Food Talk : Frozen food is safe, if handled properly
Posted on Wednesday, July 23, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/hl/Lifestyles/25126/
QUESTION: I freeze lots of food in my home freezer. I have been reading about so much food poisoning it causes me to be concerned. Is frozen food really safe ? ANSWER: Food stored constantly at zero degrees will be safe if it was safe when first put into the freezer. Quality may suffer with lengthy freezer storage but not the safety. Freezing at this low temperature keeps the food safe by slowing the movement of molecules, causing microbes to enter a dormant stage. This prevents the growth of microorganisms that causes both food spoilage and food borne illness. Freezing does not destroy or kill bacteria. It makes it dormant or inactive. Once thawed, however, these bacteria become active again. They multiply and will lead to food-borne illness. You must handle thawed food just as safely as you do fresh food.
You must be careful to thaw food with care. There are three safe ways to thaw food. They are in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. Small items may defrost in the refrigerator over night. Larger items may take longer. Allow approximately one day in the refrigerator for each five pounds of weight. If thawed in cold water change the water at least every 30 minutes to keep it cool. Cook food thawed in cool water and the microwave immediately after thawing.
Do not expect a higher quality food after thawing than what you originally froze. If frozen at the peak of quality foods emerge tasting much better than foods frozen near the end of their useful life.
Freeze food as fast as possible. This maintains quality and safety. Slow freezing creates large ice crystals. They damage the cells of the food. This causes meat to drip and loose juiciness. Ideally, a food 2-inches thick should freeze completely in about two hours. If your home freezer does not freeze that fast you may to adjust temp or have it checked. If you stack food or put a large amount in at one time it will slow freezing time.
It is a good idea to keep a second thermometer in the freezer for and extra check.
Proper packaging helps maintain quality of food and prevent freezer burn. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its super market wrapping but this type of wrap is permeable to air and quality will suffer.
If you have thawed food and not needed it you can refreeze it safely if it has been thawed correctly and handled in proper temperature. If you have frozen food your prepared, thawed for a second time and served it is not recommended you refreeze any leftovers.
Some foods are cooked from the frozen state. This will cost you time. It usually takes approximately one and a half times longer than the usual cooking time of the fully thawed product.
If you have a power outage a freezer full of food will usually last about two days. If the freezer is half full it will last about 1 day before beginning to thaw.
If you are not sure how long the freezer has been off check the food. If it still has ice crystals or as cool as 40 degrees chances are it is safe to use or refreeze.
Discard foods that have been contaminated by raw meat juices. The ground food such as hamburger will perish more rapidly than the solid cut of meat. Poultry and fish will spoil more rapidly than red meat.