The freezer – your best friend or worst enemy?
For busy people, the freezer can be your best friend, but you need to follow a few simple rules to make sure it doesn’t become your worst enemy. Freezing keeps food (and bacteria) in suspended animation – so until it is defrosted, bacteria cannot grow.
Top tips for defrosting and freezing
Defrosting time depends very much on the size of the food and the temperature of the fridge
Generally if you have a very cold fridge for example below 5 °C it can take up to 10 hours per kilogram to defrost a large joint. So, for example, if you have a 3 kg joint and then it could take 30 hours – around a day and a half to defrost. A Christmas turkey may be even bigger and take longer. This means it is really important to plan ahead if you’re planning to cook a large joint of meat or large turkey that’s from the freezer.
Why defrost foods in the fridge if it takes so long?
The fridge is the best place for defrosting as it keeps the food below the temperature that bacteria can grow, so it keeps the food safe. If you defrost in a warm kitchen, then the bacteria on the outside of the food can grow whilst the food is still defrosting in the middle
The reason it’s so important to defrost foods thoroughly is because if you don’t then the inside of the food will still be frozen and when you put in the in the oven to cook the outside will appear cooked but the inside could still be raw and have a dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli present which could cause you and your family or guests to be very ill.
Use a deep dish to defrost foods to catch any dripping it comes off because this trip could contain harmful bacteria always defrosted the bottom of the fridge away from ready to eat foods so you reduce any risk of cross contamination
For small frozen items you can use the microwave defrost button, but you must cook the food immediately after microwave defrosting because it will have warmed up during defrosting and that means that it gives bacteria in the food a chance to start to multiply.
Check that you have cooked thoroughly enough using a probe thermometer – it’s the only way to be sure. This will tell you whether the food is reached the critical temperature of 75 °C – colour or texture alone may not give you the correct indication – I find I am more likely to over-cook food if I don’t use a probe! After using the probe, particularly if your food isn’t up to temperature, then put the tip in boiling or just boiled water to disinfect it.
Top tips for Freezing
- You can freeze virtually anything! This is a great way to save food waste, but do it safely!
- Use clean food safe containers and label with date of freezing and the name of the food.
- Cool foods to room temperature in small containers to avoid warming up the freezer.
- Wrap foods to exclude air so that you don’t get freezer burn – this is where the food loses its moisture to the freezer and it becomes irreversibly tough and inedible!
I freeze:
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- Left over dinners in portions – home-made ready meals! i deliberately make more than I want to and also do batch cooking for my elderly mother. Watch this video to see how.
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- Brown rice (I cook more than I need as it takes so long and then next time I need some it is quick to defrost and is more energy efficient).
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- Paella, risotto
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- Separated egg whites or egg yolks
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- Bananas (for milk shakes and smoothies) – even in their skins if feeling very lazy
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- Chopped ham, salami, left over olives and even grated mozzarella for pizza toppings
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- Tinned tomatoes decanted into a container if I haven’t used all of a can.
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- Home-made tomato sauce for pasta and pizza
-
- Raw or cooked meat and chicken
-
- Skimmed milk
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- Herbs (wash first) I put in a bag and then when frozen crush them – saves chopping!
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- Fruit and berries (wash first)
What about foods such as frozen vegetables and fruit?
Mostly people cook frozen vegetables in boiling water, but there may be a temptation to use them uncooked in salads or smoothies (e.g. spinach). It is good practice to cook these foods prior to serving because there is a risk of Listeria poisoning (greater risk for people over the age of 60, and for pregnant women or those vulnerable because of other co-morbidities). https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.2903/j.efsa.2020.6092.
Fruits and berries are also a source of norovirus, and hepatitis A, so personally, if I am using frozen berries, I cook them first before adding to my morning yoghurt or smoothies. The Food Safety Authority in Republic of Ireland recommends boiling imported berries for one minute before using. https://www.fsai.ie/consumer-advice/food-safety-and-hygiene/berries-advice-to-boil-imported-frozen-berries.
Just remember – it’s simple – defrost carefully in the fridge, and if it is a food that needs to be cooked, thoroughly to 75 °C
The freezer – your best friend or worst enemy?
For busy people, the freezer can be your best friend, but you need to follow a few simple rules to make sure it doesn’t become your worst enemy. Freezing keeps food (and bacteria) in suspended animation – so until it is defrosted, bacteria cannot grow.
Top tips for defrosting and freezing
Defrosting time depends very much on the size of the food and the temperature of the fridge
Generally if you have a very cold fridge for example below 5 °C it can take up to 10 hours per kilogram to defrost a large joint. So, for example, if you have a 3 kg joint and then it could take 30 hours – around a day and a half to defrost. A Christmas turkey may be even bigger and take longer. This means it is really important to plan ahead if you’re planning to cook a large joint of meat or large turkey that’s from the freezer.
Why defrost foods in the fridge if it takes so long?
The fridge is the best place for defrosting as it keeps the food below the temperature that bacteria can grow, so it keeps the food safe. If you defrost in a warm kitchen, then the bacteria on the outside of the food can grow whilst the food is still defrosting in the middle
The reason it’s so important to defrost foods thoroughly is because if you don’t then the inside of the food will still be frozen and when you put in the in the oven to cook the outside will appear cooked but the inside could still be raw and have a dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella or E. coli present which could cause you and your family or guests to be very ill.
Use a deep dish to defrost foods to catch any dripping it comes off because this trip could contain harmful bacteria always defrosted the bottom of the fridge away from ready to eat foods so you reduce any risk of cross contamination
For small frozen items you can use the microwave defrost button, but you must cook the food immediately after microwave defrosting because it will have warmed up during defrosting and that means that it gives bacteria in the food a chance to start to multiply.
Check that you have cooked thoroughly enough using a probe thermometer – it’s the only way to be sure. This will tell you whether the food is reached the critical temperature of 75 °C – colour or texture alone may not give you the correct indication – I find I am more likely to over-cook food if I don’t use a probe! After using the probe, particularly if your food isn’t up to temperature, then put the tip in boiling or just boiled water to disinfect it.
What can you freeze?
Virtually anything!
Use clean food safe containers and label with date of freezing and the name of the food.
I freeze:
-
- Left over dinners in portions – home-made ready meals!
-
- Separated egg whites or egg yolks
-
- Bananas (for milk shakes and smoothies) – even in their skins if feeling very lazy
-
- Chopped ham and left over olives and even grated mozzarella for pizza toppings
-
- Olives for putanesca sauce
-
- Home-made tomato sauce for pasta and pizza
-
- Raw or cooked meat and chicken
-
- Skimmed milk
-
- Herbs (wash first) I put in a bag and then when frozen crush them – saves chopping!
-
- Fruit (wash first)
Just remember – it’s simple – defrost carefully in the fridge, and cook thoroughly to 75 °
