Freezing Food
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Occasionally, freezing food is preferable to canning or dehydrating it. Freezing food is another great way to preserve it.
- Strawberries are great in jam or jelly, but they are more appetizing frozen rather than canned.
- Frozen cherries right out of the freezer on a hot summer day make a great cooling snack.
- If you end up with more food than you’ll be able to can in a reasonable time, freezing vegetables and freezing fruit is a great way to take care of that excess quickly.
Freezing Food Article and Direction List
Freezing Fruit
How to Freeze Apples
Freezing Apples for Apple Pie
Freezing Raspberries
Freezing Bananas
Freezing Cherries
How to Freeze Strawberries
Freezing Rhubarb
Freezing Tomatoes
Freezing Vegetables
How to Freeze Carrots
Freezing Corn
Freezing Green Beans
Freezing Onion
How to Freeze Peas
Freezing Peppers
Freezing Spinach
Freezing Zucchini
Freezing Parsnips
Freezing Herbs
Freezing Herbs
Freezer Food FAQs
Can you freeze food? Does food have to be warm for freezing?
I feel it is better to allow it to cool off before putting it in the freezer. It can be a little warm but not piping hot. The heat will affect the temperature of the freeze in general. But do not allow the food to sit out for an extended period in a warm state. It needs to either be hot or cooled off soon.
What are the Disadvantages of Freezing Food?
Fresh food is always the best bet. But we all know that sometimes, you just need to preserve it for later. Freezing food probably does the least amount of damage compared to other preservation techniques. Quality is something that may be affected.
Freezing affects the textures of some foods more than others. Lettuce, for example, just doesn’t hold up to freezing. (It doesn’t can well either.) Spinach, however, does great. Much depends on the food type. Milk can be frozen, but it separates. If you mix it well after thawing, you can drink it…but the flavor is affected. Might be best used in baking or cooking. Cheese does not freeze well in a block. It crumbles. But I often freeze shredded cheese for convenience.
The NCHFP mentions the following vegetables do not freeze well, unless they’re used in, say, freezer pickles or similiar recipes:
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Watercress
- Cucumbers
- Endive
- Lettuce
- Parsley
- Radishes
What is Freezer Burn?
Freezer burn happens when frozen food dries out. It will look brown and dried. It is not dangerous, just not as high quality. If possible, you can cut off small portions of freezer burn and still use your food. Sometimes, if the freezer burn is severe, the food is not worth trying to save.
How do you prevent freezer burn?
Wrapping is important when freezing food. Using the correct type of packaging will maintain quality and prevent freezer burn. Look for freezer bags, not storage bags. And the more you can keep air away from the food (wrap tightly), the less freezer burn you’ll find.
Canning Chat: Vacuum sealed freezing versus canning. What’s best?
Video Transcript – Edited for Clarity
Hey there and welcome! My name is Sharon Peterson. I’m with SimplyCanning.com where you can find home canning tutorials, tips, and advice taught in a way that even a beginner can get their pantry filled.
Today’s question is from Mark, who asks, “We live at 7,400 feet in the foothills of Golden.” Hey, Mark. I’m in Colorado too. You’re a little bit higher than I am. “We are looking to move to a smaller community with some land in the future. I hunt a lot, and I always have elk and deer in the freezer. We process everything ourselves. So my question is, what are the advantages and disadvantages of canning versus vacuum freezing? Keep in mind I use a commercial-grade chamber vacuum sealer and 5 mil BPA-free vacuum bags.” So he doesn’t get freezer burn, even after a few years. “I’m just curious.”
That is a good question. Oh, I wish I had one of those vacuum sealers, but I don’t. We do both types of preserving. We freeze choice pieces, like the backstrap and things that are good for steaks. We also make jerky using some of the less desirable meat. We also grind some meat and freeze it for burgers, meatloaf, and meatballs.
We don’t can all of our meat, but I do can a lot for chili, stew, etc. I do both. I don’t know that one way is better than the other way. They both have pros and cons. Once canned food is in storage, there’s no cost to it. You don’t have to run a freezer. You don’t have to worry about a freezer thawing out, getting unplugged, or just going bad. If you’re going to freeze it, then doing it your way is the best. That’s the ultimate way to do it, especially with a vacuum sealer like yours.
If you can keep freezer burn away for a couple of years, that’s pretty good. But one’s not necessarily better than the other. They both have their pros and cons. Again, this is Sharon with SimplyCanning.com. I hope you guys have a great day and that this was helpful. We’ll talk to you in the next video.
Should you can frozen foods?
By Doc (Philly)
“If my electric went out, can I cook then can frozen veg’s, meats?”
Sharon’s Answer:
Hi, that is a great question. My answer with meats is, yes. Be sure it is completely thawed and then pressure can as usual.
With frozen vegetables, I believe it would be safe. What I’m not sure of is the quality of the final product. I’m afraid it might get mushy.
I did a search for more information from my extension service and did find this article: If Your Freezer Stops.
In discussing options for when the freezer goes out, this comment was made: “…keep canning supplies on hand to preserve food when there is no chance of using your freezer soon.”
I would make the assumption that means it is safe. They do not mention the quality of the food after canning.
But sometimes, mushy green beans are better than no green beans, eh?
Canning Previously Frozen Foods
By: Becky
“I had gone to my Mom’s house when she was out of town on vacation and the electricity was out. She forgot to pay before she left, and it was Friday night. I grabbed every canning jar she had and canned everything in her freezer and refrigerator. Everything turned out great. It tasted the same as veggies that had not been previously frozen. She had blanched everything for about 3 minutes before she froze it, so they didn’t come out overcooked at all. It is fine to can previously frozen foods.”
By: Cindy Stricklin
“Our brand-new freezer (less than 2 months old) went out after we completely filled it with frozen meat and vegetables purchased at a store. When we noticed it was not working, the food on top had started to thaw. We immediately went into canning mode and canned all the vegetables. We mixed all the peas together, and they were the best peas I have ever eaten. We made mixed vegetables out of the rest. They were not mushy at all. We managed to fit the meat in the other freezer by taking the vegetables out of it and canning them too. It took 2 weeks for Walmart to replace the freezer. Everything we canned tasted great!!”
Soup?
By: Anonymous
“If the previously frozen and now canned veggies get a little mushy, I would consider pureeing them and making up some soups!”
Freezing Thawed Veggies
by: Grambun
“Came home from the lake to find someone had stolen most of the meat from our freezer and unplugged it while we were gone. We borrowed canners from neighbors and got busy. All the veggies were dumped into jars covered with boiling water, and 1 tsp. of salt and processed. They were as good as fresh veggies.”
Canning Frozen Foods
By: Sharron Hart
“We were needing freezer space for a pig that is going to the butcher and I decided to can green beans, corn, peas, tomatoes, chicken and blackberries, we had frozen. Everything turned out pretty darn good and no mushy green beans and I now have canned chicken broth too!”
His & Herbs
By: The Grouchy Gardener
“My husband likes canned vegetables, and I prefer frozen. I have a garden but often don’t grow enough peas and beans to satisfy the husbands needs all year. Recently he found out he has high blood pressure, and to lower salt in canned vegetables I started canning frozen. I can mix-and-match them, or just leave the plain, more often than not, I can season them with a little garlic or some dehydrated onion flakes instead of the salt that she doesn’t seem to miss. They always turn out great. As for canning meat, I let it thaw, then can it with seasoning of my choice.”
I Never Thought of This!
By: Anonymous
“I have a gas range, so it would be totally possible to can during a power outage. I LOVE this idea!”