by Karen Ward
6 Process your filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 1 hour 20 minutes (pints) or 1 hour 35 minutes (quarts). After the pressure in the canner has returned to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed instructions on pressure canning.)
7 Remove the hot jars with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). (If you find jars that haven't sealed, immediately refrigerate them and use them within one week.) Boil the contents of each jar for 15 minutes before tasting or eating.
Per 1-cup serving: Calories 390 (From fat 39); Fat 4g (Saturated 1g); Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 889mg; Carbohydrates 73g (Dietary fiber 12g); Protein 17g.
Beans with Salt Pork
This basic staple item combines plain beans with the light taste of salt pork. You can use these as an add-in for any soups or stews. You'll find them handy to keep on hand year round for those unexpected guests who arrive just at mealtime.
Preparation time: 30 minutes plus 12 hours soaking time
Processing time: Pints, 1 hour 20 minutes; quarts, 1 hour 35 minutes
Pressure level: 10 pounds
Yield: About 6 pints or 3 quarts
1 pound dried beans
4 ounces salt pork, cut into the number of jars you are using (optional)
Canning salt (optional)
1 Cover the dried beans with cool water and let them sit for 12 hours. (This is perfect task right before bed, letting the beans soak all night.) Drain the beans; then cover them with fresh water and bring them to a boil. Allow the beans to boil for 30 minutes.
2 While the beans are boiling, prepare the canning jars and two-piece caps (lids and screw bands) according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keep the jars and lids hot. (For instructions on preparing your jars, see Chapter 4.)
3 Place one piece of salt pork (if desired) into each prepared jar and ladle the hot beans and the resulting bean broth into the jars. If you're not adding salt pork, add 1/2 teaspoon canning salt to each pint jar or 1 teaspoon salt to each quart jar, leaving 1-inch headspace. Release any air bubbles with a nonreactive utensil (refer to Chapter 3), adding more beans and broth as necessary to maintain the proper headspace. Wipe the rims and adjust the caps.
4 Process your filled jars in a pressure canner at 10 pounds pressure for 1 hour 20 minutes (pints) and 1 hour and 35 minutes (quarts). After the pressure in the canner has returned to 0, wait an additional 10 minutes, and then carefully open the canner lid. (Head to Chapter 9 for detailed instructions on pressure canning.)
5 Remove the hot jars with a jar lifter. Place them on a clean kitchen towel away from drafts. After the jars cool completely, test the seals (refer to Chapter 4). (If you find jars that haven't sealed, immediately refrigerate them and use them within one week.) Boil the contents of each jar for 15 minutes before tasting or eating.
Per 1-cup serving: Calories 273 (From fat 103); Fat 12g (Saturated 4g); Cholesterol 12mg; Sodium 184mg; Carbohydrates 31g (Dietary fiber 9g); Protein 13g.
Part IV
Freezing
In this part . . .
Frozen food doesn't have to be limited to popsicles for the kids and leftovers you tossed in and forgot. With a little planning and few easy-to-follow (and remember) instructions, you can fill your freezer with foods you 1) recognize and 2) actually look forward to eating. This part includes a chapter on the basics of freezing, how to freeze food correctly for optimum flavor, and ideas for getting the most out of your frozen foods. You also find directions for freezing everything from fruits to vegetables to meats. Your freezer will become an important part of your pantry when filled with delicious foods that your family loves.
Chapter 13: Baby, It's Cold Inside! Freezing Food
In This Chapter
Exploring the freezing process
Getting acquainted with the spoilers of frozen food
Discovering packaging methods
Perfectly thawing your frozen food
Welcome to freezing, the simplest and least time-consuming method for preserving food. Freezing works well for almost any food. With a minimum of planning and equipment (you may already have most of it), proper storage containers, and basic freezing techniques, keeping food from spoiling and tasting as if you just took it out of the oven or brought it home from the store is a piece of cake. This chapter gives you the basics. The remaining chapters in this part give detailed instructions on freezing particular foods.
Defining Freezing
Since the advent of home refrigeration, people have discovered the joys of prolonging the life of fresh food by freezing. Freezing food is easy, convenient, and relatively inexpensive. The results produced from freezing food are superior to canning or drying. When food is properly prepared, packaged, and quickly frozen, there's no better method for retaining its natural color, flavor, and nutritive value. The process of freezing lowers the temperature of the food to 0 degrees or colder. This low temperature halts microorganism activity by slowing the growth of enzymes. Freezing doesn't sterilize food or destroy the microorganisms; it only stops the negative changes in the quality of your frozen food. The goal with freezing is to preserve the fresh quality of your food.
Follow these tips for best freezing results:
Prepare your food quickly. This means be ready to freeze your foods the same day you pick them or purchase them. Have your supplies ready, and the time set aside to freeze at the peak of freshness.
Package your food in moisture- and vapor-proof wrappings. These products don't permit the penetration of air or moisture, two common spoilers. (To find out about other spoilers, head to the next section.)
