Even in the freezer, food can go off. This is why, it is important to freeze, store and defrost food properly. "There are still a lot of misconceptions about freezing," says food scientist Jennifer Cnops. "One rule of thumb is: the freezing and defrosting process should be done as quickly as possible."
How long can you store food in the freezer? "Usually only for about three months" says Flemish expert
Colin Clapson
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Before Jennifer Cnops gives tips & tricks on how to freeze and defrost food properly, the food scientist first wants to clear up the biggest misunderstanding about frozen food. "Frozen food has the reputation of containing less nutritional value, and therefore of being unhealthier, but that's not true. By freezing, you not only put the growth of bacteria on hold, but you also retain certain vitamins and minerals better than if they were in the fresh section. So frozen food is not less healthy, often quite the contrary."
Jennifer’s golden rules when freezing
The most common mistake made when freezing food is not respecting the storage periods. The method of freezing and defrosting should also be done according to the rules of the art. Here are 3 golden rules:
The freezing and defrosting process should be done as quickly as possible.
Extreme temperatures are safest, so it is best to freeze products to very cold temperatures. Temperatures between 20 and 40 degrees Celsius allow bacteria to grow.
There’s nothing that you can keep indefinitely in the freezer. The rule of thumb is 3 months, otherwise both quality and nutritional value go downhill. Food can also spoil in your freezer, because certain bacteria still continue to grow in freezers, even if it is in hibernation mode.
What is freezer burn?
Sometimes foods dry out after freezing. Then you get a layer of ice crystals or there are suddenly grey spots on your meat. This is called freezer burn.
Freezer burn is caused by evaporation in your freezer of products that are too hot. "The condensation is transformed into little ice crystals on the surface of your products. In terms of nutritional value, this is not so serious, but it can affect flavour and texture," Cnops explains.
Freezing and defrosting tips
Freezing:
Let leftovers boil well during cooking, then cool as quickly as possible.
Freeze ready-to-use portions that can be used up in one go.
Use freezer bags that you make as flat as possible. That way your food will cool down fastest. Food should cool down in the freezer within 2 hours. Large, warm portions heat up your freezer too quickly. "That's why you should cool that portion in ice-cold water first, rather than just at room temperature."
Label everything well with a date on it and put at the front what keeps the shortest time.
Defrost:
If you reheat frozen food, do so at at least 75 degrees Celsius. "If you reheat food from the freezer for your toddler, don't reheat it to a ready-to-eat temperature. You have to heat it up first and then let it cool down. Otherwise, bacteria proliferate too quickly. Just because you are storing food in the freezer doesn't mean bacteria disappear."
In an ideal world, you should defrost your food in the fridge 24 hours in advance. "Otherwise, the surface of your food thaws too quickly, while the inside does not. On the surface, bacteria will then develop too quickly."
If you can't manage to defrost foods that long in advance, you can also defrost food using a microwave. Use the defrost setting.
If you want to use water to do the defrost process, preferably do it in cold water, not in hot water.
Freezer favourites: ripe bananas and seasonal fruits
"My absolute favourite freeze item is ripe bananas," says Jennifer Cnops. "Also, seasonal fruit like redcurrants, raspberries and avocados. Tricky to freeze is anything with a lot of water in it: watermelons, raw tomatoes, lettuce, ... ".
Frozen vegetables should first be blanched i.e. submerged in boiling water for a few minutes. Easier to freeze are onions, garlic, spinach, Brussels sprouts, carrots, broccoli and peas."
Herbs are best divided into usable portions. "Because if you put them in one bag, and use your hand to break off a piece, your hand will heat up what's left too much.
Top tip: put portions of herbs in ice cubes and top up with olive oil."
Shelf-life list: bread stores for shortest time
Bread: shortest frozen shelf lifetime, 4 weeks
Fruit and vegetables: 12 months.
Meat: the rule of thumb for fried meat is 3 months. Raw chicken: 9 months, beef 6-12 months, pork 4 months.
Fish: for lean or oily fish, it's different. For oily fish, such as salmon, it is 3 months. For lean fish, such as cod, it's 6 months.
Ice cream: 12 months
Leftovers from meals: 1 month