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RRZER BURR?
Freezer burn occurs when air reaches the
surface of the food. The cold, dry air in the
freezer causes the foodstuff to dry out in
spots and lose quality. While freezer burn
may not taste good, it does not make the
food
unsafe.
Freezer
burned
portions
should be cut away either before or after
cooking the food.
COLOR (£ARGE
Color changes can occur in frozen foods.
This can cause ground beef to go from a
bright, red to a darker, duller brown due
to lack
of oxygen,
Freezing
normally
doesn't cause color changes
in poultry,
but it will cause changes to the color near
the bones resulting in bone
darkening'.
These changes are only visual changes
and do not indicate poor quality or unsafe
food.
RRZING A(TI
Amana
provides
this information
as a
guide to aid in food preservation.
For spe-
cific questions
regarding food handling,
cooking, or storage contact USDA Meat
and Poultry Hotline at 1-800-535-4555.
• You can freeze almost any food, the
main exceptions
being eggs still in the
shell and cans of foods.
• Frozen food kept at 0 ° F (-18 ° C) or
slightly below will always be safe. Only
the quality of food suffers over time.
• It is safe to freeze
meat or poultry
directly in supermarket
wrapping. This
wrapping is air permeable which allows
freezer
burn, so the meat should
be
used within one to two months.
• Freeze foods as quickly as possible.
This prevents large ice crystals
from
forming which decreases food quality.
• Never stack packages to be frozen. Lay
packages out in a single layer and then
stack them after they are frozen.
• During a power outage, a full freezer
will normally
keep 2 days, a half full
freezer about 1 day. Food should
be
stacked tightly to provide a nest of cold
air-resisting
thawing.
• As a general guideline,
food 2" thick
should
freeze
completely
in about
2 hours.
IIIIOlTIIG FIlll
There are basic methods to defrost food
safely. Food should never be defrosted at
room
temperature,
This allows
unsafe
bacteria to grow while the food is thawing.
To defrost safely use:
• Refrigerator:
this allows the food to
thaw in an environment
that controls
bacterial growth.
Most foods require
a day or two to
defrost,
approximately
one day
for
each 5 Ibs. of weight,
• Cold water:
place food in a leakproof
bag and immerse it in cold water (If bag
leaks, food will become contaminated
by bacteria). Check water frequently to
verify it stays cold. Change water every
thirty minutes. After thawing, refrigerate
the food until it is ready to use.
• Microwave:
cook
food
immediately
after using a microwave to defrost food.
Microwave defrosting warms food and
can partially cook it, allowing
bacteria
to grow as it defrosts, Food cannot be
refrozen until it is cooked.
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