Freezing Meat, Fish, Poultry & Game
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Preparation and Packaging.
Package meat, poultry,
fish and game in moisture/vapor-proof material such
as aluminum foil, cellophane, freezer foil or plastic
bags. Exclude as much air as possible. Label and
freeze at once.
NOTE: Packages of fresh meats and poultry as
commonly purchased in retail stores are not suitably
wrapped for freezing. Rewrap in
moisture/vapor-
proof material.
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Meat.
Remove as much bone and fat as possible
from meat before packaging. Do not salt meat.
When individual pieces of meat are packaged
together, place double thickness of freezer wrap
between them for easier separation during thawing.
Poultry.
Clean thoroughly before packaging. Pad
sharp or protruding bones with folded freezer paper
or aluminum foil. Wrap giblets separately.
Wild Game.
The same methods suggested for
poultry and meat may be used for preparing and
freezing wild game.
Fish.
Clean fish thoroughly before packaging. Cut-
up pieces of “lean” fish such as haddock and cod
should be rinsed in brine made with 2/3 cup of pure
table salt per gallon of water to reduce leakage
during thawing. Keep in solution not over 1 minute.
Brine is unnecessary for whole fish or fatty fish such
as salmon or mackerel.
1.
2.
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Oysters, Clams, Shrimps, Scallops.
Wash shells in
running water (soak clams) and shuck, working
quickly. Discard shells. Do not wash clams or
oysters. Scallops may be rinsed in fresh water. Pack
in freezer carton and freeze immediately. Shrimps
are best if frozen uncooked. Remove and discard
heads and black vein. Wash and package in freezer
containers.
Crabs and Lobsters.
Chill fish and remove back
shell. Steam or boil in water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Cool thoroughly, then pick edible meat from shells
and package in proper containers. Seal and freeze
immediately.
Thawing.
Frozen meat, fish or poultry should be left
in the
oti-ginal
package and thawed in
the
refrigerator
or cooked frozen. Allow approximately 5 hours per
pound to thaw meat in the refrigerator. When
cooking frozen meat, increase the cooking time by
approximately 1/3 to 1/2 if cooking
conventionally—
much less if cooking with microwaves. If necessary
to thaw meat quickly, thaw at room
temperature—
allowing only 2 hours per pound.
Don’t refreeze meat that has completely thawed; meat,
whether raw or cooked, can be frozen successfully
only once.
Freezing Vegetables
Only vegetables at their peak of maturity
should
be
3. Work with small amounts, about one pound, that
chosen for freezing. Some varieties of vegetables
can be packaged in a short time.
are better adapted for freezing than others. For
4. Blanch all vegetables except tomatoes, green
complete information, contact your County
Extension Service.
peppers and herbs before packaging. Proper
blanching stops the ripening process so vegetables
Sort, clean and wash vegetables in cold water. Keep
are held at their peak of freshness.
those of the same size all together. Large pieces
take longer blanching.
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