Keep your freezer at 0 degrees or colder. Frozen food stored at 15 to 20 degrees may appear as solid as food stored at 0 degrees or colder, but the quality of your thawed food stored at the warmer temperature is lower than food stored at 0 degrees or colder.
Properly thaw your food to preserve its quality and eliminate bacteria growth. For thawing instructions, head to the later section "Thawing Out Your Frozen Food."
Meeting the Spoilers of Frozen Foods
Before getting started, you need to recognize the spoilers of frozen food. These spoilers reduce the quality, flavor, and freezer life of frozen foods. One or more of these may occur before, during, or after freezing. For detailed information on the spoilers, refer to Chapter 3.
Bacteria, molds, and yeast
All fresh food contains microorganisms or bacteria. When active microorganisms are present in food, they multiply quickly and destroy the quality of your food, sometimes right before your eyes. The best example of this is a loaf of bread that becomes covered with green mold.
Prevent the growth of bacteria, mold, or yeast in your food by following these guidelines:
Select food of the highest quality.
Freeze your food at a temperature of 0 degrees or colder.
Use sanitary conditions when handling and preparing your food.
Bacteria are microorganisms that have no chlorophyll. Some bacteria may cause disease; other bacteria are actually good and are required for the fermentation process, such as that used for making beer.
Enzymes
Enzymes speed up the ripening process and change the color and flavor of your food. Use these methods to retain the colors and the flavors in fresh fruits and vegetables before the freezing process:
Add sugar and antioxidants, a commercial anti-darkening agent (see Chapter 5). These keep fruit from darkening in color.
Blanch your veggies: Briefly plunge them into boiling water and then into cold water to stop the cooking process.
Not all enzyme reactions are bad: When beef is aged, it sits in a chilled room for about one week. The enzymes naturally tenderize the meat, making it more desirable to consume. Fermenting foods, that is, allowing good enzymes to change a food's basic makeup, creates healthy and delicious new foods.
Fr
eezer burn and oxidation
Freezer burn and oxidation result from air coming in contact with your frozen food. Freezer burn is a change in color, texture, and flavor in the food during the freezing period because the air in the freezer removes moisture from the food and dries it out.
Oxidation is a chemical change in your frozen food. The technical term is lipid oxidation, which occurs on an atomic level and has to do with hydrogen atoms and free radicals. What is important to know is that enzymes have a lot to do with oxidation. By blanching foods (most commonly vegetables) before freezing, you stop or at least slow down the enzymes' actions and delay oxidation. Other steps you take to prevent oxidation are to properly wrap foods, use suitable containers, and follow correct storage times. (Check out "Packaging Is Everything" later in this chapter.) Oxidized foods have a funny or off taste and color.
Ice crystals
When you think of ice crystals, you probably think of winter and snowflakes. But in the world of freezing, ice crystals aren't charming at all. They cause your frozen food to lose liquid and darken. Because the freezing process essentially turns the water in food to ice, the way to eliminate destructive ice crystals is to keep them as small as possible. This is accomplished by a fast freeze and keeping foods as cold as possible at a temperature of 0 degrees or lower.
Gearing Up to Fill Your Freezer
Whether food is fresh from your garden or fresh from a store, the selection choices you make have an effect on the quality of your food after it's thawed. Of course, packaging materials, packaging procedures, and thawing methods play an important role in your frozen-food quality, as well.
Knowing what should (and shouldn't be) frozen
In practice, any food can be frozen. In reality, not all foods freeze well because of their texture or composition. The key to being happy with the results of freezing is to make sure you select foods that freeze well. There are almost too many categories of good foods for the freezer, but in general, you can freeze most fresh vegetables and fruits, meats and fish, breads and cakes, and clear soups and casseroles.
Here's a list of foods that don't freeze well:
Cooked frostings and frostings made with fluffy egg whites and whipped cream. These types of frostings become soft and weep (emit a thick liquid). Note: Butter-based frostings freeze well.
Cooked pasta: Reheated cooked pasta is soft, mushy, and shapeless.
Custards and cream-pie fillings: These foods turn watery and lumpy.
Egg whites and meringues: These crack, toughen, and turn rubbery.
Mayonnaise: This condiment breaks down and separates.
Raw fruits or vegetables with a high water content: Foods with a high water content break down when frozen and become mushy beyond recognition when thawed. Some examples are lettuce, watermelon, citrus fruit, and cucumbers. Tomatoes are an exception to this if you're using them in cooked dishes, like stews. Tomatoes also become soft and watery, but usually this texture is desired in a soup or other cooked dish.
When freezing fresh tomatoes, cut them into quarters. Package them in one-cup portions for quick freezing and easy measuring.
Sauces and gravy: Thickened sauces and milk gravies separate when they're frozen. Freeze your pan drippings; the juices produced from cooking a roast or turkey freeze without adding a thickener.
Yogurt, cream cheese, and sour cream: These tend to separate.
Soft cheeses, ricotta, and cottage cheese: These tend to break down and separate when frozen.
