What is Freezer Burn and How Can You Prevent it?
Using your chest freezer to store bulk quantities of food can be a great way to save money and to ensure that you always have meal ready to prepare. However, if your food is not prepared properly to be frozen it can develop greyish, frost spots on its surface. Freezer burn doesn’t spoil the food, but it does cause it to toughen up and not taste very good.
However, it is very easy to prevent freezer burn so that you can keep your frozen produce, meats and other foods fresh and tasting good.
What is Freezer Burn?
What exactly is happening when your food undergoes freezer burn?
The scientific reason why freezer burn happens is because when you freeze food its water molecules form into ice crystals. If there is one part of the food which is colder than the rest, the water molecules will gather there and form frost. This will leave the rest of the food dehydrated. When this happens with food that contains fat, such as meat, the dry areas will become oxidised which will spoil their flavour.
How to Prevent Freezer Burn
It’s quite easy to prevent this from happening to your food, just follow these simple tips:
Prevent Exposure to Oxygen
Freezer burn occurs when food is exposed to oxygen, so the best way to prevent it is by tightly sealing your food with freezer-safe plastic bags and squeezing out as much excess air as possible. There are also special containers that you can buy which will create an airtight seal that will help to prevent freezer burn on your food.
Keep Your Freezer Temperature Constant
Temperature fluctuations within your freezer can result in a difference in temperature between the food and the air around it. This speeds up the crystallisation of the water molecules. Don’t change the freezer temperature and try not to leave the door open for long periods of time. Also, avoid placing hot food directly into the freezer as it will warm up everything else around it.
Don’t Leave Food for too Long
The longer you keep food in the freezer, the more chance it has of developing freezer burn. When you put something in the freezer, look up the limit on how long it should be frozen for. Write the date on the package and try to eat it before then.
Freezer burn doesn’t mean that your food is ruined, it will still be edible. However, the taste will be greatly compromised and it can be quite un-appealing. In order to enjoy the benefits of freezing food and be able to keep your food fresh and tasting great in your chest freezers for many months, follow these tips for avoiding freezer burn.
