TEMPERATURE: Keep your freezer temperature at 0 deg. F or -18 deg. C, or below. The maximum freezer temp. should be 5 deg. F. If in doubt, buy a thermometer especially made for freezers and refrigerators.
STORAGE CONTAINERS: Though heavy-duty foil can be recommended for freezer storage, aluminum foil has come under the microscope in the past few years showing that it may leach in to foods. So, wrap food first in freezer paper or parchment paper, then in foil as it does snug it tight.
Check any plastic bags or containers for the recycle numbers. We are hearing more and more about #7 being very bad for us. It is being taken of the market more and more.
LABEL! Date all food packages and containers when putting them in the freezer. Put the date your bought/stored it, and circle or add the expiration date or maximum storage time recommended.
WAIT UNTIL IT COOL: Never put hot or warm food in a freezer.
DON’T OVERCROWD: The air flow in the freezer must be able to circulate freely throughout the compartment shelves / layers to keep food properly frozen.
USE FROM BOTTOM/ROTATE: The longer food sits in layers and on the bottom of the heap, it’s easy to forget it’s there. Many a petrified roast or meat patties have been thrown out because they were on the bottom too long.
CONTAINER FILL: Food expands when it’s frozen. Allow 1/2 inch airspace at the top of containers for expansion. When freezing in a jar, leave the top unscrewed until the the contents has expanded and frozen, then screw the top on, otherwise, it can shatter the glass.
WARNING: Do not refreeze thawed out food. Eat it up! If a frozen food looks and smells odd, sorry, trash it.
BULK BUYING: It’s so tempting to buy in bulk and have lots of food in our freezers. Think again. It’s also easy to forget to use our frozen food up fast enough, and waste much of it. Get good buys, buy on sale and bulk if you can and want, but plan ahead and use it up regularly so that you don’t run the risk of old or bad food, or throwing money in the trash.
Last, but now least, enjoy your food! Yea electricity and re-freeze-eration!
©2008 Kim Wolinski, MSW “Dr. DeClutter”Stress, Change and Organizational Skills Expert
Editors and publishers are free to reprint blog articles as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and the signature line remains intact.
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