Which foods can be preserved longer by freezing - and which cannot?
Created: 12/28/2022, 6:30 p.m
By: Janine Napirca
The freezing method of preservation is a good way to stock up on emergency supplies with long-lasting foods.
However, there are a few things to consider.
If you have a deep freeze or a freezer compartment in your fridge, you can freeze your emergency food supply longer for a possible crisis.
But not all foods are suitable for freezing.
Below you can find out which foods you can freeze and how best to go about it.
Stock up on emergency supplies: How can food be preserved for a long time by freezing?
Food can be kept for longer by freezing it in the deep freeze or the freezer compartment.
The growth of microorganisms is interrupted by the low temperatures.
At the same time, nutrients and flavors are preserved by freezing in the freezer.
Food should be portioned before freezing so you only thaw as much as you need.
Because once food has been thawed, it must not be refrozen.
© AndreyPopov/Imago
Instructions: Make food last longer by freezing
Frozen products from the supermarket, such as frozen pizza, frozen ready meals or frozen vegetables, can be refrozen at home immediately after shopping.
In the best case, take a cool bag with ice packs (especially recommended when the outside temperature is warm) with you to the supermarket.
This will prevent the cold chain from being broken.
You should wash, clean and portion leftover fresh fruit and vegetables before freezing.
The same applies to meat, fish or prepared food, because once you have frozen and thawed food, you must not refreeze it.
If necessary, you can blanch vegetables before freezing to kill microorganisms and preserve vitamins.
The snowflake symbol indicates whether you can use a jar for freezing.
Alternatively, freezer bags are also suitable for freezing food for emergency supplies - but remove unnecessary air and seal the bags properly.
With liquid food you should leave at least two centimeters between the lid and the lid (liquids expand when they freeze), with solid food you can fill the containers completely.
Don't forget to label the frozen food with the content, quantity and date of storage.
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Which foods are suitable for freezing and which cannot be preserved longer by freezing?
Foods that can be frozen | What you better not freeze |
|---|---|
✔️ Bread | ❌ Eggs |
✔️ Meat, fish | ❌ Salad |
✔️ Spices | ❌ Potatoes |
✔️ Herbs | ❌ Water-rich fruits and vegetables (radishes, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, melons, grapes, apples, pears) |
✔️ Butter | ❌ Dairy products (milk, yoghurt, cream cheese, pudding, cream) |
✔️ Cheese | ❌ Gelatin |
✔️ Prepared food | ❌ Garlic |
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Can frozen food ever go bad?
In principle, the rule of thumb is that food should not be frozen for longer than a year, with the vitamins contained being broken down after just six months.
However, the shelf life of food in the freezer varies greatly.
For example, prepared meals, meat, fish or bread should be eaten much earlier.
Food supply: How long can you freeze food in the chest freezer or the freezer compartment?
Top list: That's how long you can freeze food
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In addition to freezing, there are other more or less well-known preservation methods to make food in emergency stocks last longer, such as fermenting, drying, smoking, sugaring, cooling, salting, boiling, pickling or vacuuming.
