Is your frozen food safe to eat? That depends on the freezer temperature and storage method. Additionally, it depends on how long it’s been in the freezer and how proactive you were in freezing foods after thawing or cooking them. If you are unsure, use this outline to guide you.
What Is the Best Temperature?
A freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or -18 degrees Celsius is the minimum temperature for safe-to-eat food. At that temperature, no bacteria will develop to contaminate the food, and the food quality will be in peak condition. Leave a freezer thermometer in the freezer to get an accurate reading of the freezer temperature. Check every week, and if the temperature changes, contact an appliance repair person.
How Do I Store Food Properly?
Store food in freezer storage bags, plastic wrap, plastic-coated freezer paper, heavy-duty aluminum foil, and freezer plastic containers. They protect the food from freezer burn. Be sure to label each food with its name and freeze date. That is to avoid confusion in finding which foods are which. Additionally, remove air from food storage before storing.
When organizing the food in the freezer, the meat should be at the bottom. The liquid contaminates other foods, and their location keeps leaks away from the rest of the food.
Is Freezer Burn a Bad Sign of Unsafe Food?
Your first instinct may be to toss out freezer burn foods. Freezer burn foods are foods with brown or white patches. It develops by not wrapping food tightly. Leaving food in the freezer much longer than three to four months is also a culprit. It is not unsafe to eat, but quality and flavor will decline.
Cut the freezer burn spots from food before or after cooking. Toss the food out if the freezer burn covers the majority. If you don’t know, throw it out anyway. Placing the oldest foods in the front and eating those foods first will prevent freezer burn.
Can You Refreeze Thawed or Cooked Food?
It depends. Cooked food and food thawed in the refrigerator are eligible for refreezing. Food thawed at room temperature, in cold water, or through the microwave can be refrozen within a time frame. There is a one-hour limit in the summer heat and a two-hour limit for the rest of the year.
Is My Food Ruined During a Power Outage?
A freezer is still cold when the power is out, and keeping the door shut keeps it that way. That will keep the food in sanitary condition for four hours.
If the power stays out longer than that, you can still salvage it by buying ice and placing it in a bowl. Place the ice bowl in the freezer. The ice will keep the food cold longer. You may have to repeat this when the ice melts until the power comes on. These strategies also work when the freezer fails.
When you do your part, your freezer does its job. After all, you bought food to eat, not throw away. If your freezer fails, our service will be there to repair it. Contact AJ’s Appliance Repair & HVAC in Sterling Heights, MI, and schedule a time for freezer and refrigerator repair services.
