5 Products to Save Your Food from Freezer Burn
It's possible to keep your freezer organized — and its contents fresh! — with the right products and some tips.
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Whether you have a chest freezer in your garage or are working with a small top freezer, everyone runs into the problem not having enough space. The right products can help keep your freezer organized and maximize the space you do have. We talked with Food Network’s test kitchen director, Ginevra Iverson, about how to make the most out of your freezer space (read more of those tips here!), and rounded up a few products that will help preserve everything in it. With the proper storage, you can kiss freezer burn goodbye and stock your freezer with everything from pounds of chicken breast to ice cream.
No matter what you’re putting in the freezer, the most important thing you can do to avoid freezer burn is eliminate air surrounding your food. The easiest way to do this is with a food saver, says Ginevra. Be sure to take meat out of its grocery store packaging, vacuum seal it with a food saver and properly label it identifying what it is and the date you packed it. This will keep you organized and help maintain the freshness of your frozen foods.
Utilize these inexpensive quart containers the same way professional kitchens do. Since liquids need space to expand when freezing, store soups, stocks and sauces in these containers with extra space on top. Ginevra also recommends letting your liquids cool down before storing and adding a layer of plastic wrap on top of the liquid, so you can still keep air away from your food.
Items with a high moisture content will stick together when frozen. To avoid that problem, separate foods like dumplings, dough, fruits and vegetables when freezing initially. Scatter them on a sheet pan to freeze, and then store the frozen items together in a freezer-safe bag.
Rather than freezing your ground beef in one lump sum, we recommend breaking it up into smaller, more manageable sizes first, so you don’t have to cook more than you’re ready to eat. If you plan to make burgers later, create the patties before you freeze so you can cook as needed. If you don’t have a food saver, Ginevra recommends wrapping your meat tightly in plastic wrap followed by foil then placing in a freezer-safe bag to ensure there is no exposure to air.
If you’re big into meal prep, you can keep your kitchen organized and make cooking more efficient by investing in some containers that can go from the freezer to the oven without breaking. This set from OXO is made from borosilicate glass, which means they can withstand an extreme change in temperature. This way, you can prep all your meals and bake them in the same container, which means fewer dishes to clean. We’ll count that as an extra win!
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