What can be frozen without worry and what can’t? Here’s a little information to help you get in the know.
• Which can be stored longer: Ground beef or fresh shrimp?
Fresh shrimp. Fresh shrimp can be kept up to 12 months when ground beef can only be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months. A lot and I mean A LOT of people eat ground beef from the freezer after 3 months and with that they “could” be eating past-prime meat. To benefit from the maximum shelf life, your freezer should be kept at 0°F.
• How long will frozen food last is there’s a power outage?
Two days, if the freezer is full. Reasoning: The frozen food will keep itself and other frozen items around it frozen for a maximum of two days. Longer if it is cold weather and the freezer is outside and able to take advantage of the cold climate. If not, better start making meals that work around your frozen food items.
• Is it OK to store ice cream in the freezer door?
NO. Ice cream is best when stored between -5 and 0°F.; it will be firm enough to hold its shape, but easy to dip between 6 and 10°F, the ideal serving temperature range. Store ice cream in the main part of the freezer, not in the door where it is subject to more fluctuating temperatures. (Souce: Easyhomemeals)
12 Reasons Why Frozen Foods are Best for your Household
Availability
Frozen, eliminates losses experienced from spoilage and shrinkage. Frozen at the peak of perfection, there is presently no better method of food preservation. Seasonal limitations are a part of the past.
Convenience
Frozen foods are so convenient. The cleaning, picking, dicing, chopping and squeezing has been done. It’s all prepared, ready to take from your freezer, heat and serve.
Economy
Frozen foods are economical. You do not pay for stalks, pits, skins, rinds or damaged food. They cost less than their fresh counterparts.
Food Safety
Frozen foods offer explicit cooking directions. And because the preparation (dicing, chopping, etc.) has already been done, all you have to do is heat and serve—less chance for contamination in the preparation process.
Freshness
Freezing foods seal in freshness. Foods designed for the freezer are selected at their peak of nutrition and flavor, quickly processed and frozen within hours, before there has been any deterioration in quality.
Labeling
Frozen food packages tell you what you’re eating. Packages have ingredient and nutrition labeling. If you’re health conscious, counting calories or on doctor’s orders, frozen foods can help.
Longer Storage
Frozen foods have a longer storage time than fresh, offering maximum flexibility. Frozen broccoli, for example, stays fresh in the freezer for up to eight months, whereas fresh broccoli usually must be consumed within a week.
No Waste
With frozen foods you have food that is 100 percent edible. You don’t pay for waste such as the pits of fruits, the shells, peels and outer leaves of vegetables, bones in fish or the fat on the meat. In addition, frozen foods in poly bags (vegetables, fruits, pasta) offer easy portion control. Just pour out the amount needed and return the rest to the freezer for future use.
Nutrition
There’s no better known means of preserving food than by freezing. Commercial rapid-freezing processes maintain nutritional quality of products without chemical preservatives. And food quick-frozen and properly stored keep their high nutritional value.
Quality
Frozen foods are consistent in quality. Only the best ingredients are used. That’s because of industry quality control procedures that begin on the farm.
Taste
Frozen foods can pass the most discriminating taste tests. An entree which has been correctly formulated, maintained at 0°F. and heated according to manufacturer’s specifications, should taste identical to an on-premise prepared item.
Value
Because frozen foods fit the way people live and eat today, they offer incomparable value in a number of ways: dollar savings, nutrition and quality, time savings.
**Having trouble adjusting to the time-change? Well, over at Current Events Watch, Doug Robertson writes “After clocks are turned back this weekend, pedestrians walking during the evening rush hour are nearly three times more likely to be struck and killed by cars than before the time change, two scientists calculate.” So given that information, it’s a valid escuse to linger. Read the rest of the story here.**
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Earthly Eating Recipe: Week Of Salmon Recipes
Teriyaki-Glazed Salmon With Noodles
Serves 4
Cooking Spray
2 tbs. water
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tbs. rice vinegar
2 tbs. reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ground dried ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
4 (5-oz) salmon fillets
8 ounces uncooked vermicelli or somen noodles
2 tsp. dark sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh scallions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. (Salmon may also be grilled or broiled 3 minutes per side until fork-tender.)
2. Coat a shallow roasting pan with cooking spray. Set aside.
3. To prepare teriyaki glaze, in a shallow dish, whisk together water, brown sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic.
4. Add salmon, and turn to coat. (Salmon can marinate, covered, in the refrigerator up to 1 hour.)
5. Transfer salmon to prepared roasting pan, and pour teriyaki mixture over it. Roast 15 minutes or until fork-tender.
6. Cook noodles in a meidum-sized pot of rapidly boiling water according to package directions. Drain and trasfer to a large bowl. Add sesame oil, and toss to coat.
7. Transfer noodles to four individual plates, and top each with a salmon fillet. Spoon any teriyaki glaze remaining in pan over salmon, and sprinkle chopped scallions on top.
Happy Eating!