Assuming Meals Is Pre-Cooked
Pop quiz: In case your frozen rooster breast has grill marks, it is pre-cooked, proper? Fallacious. In a latest research, 22% of contributors thought a uncooked frozen rooster breast was both cooked or partially cooked, or they weren’t positive. Frozen meals can look cooked, and labels might be complicated. In case your meals is labeled ‘cook dinner and serve,’ ‘able to cook dinner,’ or ‘oven prepared,’ deal with it prefer it’s uncooked to keep away from foodborne sicknesses.
Not Cleansing Your Microwave After Each Use
Your microwave is without doubt one of the most secure locations to thaw frozen meals, nevertheless it might not be protected afterwards. Give it some thought: You thaw meat within the microwave, and a few meat juice drips down or splatters on the wall. Something you set in there afterwards may very well be cross-contaminated by the raw meat juice. Clear your microwave with a sanitizing wipe or mild detergent after each use so it isn’t a field of micro organism.
Not Washing Your Fingers First
Do not be the one who transfers germs to your frozen meals. To stop cross-contamination, moist your fingers, lather them with cleaning soap, scrub for 20 seconds, then rinse and dry.
Forgetting to Verify for Remembers
Between the time you set meals in your freezer and take it out, it might have been recalled. Do a fast examine on the FoodKeeper app or at FoodSafety.gov to keep away from the foodborne bacterial sickness listeriosis. In case your meals has been recalled, return it for a refund or shut it up in order that no different animal or human can eat it, and throw it away.
Settling for Mushy Veggies
Most greens are 90% water. Whenever you freeze them, you freeze all of the water within the plant cells. And while you thaw them, they are much softer (and sure, mushier) than once they have been uncooked. That does not imply you need to disguise them in soups and stews. A convection oven or air fryer can crisp them up on the surface and protect the moisture inside.
Not Boiling Your Berries
Frozen berries might add greater than nutritional vitamins and minerals to your smoothie. They will additionally carry micro organism and viruses from fingers, work surfaces, or the water they have been washed in. Freezing would not kill micro organism, so specialists suggest you boil imported frozen berries for a minute or two earlier than you utilize them. Do not know the place your frozen berries are from? Assume they’re imported for those who do not see a rustic of origin on the label.
Not Draining Your Spinach
Frozen spinach is a health-smart staple: It has rather less folate and B nutritional vitamins than contemporary leaves, however you may toss it straight in soups, sauces, or stir-fries to amp up the greens. In the event you use it in a casserole or a pasta dish like lasagna, thaw it and squeeze the water out first so it would not make your dish watery. Professional tip: Save and refrigerate your nutrient-packed spinach water so as to add to soups or stews.
Skipping the Meals Thermometer
Take the temp of the state of affairs: A meals thermometer is one of the best ways to ensure your frozen meats are suitable for eating. For poultry, stick the thermometer within the thickest a part of the piece. It ought to be 165 F or increased. Steak and pork are protected at 145 F after resting for 3 minutes. Beef, pork, veal, and lamb must be 160 F.
Not Blanching Greens First
Greens have chemical compounds referred to as enzymes that management colour, nutrient content material, and taste. Whenever you freeze produce as a substitute of shopping for it frozen, you need to inactivate the enzymes so they do not lose the whole lot that makes them good. Blanch earlier than you freeze: Boil or steam greens for two minutes, then cool them in an ice bathtub to cease them from cooking.
Overcooking Greens
Think about a uncooked broccoli floret and a frozen broccoli floret. When you thaw the frozen one, it will not be as agency because the uncooked one and can cook dinner a lot faster. To keep away from overcooking frozen greens, lower the time you cook dinner them in half.
Not Sealing the Freezer Bag
When air hits something frozen, it causes freezer burn. Your meals might look brown, grey, dry, or a combo of all three. It might not style nice, nevertheless it’s nonetheless suitable for eating. To keep away from freezer burn, seal all packaging tightly, and ensure to get out all of the air you may. You may freeze meat and poultry in its unique package deal, however defend it with an additional layer of tin foil or a freezer bag (which is completely different from a storage bag).
