•Fruit and vegetable quality affects the length of Packaging Foods for Freezing
storage. Quality can vary"from item to item, variety to • When freezing ffnits and vegetables select fresh, top-
variety and season to season. For example, a rainy quality-products.
growing season can cause lettuce to be brown when
purchased or brown more quickly. Sort fruits and • Use a freezer wrap that is air-, moisture- and vapor-
vegetables before storage and use bruised or soft proof. Some good choices are hea_-duty aluminuin
items first. Discard those showing signs of decay, foil, fi'eezer plastic wrap, polyethylet_e-eoated freezer
paper, freezer bags or airtight contait,ers. Force as B:_"
• \Vhen storing vegetables, the crispers will perform mneh air out of the packages as possible and be sure
better if they are at least two-thirds full. If they are they are tightly sealed. Trapped air can cause the food
less than taro-thirds fnll, always store the vegetables to dry out,change color and develop an off-flavor
in plastic bags or airtight containers to reduee (freezer burn).
moisture loss. • Fresh meats and poult_ can be left in the store
• Always wrap odorous foods sueh as onions and wrapping when freezing for less than two weeks. For
cabbage so the odor does not transfer to other foods, longer storage, ovelavrap with a suitable freezer wrap.
• While vegetables need a certain amount of moisture Do not refreeze meat that has emnpletelv thawed.
to remain fresh, too much moisture can shorten Loading the Freezer
storage times (especially lettuce). Be sure the •Avoidaddingtoomuehwarm foodtothe freezerat
vegetables are well drained before storing. It may also
be helpful to place a layer of paper towels in the one time. This overloads the freezer, slowsthe rate of
freezing and can raise the temperature of already
bottom of the bag to absorb any excess moisture, frozenfbods.
Dairy Food Place the packages in the coldest part of the freezer x_
• Store butter and margarine in the Dairy first (against the walls orbottom of the compartment)
Compartment found in the refrigerator door. to insure the tbod i?eezesas quickly aspossible.
• Most dailyfbods such as milk, cream, sour cream and Leave a little space between the packages so cold air
cottage cheese have freshness dates on their cartonscan circulate.
for appropriatelength of storage. Store these foods in • Avoid storing hard-to-freeze foods such as ice cream
the original carton and refrigerate immediately after and orange juice on the freezer door shelves. These
purchasing and each use. Close carton lids tightly to foods are best stored in the fi_eezer interior where the
keep out air and odors, temperature varies less udth door openings.
• Occasionally mold will develop on the surface of hard Foods That Don't Freeze Well
cheeses (S_6ss, Cheddar, Parmesan). Themoldy
areas can be trimmed aw_, and the remaining cheese • Some foods cannot be frozen successfully because the ;
will still be flavorfnl and safe to eat. freezing causes tbem to deteriorate. These include:
potatoes (unless mashed)
Frozen Food Storage cream fillings [i"
The freezer compartment of a refrigerator should be cooked egg whites _
sour cream
kept at 0°F or lower. To check the freezer, place an *
appliance thermometer between the frozen packages salad greens
luncheonmeat
and cheek after '24 hours. A freezer operates more
efficiently when it is at least two-thirds fi,ll. If not this soft cheeses(cream, cottage, processed)
fidl, it will be helpfid to fill milk cartons half full of mayonnaise
water and place them in the freezer, milk and cream
gelatin salads (.
Refer tothe FoodStorageChart on pages 8-9 for bananas
approximate storage times. For the best results citrus fruits
when freezing foods, follow these guidelines:
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