Potatoes: These become watery and grey when thawed. You could use them in a cooked dish, but even then the texture is so mealy that they're not recommended in your frozen foods list.
Evaluating your freezer
Before you embark of a freezing frenzy, you need to make sure your freezer is in good working order: that is, frost free and maintains a constant temperature of 0 degrees or lower.
Getting rid of frost: Today, most freezers are frostfree, automatically defrosting any buildup of ice in the freezer. Freezers that don't automatically defrost require defrosting when the ice buildup is 3/4 inch, or at least once a year. You need to empty your freezer before defrosting it. (Refer to your owner's manual for instructions for defrosting your freezer.)
Keep your freezer operating in top-notch condition with proper care and maintenance according to the manufacturer's recommendations (refer to your owner's manual). If you've misplaced your manual or have questions regarding maintenance or usage, contact your local appliance company or search on the Internet for the manufacturer's Web site.
Checking your freezer's temperature: Adjust your freezer thermostat, as needed, to maintain a temperature of 0 degrees or colder. Purchase a freezer thermometer to monitor the internal temperature of your freezer.
Add no more food to your freezer than can freeze solid in 24 hours, about 2 to 3 pounds of food for each cubic foot of freezer space. Adding a large quantity of food to your freezer at one time may raise the temperature in the freezer above 0 degrees. This stops the quick-freezing process and may affect the quality of your frozen food.
Types of freezers
Select a freezer based on your needs, the size of your family, the space available to you, your budget, and the cost required for running the freezer.
Refrigerators with freezer compartments are the most common units in homes today. The preferred model has a separate door for the refrigerator and the freezer. This allows you to regulate the temperature in each compartment with individual built-in thermostats.
Upright freezers and chest freezers are made for freezing only. Upright freezers have a door on the front with shelves inside, while a chest freezer opens from the top and you reach into it. Sizes vary from 6 cubic feet of storage to 32 cubic feet of storage.
Packaging Your Food and Filling Your Freezer
Proper packaging is important for preserving the quality of your frozen food both during the freezing process and after it's thawed. Any excess air in your container may compromise the quality of your thawed food. Remove as much air as possible in bags and wraps, and allow the recommended headspace in rigid freezer containers.
Similarly, how you fill your freezer is also important. Put too much unfrozen food in at once and the temperature may rise above 0 degrees. Fail to rotate your food and you're more likely to use newer food before older food. The following sections explain how to package your food, pack your freezer, and keep everything organized.
It's a wrap! Choosing a container
Protecting foods during the storage period requires containers that are easy to seal, suitable for low temperatures, and, most importantly, moisture and vapor proof. Three types of packaging materials meet the criteria for properly freezing food: rigid containers, freezer bags, and freezer paper and wrap.
Rigid containers
Rigid containers are the perfect solution for freezing any soft or liquid food, such as casseroles and soups, and they're reusable. The most desirable material for rigid containers is plastic, although some glass jars are made for freezing. Container sizes range from 1/4 of a cup to 1 quart with a variety of sizes in between. Purchase container sizes that fit your freezing needs.
Choose square- or rectangular-shaped containers. They save space and fit better in your freezer than round containers.
Rigid containers approved for freezing prevent the spoilers from attacking your food as well as stopping moisture and vapors from penetrating your food. When you use them, be sure to allow the proper headspace so that your food or liquid can expand without forcing the top off (you can find a table listing headspace guidelines in Chapter 15). A good rule: Allow 1/2 inch of headspace for shallow containers and 1 inch for tall containers. For freezing in freezer bags, always press all the air possible out of the bag.
Freezer bags
Freezer bags are readily available, reasonably inexpensive, require a minimum amount of storage space, and come in a variety of sizes. When using freezer bags (we prefer the locking zipper variety), purchase bags la
beled for freezing, because the thickness is moisture proof and protects the flavor of your food.
After placing your food in the bag, force out as much air as possible by folding the filled part of the bag against the nonfilled portion of the bag, pressing the air out while sealing the bag.
Freezer paper and wraps
Freezer paper comes coated or laminated and protects your wrapped food from air and freezer burn. Other freezer papers include heavy-duty foil, clear plastic wrap, waxed paper, and polyethylene (plastic) sheets.
Vacuum sealing machines
A vacuum sealing machine is a handy appliance that's great for packaging foods for the freezer. Air is almost completely removed from the package through a suction process, the trademark of this appliance. Most vacuum sealing machines use materials that are freezersafe or even microwavable and boil-proof. (This is handy for single-serving meals for home or at work.)
Consider these additional items when you're purchasing a vacuum sealing machine:
Cost: Electric plug-in types range from a low of $50 to upward of $300. There are new battery or hand-powered vacuum sealers that are available for as little as $10. Although relatively new to the market, the reviews look promising.
Replacement bags: Most machines include bags to get you started. Consider the cost of replacement bags and the reputation of the manufacturer. Investing in a vacuum sealer that is limited by a certain make of bags may limit use of your machine in years to come.
