Food is expensive in Japan. For most people the grocery bill makes up a large portion of their weekly expenditure. One way to reduce this outlay is to buy in bulk when items are on special. With the limited space in many Japanese refrigerators though, buying easily spoiled items in bulk can take a little planning. That 1kg pack of sliced pork you bought on special very quickly loses its frugality when you have to eat it all in two days before it goes bad! The obvious answer is to freeze it. However, before you pop the meat straight from shopping bag to freezer, there are a few things you should do to ensure you get the best out of your food, freezer and look after your health as well.
The Freezer
Most freezers are frost-free but that doesn’t mean they don’t appreciate being cleaned out. Take everything out of the freezer and wipe it down with a damp cloth. Placing a metal sheet (a cookie tray works well) on the bottom of the freezer helps freeze foods fast as the metal transmits cold better than plastic. Place foods on this tray to freeze and then put them elsewhere in the freezer to free up the tray for next time. Most people know that an overfull freezer is not energy efficient but it is not so well known that neither is an empty freezer. If you don’t have a lot in your freezer, fill some small plastic bags with water and tie them off. These freeze quickly, can be discarded when the freezer is fuller, and are great for first aid emergencies too.
Packaging
Proper packaging is the key to freezing food. Contact with air, and moisture loss, are the two biggest problems when freezing. They cause freezer burn (discoloration and drying of frozen food), and loss of flavour. Both can be avoided by packaging food carefully.
The white polystyrene trays from the supermarket are NOT suitable for freezing. The plastic film is made to allow air to flow through as this ensures the meet stays an appealing colour in the supermarket fridge. Before freezing you need to repackage the meat into an airtight container. This can be a Tupperware (R) type container, zip lock bag or even heavy-duty tinfoil. Square or rectangular containers reduce wasted space in the freezer.
Bigger Isn’t Better
Choose a container that will just fit the product you wish to freeze to minimize the amount of air in the container. Freezing in small quantities shortens freezing time, decreasing the risk of bacteria breeding. Freezing in one-meal quantities also makes for easy meal planning. The exception to the smaller is better rule is when freezing liquids. When freezing juice, milk, soup or other liquids allow at least 5cm of space at the top of the container as liquids expand when they freeze.
Labeling each container with the contents, quantity and date frozen helps ensure you use each item when it’s at its best and prevents UFOs (unidentifiable frozen objects).
Freezing Homemade Food
When freezing homemade food it is important to allow it to cool completely before freezing. Putting still warm foods in the freezer not only slows the freezing time of the warm item but warms the freezer, putting other foodstuffs at risk of spoilage as well.
When making lasagna, gratin, tuna casserole or other baked dishes you can make a double batch and freeze the extra in the baking dish. Wrap the cooled dish tightly with plastic wrap and put the entire dish in an airtight container or bag and then straight into the freezer. When it comes time to eat the dish it can go straight from the freezer to the microwave to the table.
What and For How Long
Not all foods are created equal. Some freeze well, some lose flavour or change texture when frozen. The following is a guide to the length of time that foods can be frozen without losing their nutritional value, flavour or appearance. There are many such tables available on the Internet with very little variation in content.
| 1-2 months | 2-3 months | 3-4 months |
|
Bread, sliced |
Cream Filled pies, unbaked |
Ham |
| 4-6 months | 6-8 months | 8-12 months |
|
Minced beef |
Bread, unsliced |
Beef |
Source: http://www.bhg.com.au/food.nsf/Content/bhg_article_june01_freezing
The No Go List
Some foods don’t freeze well even for a short time. These include mayonnaise (it will separate), raw vegetables with a high water content (they will become limp and discoloured), cooked egg whites (they will become tough and rubbery) and soft cheeses (they may separate). Foods with a high fat or salt content should be frozen for as short a time as possible as the salt and fat content of foods causes it to go rancid. Removing excess fat from meat before freezing will help alleviate this problem.
Tofu
The consistency of tofu changes quite dramatically when frozen. It becomes chewy and holey- a little like a sponge. Many people find this new texture unappealing, however, cooking with tofu that has been frozen increases the amount of flavour that is imbedded in the tofu so it can actually be an improvement. It’s one of those things you just have to try and see if it suits you. www.vegsource.com/talk/soy/messages/15258.html has some hints for cooking with frozen tofu.
The “Freezing Is Better” List
Some items keep their quality better when frozen than in the fridge or on the bench. These include nuts, coffee beans and ground coffee (not instant), bread, yeast and bread mixes.
Defrosting
The quickest way to defrost food is in the microwave but this substantially eats into the frugality of freezing so when possible it’s best to choose an alternative method.
In the Fridge
The safest way to defrost food without damaging it is to move it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you want to use it. This allows the food to defrost slowly while remaining at a safe temperature. The amount of time necessary to defrost this way depends on the quantity and density of the frozen item but most items will take at least 12 hours so some planning is necessary.
In Cold Water
For quicker defrosting or very large items (such as turkeys at this time of year) a cold water bath can be used to defrost. Make sure the item is in a watertight container though or you may end up with soup!
On the Kitchen Counter
This method of defrosting is not recommended for meat and raw goods and not the preferable option for baked goods as raising the temperature of food to room temperature creates an ideal environment for bacteria growth. If you are out during the day and your uninsulated Japanese apartment/ house is left unheated though, you may find it’s colder on the counter than in the fridge over the coming months!
The Next Step
Once you’ve caught the freezing bug you might want to try a very frugal practice – the once a month cook up. You buy in bulk, cook solidly for a day, and eat the results for a month. This saves you on food, utilities, last minute takeaways and time as well. In most Japanese kitchens a once a week cookup might be more realistic though! There are plenty of websites with freezing tips, recipe ideas and discussion forums. It’s quite a movement, complete with its own acronym- OAMC. Try http://busycooks.about.com/library/lessons/blOAMC.htm for a start.
References
- Martha Stewart
- http://www.cafecreosote.com/Reference/FreezingTips.php3 (Ed’s note: Link no longer valid.)
- http://www.bhg.com.au/food.nsf/Content/bhg_article_june01_freezing
- http://asiarecipe.com/freezing.html
- http://www.busycooks.about.com/od/freezingfood
- http://www.vegsource.com/talk/soy/messages/15258.html
- http://busycooks.about.com/library/lessons/blOAMC.htm
© 2004 H. Fukase.