Introduced in the 1930s, frozen food today is commonly found in several refrigerators in Indian homes. From frozen paneer or cottage cheese cubes to frozen vegetables and seafood, all of it is widely used regularly in homes to prepare delicious meals.
Those who love meal planning and eating healthy particularly enjoy storing lots of frozen food products at home as they remain fresh for longer and are already cleaned and chopped. Freezing food at home too is a good way of reducing food wastage and saving money too.
There are, however, some important pros and cons to frozen food that must be known before you begin using it. Here are some important tips to remember while dealing with frozen food:
Read instructions carefully for thawing
If you are buying frozen vegetables from a store, make sure to come home and read the instructions on the packet before using them. Since many products are different, the manufacturers will ensure to inform the user of how to thaw or defrost the product correctly. Some products do not require thawing at all too, hence it is essential to read the instructions and follow them to the T.
Understand how defrosting works
You can choose to keep small frozen items such as a bowl of frozen peas, out of the freezer for a few hours to defrost or choose to use the defrosting option on your microwave to do so. Make sure to check what works better for the item you are using. If you have time on your hands you should try to thaw your foods naturally by keeping them out in the open for a few hours.
There might be a slight change in texture/ colour
Frozen foods, while frozen at their freshest, cannot entirely replicate the taste and feel of natural unfrozen food. Hence you must set your expectations accordingly while dealing with frozen food. If you are someone that deeply cares for authentic flavour and texture, then using frozen food is not meant for you. However, if you are a busy working professional, a student living alone, or a busy mother looking to get into meal planning, frozen food is a blessing!
Never freeze hot food
Cooked food can be easily stored to retain maximum freshness and taste, but for that to happen, you must make sure to wait till your cooked food is cold. Freezing hot food will not be effective, even if it seems tempting to do so.
Hence make sure to wait till your food is entirely cold before freezing it, always.
Avoid Refreezing frozen food
Suppose you have frozen a meal and defrosted it to consume at a later time. But suddenly you are full and your frozen dish is not finished. At this point, you might be tempted to re-freeze your dish, hoping that your freezer will once again keep your food safe and let you have a similar experience another time. That is a common mistake people make and must avoid. Refreezing frozen is not an effective practice and will not give you nutritious and fresh food and will in fact become lower in quality!
Buy air-tight contains and stock up on freezing Ziplock bags
You cannot effectively freeze anything if it is not well-packed and ready to be frozen. Air-tight boxes or bags are a great way of storing food for freezing. Buy transparent ones with labels so you can categorise your foods and keep your freezer in order. You can also see the condition of your frozen foods through these bags to be always informed about your food.
We hope these tips help you on your frozen food journey!
