If You Put a Tv Dinner in the Microwave Can You Freeze It Again
You've probably heard a lot of then-called rules when it comes to frozen food.
For example, maybe y'all've been told that ice foam has gone bad once you encounter those crystals grade or that y'all should never thaw and and then refreeze meat.
But do you know which of those facts are true and which ones you lot can toss out ... along with that mystery meat that's been in the back of your freezer for v years?
For definitive answers to some common questions nigh keeping frozen food healthy and tasty, TODAY Food consulted ii experts: chef Jennifer Stack, RDN, who teaches nutrition and food rubber at the Culinary Institute of America, and Lauren Sucher, a press officeholder for the U.Due south. Food and Drug Assistants (FDA).
Together, they've got answers to some of your nigh burning questions almost everything frozen.
1. Is it OK to defrost nutrient on my counter?
"Never thaw food at room temperature, such every bit on the counter pinnacle," advised Sucher. "Food must be kept at a safe temperature during thawing. That means leaving any raw poultry, raw beef or any other food you wouldn't leave sitting out on the counter is a bad idea.
"There are three prophylactic ways to defrost nutrient: in the refrigerator, in cold water and in the microwave. Food thawed in common cold water or in the microwave should exist cooked immediately."
2. How shortly do I need to melt frozen food once I defrost it?
If you thawed the food in the refrigerator, you lot generally accept between ane to five days to cook it. "In one case basis meat, stew meat, poultry or fish are thawed, cook them inside a day or two," said Stack. "Carmine meat roasts and steaks tin stay in your refrigerator for 3 to five days earlier you demand to cook them."
iii. Is it true that you shouldn't refreeze thawed food?
This is a mutual misconception, but the experts say that if you're still in the safety window for cooking and eating meat, poultry or fish, it's perfectly safe to refreeze them, provided that the foods were thawed in the refrigerator and kept common cold (forty°F or below). "Refreezing the nutrient might result in undesirable changes in texture and some loss of flavor but it will exist prophylactic to eat," said Stack.
four. Does food proceed indefinitely in the freezer?
Yes, but generally no. "Frozen foods can be kept in your freezer indefinitely and withal exist safe to eat ... bold they stayed frozen solid the whole time," said Stack. "However, they might not sense of taste very good or have a foreign texture that makes them unappealing." She said that fresh, whole roasts, steaks and whole chickens will go on their quality for upwards to a year, but one time meats are cutting into pieces, their quality freezer life drops to 4 to six months. Other meats, such as sausage, lose quality after just two months.
The FoodKeeper app is a super handy tool that gives timelines for freshness and quality for foods stored in the refrigerator and freezer. TODAY Health also has guidelines for how long yous tin can freeze different foods.
v. What's the deal with those crystals on my water ice foam?
Ice crystals form on food after that food has gotten warm and begun to defrost; then gets refrozen. "Once they get cold again, ice crystals start to grade and the food (like ice cream) gets that off flavor and icy texture," explained Stack.
When you buy frozen food, choose packages that do non evidently accept water ice crystals, since this may indicate that the food has partially defrosted and then refrozen. For bagged frozen foods, give the pocketbook a squeeze to test for freshness. "Frozen peas, corn, beans, berries and small-scale pieces of fish like shrimp and scallops should not be a solid block of food," said Stack. "This may also be a sign of defrosting and refreezing for these foods."
six. How tin can I proceed frozen foods at their best?
Make sure that frozen foods are wrapped well or in a tightly sealed container. And make certain to go along them cold. "Your frozen foods will keep their quality longer if they are kept in the coldest part of the freezer, such as the bottom or the dorsum of the freezer," said Stack. "The side door storage areas commonly get a lilliputian warmer so the food might soften or first to defrost."
7. What foods should I never freeze?
While you can safely freeze whatsoever nutrient, some foods just don't freeze well. Stack's "don't freeze" list includes salad greens, meat salads made with mayonnaise (e.1000. chicken salad), whole eggs and egg yolks and custard pies. And then y'all're gonna have to swallow that whole custard pie (or go along it in your refrigerator for up to v days). While you can freeze milk and cheese, "they may accept some changes in their texture," said Stack.
8. Does freezing impale leaner and other pathogens?
Sorry, nope. "Freezing nutrient will non kill germs, but rather slow the growth," Sucher said. "If a food production is about to expire and you determine to freeze it, the 24-hour interval that you pull it out of the freezer for thawing will restart the clock where you stopped it upon freezing the food. Refrigerate or freeze perishables, prepared food, and leftovers within two hours."
9. If I lose power, should I toss all the food in my freezer?
Good news! The experts say "no" with some caveats. "If the power in your domicile goes out, keep the freezer door airtight so the inside of the freezer stays as common cold every bit possible," said Stack. Thawed or partially thawed foods that were in your freezer can be safely refrozen if the food has not gone to a higher place 40°F. You may see some changes in the quality of the food but it will still be rubber to eat. Whatsoever food that has thawed and was to a higher place 40°F for more than two hours should be thrown out.
10. Is frozen nutrient less nutritious than fresh food?
Nope, not at all! "The proficient news about frozen foods is they retain their nutritional value and may be college in some vitamins than foods like vegetables that were harvested many days before you only them and eat them," said Stack.
Source: https://www.today.com/food/10-frozen-food-safety-myths-debunked-t116836
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