5 Valuable Tips for Dealing with Frozen Food

Posted by Emma Miah on June 9th, 2017

The food should be stored at the right temperature so that all of its nutrition is preserved and its texture is maintained. The frozen food is full of nutrition as it is frozen in blast chiller that reduces the temperature quickly without compromising its quality.

It is important that you take proper care while handling the frozen food. When the food products have frozen the pathogens in the food become inactive. They do not completely die and when the food is placed at room temperature again, they become active again and if the food is left at room temperature it can spoil pretty quickly. Here are some tips for handling the frozen food.

Buying the frozen food:

When you are grocery shopping you should never buy the frozen food products at the beginning of the shopping trip because as you are walking through the store, the frozen food will start to thaw and it will have a negative effect on the quality of the food. If you take too much time shopping around then the food can get spoiled. You should always buy the frozen food at the end of the shopping so that it does not stay at room temperature for too long.

Transporting the frozen food:

If you have to travel a long distance after buying the frozen products then the best thing to do is to transport it in a cooler so that it does not thaw on the way and get spoiled. It is important that the food is quickly transported from the one refrigerator to another so that it does not spoil.

The storage temperature:

While handling the frozen food it is essential that the temperature is constant. If the temperature is not constant then the pathogens present in the food will get a chance to multiply. Fluctuating temperature is not suitable for maintaining the quality and nutrition level of the frozen food. They require a stable temperature of 0 F or below to have a long shelf life.

In case of power outages:

The power outages can be a huge problem as it will change the storage temperature. There are appliances such as chest freezer etc. that have the capability to maintain the temperature even for about a day or two in the case of a power outage. If you are not prepared for a power outage then you will have to face a lot of food waste. Food waste can cost you a lot of money so you should have a plan. If there are ice crystals on the food even after the power outage they are safe to use.

Defrosting the food:

It is important that you choose a safe method to defrost the frozen food because if you are not defrosting the food the right way it can get contaminated. The best way of defrosting is to slowly defrost it in a refrigerator. You can defrost it is cold water as well as in the microwave. After defrosting it do not let it stay at room temperature for too long.