shell snackers eat 41% fewer calories than those who snack on shelled nuts. Not only does it slow down the eating process, but researchers also found that in-shell pistachios offer a visual cue to help reduce intake.
Pistachio nuts are also nutrient-dense and are an excellent source of copper and manganese vitamin B6 and a good source of dietary fiber, phosphorus, protein and thiamine.
February 26th is National Pistachio Day.
Find more information on the healthy attributes of pistachios.
