Imagine you’ve gone for grocery shopping and there you find a great sale on food items, fruits and vegetables. You add all these foods to your cart, but at home as you unpack the food, you realize you cannot use all this food before it spoils. But if you follow some smart steps to store the food correctly in freezer bags or plastic containers, you will always have a home-cooked meal that can be piping hot in minutes.
Save Space in the Freezer
- To make the most of freezer space, freeze food flat in freezer bags, then stack the bags horizontally or vertically in the freezer. Freeze fruits and vegetables in freezer bags on a cookie sheet to keep them from sticking together.
- Get the air out of the freezer bag to not only save room in the freezer but also to keep food from developing freezer burn. It is recommended to remove the maximum amount of air from the freezer bag by closing the top of the bag almost all the way, inserting a drinking straw and sucking the air out of the freezer bag.
- Use a freezer thermometer and keep the freezer at 0 degrees. Leave some space around frozen food packages so air can circulate to keep the freezer running efficiently.
- Remember to mark freezer bags with what the contents are and the date frozen before you place food in the bags. Then keep a list of what you have stored in your freezer.
Storing Meat, Poultry and Fish
These can be stored by wrapping in freezer paper or plastic wrap and then putting into a freezer bag. If you are freezing meat, poultry and fish in store packaging, wrap the package with plastic wrap before placing into freezer bags, because the store packaging tends to develop very small holes between the store and your freezer.
Freezing Bakery Items
Breads, cookies and cakes all freeze well. Be sure to use a freezer bag or air tight container that keeps to prevent bakery items from tasting dry and stale when thawed.
Freezing Milk and Cheese
To freeze milk, just place the unopened container directly in the freezer. The plastic carton will expand as the milk freezes, so be sure to leave plenty of space around the milk jug. While freezing cheese, cut it into smaller portions so you don’t have to thaw the entire block when you want a piece. Store each portion in plastic wrap and then put all the portions in a freezer bag.
By learning these easy and wise steps to store food and other necessities, you can save food and bucks for uncertain times and keep your family safe in crisis.
