Frozen food safety- misconceptions

foxgloves

I save strong plastic bags & when I get things like chickens & packs of meat that I want to freeze, I stick the whole thing in a plastic bag so that they have got another layer on them & since I've been doing that, I've not had any freezer burn. Mostly I've had freezer burn on bread, so when I bake a big batch of rolls, again, I double bag them before freezing as I've found in the past that some of the very cheap freezer bags, even tho' they are sold as such, aren'tr eally up to the job. The worst freezer burn I used to get on packs of pitta breads....you could see the 'burnt' patch & it even has a particular smell. No problem now....double-bagged like everything else. I do recycle strong bags for this purpose, particularly the really strong plastic ones that tortilla wraps & pasta shapes come in, so the double-bagging doesn't mean spending any extra.

DebtFree2012

would freezer burn harm you if eaten?

ska_lover

Sorry if I sound a bit simple, but what is freezer burn?

HappyMJ

It changes color. Try sticking something such as a sausage unwrapped in the freezer. You'll see the difference. It's not dangerous but it does not look pleasing. Invest in some decent freezer bags and seal everything.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezer_burn

flutterbyuk25

decent freezer bags as already mentioned, and I use the plastic tubs that you get from Chinese (but they sell in £land/Home Bargains etc) to store my homemade sauces etc. I don't tend to have 'meals' made up in freezer, but freeze the components separate e.g. curry sauce in one, rice in another. That way rice can be used for chilli etc.

HTH

x

Nicifer_noonoo

Which brand freezer bags do you all use? Have been using asda's strong ones, and still my food is deteriorating How would you store, say, a pack of meat from the supermarket? I've been freezing as it comes still sealed and the dreaded burn has gotten to it...

milliemonster

I buy my freezer bags from Home Bargains, I get the ones that they do in a small and medium size that are resealable, they are thick and strong and unbelieveably cheap compared to the supermarkets (I think they are 69p a pack) they don't have a brand name though, but are in a blue wrapper with a picture of tomatoes on them!!

I don't get my meat from the supermarket but i would take the meat out of the preformed packs they are in and put them in the resealable bags, then I write on the front what's in them otherwise once they're frozen I can't tell what's what!

maman

I tend to wrap in foil or cling film and then in a 'free' plastic bag like you get from loose fruit and veg. So if I'd sliced HM gammon, I'd portion it in foil and then put all the portions in a plastic bag. I do the same with pieces of meat for stir fry and single or pairs of chicken breasts, thighs etc. If it's something loose like berries or courgettes, I'd open freeze then put in two plastic bags. Things I'm going to be taking portions out of, like these, I seal with one of those clip things from Ikea. If it's a HM ready meal like a lasagne I'll cover in cling film then a bag and tie it up before sticking on a piece of masking tape so I can write what it is. 'Runny' things like bolognese, curry, chilli etc I put in those flat plastic boxes 'cos they stack so well.

Any

Nicifer_noonoo wrote: »

Which brand freezer bags do you all use? Have been using asda's strong ones, and still my food is deteriorating How would you store, say, a pack of meat from the supermarket? I've been freezing as it comes still sealed and the dreaded burn has gotten to it...

My meat ALWAYS get freezer burns when in original pack. I think it is because of the air it has in it as well.

I find I have much less freezer burns if I put the meat in freezer bags (I buy Tesco ones - not Tesco basic, just normal ones) and try to have as little air in it as possible..

annie-c

I use the Home Bargains 69p freezer bags too. They are strong enough even to freeze soup in, as long as you have a container to steady them until frozen.

I would not throw away meat that gets freezer burn - especially not stewing steak, which is not the best quality meat anyway, but after long slow cooking in a rich sauce would turn out fine.

I only ever throw (to the birds) bread products that become soggy/unpleasant if not stored properly in the freezer.