Foods taste best when unthawed, if they were frozen within a few hours of cooling on the original cook day.
The debate over freezing in plastic, aluminum foil, or paper wrapped packets is always ongoing. There are benefits and concerns about each method. Your choice should fit your, and your family's needs.
Fruit: Rinse and freeze in a plastic bag - takes up little space, and you can easily break off the amount you want in seconds. Actually, with berries, if you wait to rinse them when you pull them out, they are less likely to stick together.
Vegetables - slice, dice, and prepare for cooking before freezing. Freeze in either containers, plastic bags, or your choice of paper or aluminum foil (foil is ready for the grill too! You can even add the salt and butter so it's ready to go, just be sure and mark it as a grill pack.) Doesn't have to be thawed long, or at all.
Corn freezes best, already broken into two pieces, and in the large bags - just pull out what you need for the day.
Meats - best frozen in single serving containers, ready to heat and eat. What can you easily freeze? Meatloaf, steak, burgers, just about anything.
Soup - Soup freezes well in containers. Heat the bottom of the container with hot tap water to loosen to drop it in the pan, or microwave safe bowl to re-heat. Chili, chicken noodle, and vegetable soup do well.
Cakes, cookies, and breads - easy way to make these single serving - use wax paper between slices, or pieces. They freeze well. If you choose to put icing on them, freeze sliced on a cookie sheet first, then pull them out, and wrap them individually, then re-freeze them. (Don't let them warm up before re-freezing).
"The Basics: Clean, Separate, Cook and Chill" Food Safety. Gov
accessed 02/26/2010
"Foodborne Illness" (Link no longer works) (October 25, 2005) Centers for Disease Control
accessed 07/12/2010
"Food Safety Education" (Link no longer works) (February 19, 2010)
United States Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection
Service accessed 02/26/2010
"Food Safety"(Link no longer works) (September 6, 2006) United States
Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service accessed 02/26/2010
"Storage Times for the Refrigerator and Freezer" Food Safety. Gov accessed 02/26/2010
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