Making The Best Use Of Your Freezer
A large freezer or deep freeze is a great investment
, especially if you like to buy items in bulk or have a vegetable garden. However, they can take up a lot of space and they can chew through the electricity if not used properly.
So how do you get the best out of your freezer?
First of all, do you really need one and how big should it be? If you only want a place to put a few leftovers, the meat, some bread and maybe a few tubs of ice cream and some frozen peas, then you can probably avoid buying a large freezer and make do with the freezer compartment provided in most fridges today. In this case, the same principles apply to a little freezer as to a big one. A large freezer is a good investment if you buy perishable goods in bulk, grow your own fruit or vegetables or are involved in a charitable organisation or church that has a soup kitchen or similar programme. A freezer is also a good place to keep emergency supplies for use during a crisis (social, natural, economic or otherwise).
Make sure that your freezer is properly insulated and the door seal is tight. An electricity efficient freezer will also help make life a bit easier on the financial front. When you go to the freezer, don't hang around with the door wide open for ages - this lets the cold air out and the warm air in, and any moisture in the air will freeze inside, leading to frost build-up.
The more you put into your freezer, the more efficiently it will work. This is because frozen goods stay put inside the freezer (unless you're taking them out, of course) when the door opens, unlike air, which whizzes in and out. Besides, once an item is frozen, it will stay frozen and will help anything new freeze more quickly. It is best if you can intersperse new items with older ones - but there are other considerations here, plus the need to leave the door open for as short a time as possible. Let food cool down before putting it into your freezer - you will make it work harder (and chew more power) if you put hot food into the freezer. And don't refreeze something that has thawed out once.
Label the items you put in the freezer so you know what is what when you get it out. Even clear plastic items get a bit foggy/frosty after a while, and it can be hard to tell the blackcurrants apart from the beetroot. Also add the date to the label so you know how old something is. It's best if new items go in at the back so you can use things in the same order they went in (oldest first).
Periodically, you will need to defrost your freezer - if you put it off too long, you will be unable to close the freezer door properly. Turn the freezer off at the wall and take everything out. Put the frozen goods in a large, compact pile in a cool, dark place and cover them with lots of blankets to insulate them and prevent them thawing out - you can also put things in a chiller, if you have one. Then leave the freezer open to allow the ice to melt slightly. You can help things along the way with a bucket of hot water, but don't use a chisel or a knife to chip or pick the ice off - you can damage the inside of the freezer (you can use a spatula or a fish slice - but carefully). Make sure your hands are dry when handling ice to stop the ice freezing to the water on your hands - very painful! Don't eat any of the ice taken from the inside of the freezer - it can be a bit dubious, especially if you have kept raw meat in the freezer. To get rid of the ice, just put it outside and let it melt - it's only water, after all. When all the ice is out, replace the items, shut the door and turn the freezer on again.
If you want to freeze free-flow items (e.g. berries or peas), spread them on trays and allow them to freeze solid before bagging them up.
To prevent frozen vegetables and the like getting freezer burn, vacuum pack them. You don't need a special tool for this - just use the hose attachment of a regular vacuum cleaner with a teatowel tied over the opening. Put this inside the bag of things you are freezing and suck the air out by switching the vacuum on before sealing the bag tightly. Although the vacuum cleaner is usually used by your domestic cleaning lady, it is recommended you do this task instead of asking her to do that for you.
Be wary if you are considering buying a cattlebeast and getting it butchered with the idea of keeping a supply of meat frozen. An ox has a huge amount of meat on it and you will need a very large empty freezer to hold it all - and even then, you will probably end up giving some away to friends. It's best to go shares with a friend or three if you are considering this - a meat co-op instead of a veggie co-op.
Copyright (c) 2012 Nick Vassilev
by: Nick Vassilev
Wash Down Floor Scales - Make High Hygiene Simpler Refreshing Malaysia Always For Every Nature Escapers Capital Town Of Ladakh Know Which Grant To Choose Before Applying Iata Provide Professional Training To Handle Hazardous Material How To Prevent Scars With Scar Removal Cream Horizon Residences Chennai To Know About Solution Of Bulk Document Scanning By Easy Way Ideal College To Study Abroad - Eepl See The Stars Come Alive With The Stellarium Best Way To Practice Your Driving Test Ferrari Is Considered As The Most Explicit Vehicle The Elegance In Vehicle Is Described By The Porsche Caymans