Nowadays, we have become so busy that in most cases we do not have enough time for such ordinary things as housework and cooking. To save up some of our precious time we try to buy lots of products in advance and make as many meal-preps as possible to be able to cook lunches very quickly. Therefore, most of the stuff that we buy beforehand we have to keep frozen till we use it for meal preparation. So, what do most of us do? We simply buy frozen food in packages or freeze freshly bought products ourselves. However, not everyone realizes all the harms and benefits of this way to keep products. What happens to food after defrosting? Are all the eatables suitable for freezing? Let’s have a more precise glance at what the process of freezing is and what happens to some products after defrosting.
WHAT HAPPENS TO PRODUCTS WHEN WE FREEZE THEM
When any substance is placed in a room at subzero temperatures, all the water it contains is converted into ice. During the process of freezing crystallization of water contained in products, especially veggies, takes place. As a result, many bonds in the molecular structure of the product disintegrate and do not restore after thawing. Moreover, while microorganisms and bacteria in the products do not develop, many of them persist and restart their activity when thawed. Therefore, it is desirable to treat frozen food thermally, which also leads to the stage when vitamins are being lost.
Some experts, however, believe that frozen foods still do retain many vitamins. That is, most of the vitamins still stay in the frozen vegetables and fruits, especially if the interval of time between when the vegetables are harvested and before they get frozen is shortened to as much as possible. However, some types of nutrients disappear anyway.
According to studies, the process of freezing decreases the amount of vitamin C in products. This happens when we freeze such veggies as cabbage, broccoli, peppers, or green peas. The other vitamins in frozen vegetables are also reduced but in smaller amounts. This is why it is not advisable to replace fresh vegetables with frozen ones completely in our diet.
SOME FOOD THAT BECOMES USELESS AFTER FREEZING
Many products lose their flavor and properties at subzero temperatures. Let’s make a list of some eatables that do not tolerate freezing.
VEGETABLES, FRUITS, BERRIES
Vegetables and fruits that contain a lot of moisture are those which most of all tend to lose their properties. Therefore, try to use them immediately after defrosting.
- Tomatoes are not suitable for freezing. When defrosted, they turn into dense, flavorless, and odorless substances.
- Do not try to freeze a cucumber. It can only be used when raw as after defrosting it becomes rather slippery and tasteless.
- If you try to freeze potatoes you will spoil the product. After defrosting, it becomes sweet and gooey.
- Green lettuce loses its appearance and elasticity.
- Products like dill, parsley, and cilantro can only be used in cooking after defrosting. After freezing they become unsightly and tasteless.
- The watermelon becomes soft, slippery, and absolutely tasteless.
- Celery loses all of its taste and health benefits.
- Sorrel and spinach become slippery and dark in color when defrosted and lose more than half of vitamin C.
- Ginger after being exposed to sub-zero temperatures changes its structure and loses all of its wonderful properties.
What can happen to some prepared food when frozen? Not all prepared food can tolerate freezing. The following examples here are to illustrate the point.
- Eggs change their chemical structure. Both boiled and raw eggs are completely unsuitable for eating after defrosting. To say more, all food prepared with eggs as a component when defrosted becomes less tasty and useful.
- Cooked pasta after freezing changes the taste and appearance completely. Whole grain pasta loses its fiber elasticity which makes it less useful compared to the fresh one.
- Food containing gelatin crystallizes when frozen, turning into a grayish mush.
- After defrosting, the yogurts become flaky and totally unpalatable.
- Sour cream crystallizes and then secretes whey becoming completely unfit for consumption after defrosting.
- After defrosting, cheez will appear as unpalatable unleavened lumps.
- The bread crisps or rusks after the freezer will become soggy and no longer be crispy.
- Spices stop emitting flavors after freezing.
- The process of crystalization also destroys the useful properties of honey.
CAN WE STORE THE FROZEN FOOD FOREVER?
How long is it possible to keep frozen food? The shelf life of frozen foods is usually specified no longer than six months. However, when buying such products, one should remember that the less time the product was kept frozen, the better. Ice crystals tend to destroy the structure of the product. Frozen foods with a long shelf life lose a lot of vitamins thus becoming useless or even harmful for us. This food can only be used as a stomach filler and, definitely, not as a source of vitamins.
HOW TO HANDLE FROZEN EATABLES PROPERLY
Never use hot water steam to defrost the products as it reduces the remaining vitamins in the food. Defrost foods gently and gradually at room temperature.
When you defrost meat, as well as any other ready meals, you should thaw it first and then cook immediately.
Usually, it takes 2-3 hours at room temperature to defrost cheese and other cheese-like dairy products.
Specialists recommend that you defrost fish at room temperature in a package.
Freshly frozen vegetables, berries, fruits are recommended to defrost in a saucepan partially filled with water. It’s better not to fry but to boil frozen vegetables. When we use frozen vegetables without defrosting, we thus increase the cooking time by approximately three times while destroying the remaining vitamins as a result.
For people who suffer from stomach ulcers, gastritis, and other gastroenterology-related diseases doctors recommend avoiding consuming frozen food at all.
Frozen vegetables, fruits, and other eatables have become an essential part of what we cook and eat at home. It is very convenient to save something in it until the moment when you need to use the product or the finished dish. However, not everything tolerates negative temperatures equally well.
Now that we know what the process of freezing is and what happens to some products after defrosting we can figure out several useful recommendations.
- Do not re-freeze the food. If the product kept some of its useful health properties, those would have certainly vanished being defrosted the second time.
- Whenever you have a chance and desire to cook something simply try to buy the number of fresh products you actually need. Spare some more time for visiting supermarkets buying something you are going to consume at the nearest time.
- You should not entrust care for all the eatables to your freezer. After all, the products will not be the same after defrosting as those freshly delivered to the market even if they retain their appearance.
In other words, if you are not willing to face some health problems, avoid eating frozen food as much as possible. Do not be lazy to cook for yourself using fresh ingredients instead of frozen ones.