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Freezing and Defrosting Apples: You Have to Pay Attention to This

Freezing apples is a good way to make your harvest last longer. However, there are a few things to keep in mind so that the apples still taste good after defrosting.

Freezing apples – what should I watch out for?

Freezing is one way of preserving food. But when it comes to apples, this method has its limits. The reason: Apples have a high water content and the apple loses its taste when it freezes due to the large amount of water. In addition, the cold destroys the cell structure and the apple loses its consistency. But if you want to bake or cook with the apples, you can freeze them without hesitation. We show a good method with which the apples can be easily processed later.

Freeze apples – but without plastic

If you want to freeze apples and thaw them again, use stainless steel cans or old jam and preserving jars, for example. It is important that the containers can be sealed airtight (more on the subject here: Freezing without plastic).

Note: We recommend that you use apples of the best organic quality from the region or from your own garden. Orchards are also a good way to get apples from the region. In this way you avoid long transport routes, which cause high CO2 emissions. In addition, the apples then contain no residues from chemical sprays. This is good for your health, as well as for bees and other insects.

Freeze apples in small portions

It is best to freeze apples the way you want to use them later. For baking and cooking you usually need apple slices. If you prefer larger pieces, quarter the apples. However, you cannot freeze it as a whole, as it takes too long to freeze through.

The best way to process the apple pieces is to blanch them briefly before freezing:

Cut the apples into small wedges.
Place the apple slices in a saucepan of boiling water and add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice.
Cook the apple slices for four to five minutes.
Take the apple slices out of the water with a sieve and rinse them with cold water.
Now you can put the apple slices in a container, seal it airtight and put it in the freezer. You should use them within six months.

Thaw and use apples

To ensure that the apples do not lose their taste, you should defrost them gently:

The fridge is best for this. Let them thaw there for about 4 hours and then another 2 hours at room temperature. Because they only develop their full aroma from around 16 degrees.
If you plan to use the apples for pie toppings or to make compotes, you don’t need to thaw them. You can use them directly.
You can preserve apples by freezing them. But home-made applesauce or boiling apples is more energy-efficient and delicious. If you store apples properly, you can enjoy them well into the winter without freezing or preserving them.

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Food

Meal and Food Defrosting Guide

Defrosting meals can be one of the trickiest things of the time. Failure to remove the meal from the freezer in time to properly thaw before cooking can result in failure. So you’re dying to remember to take the bowls out of the freezer and put them in the fridge on time, but how long does it take?

Defrosting meals

There are three ways you can adequately defrost meals – in the fridge, it’s just one of several options. Here are the three recommended food-safe methods, so if you’re in a bind and forgot to get the meal out of the freezer – don’t worry. There are three methods you can use to defrost the meal. Also, note how to freeze food properly.

The problem of defrosting meals

Individual dishes will most likely defrost overnight, e.g. frozen bread can be defrosted in this way. Casseroles, bags of food, and roasts will not. They will probably thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. One of the biggest mistakes is thinking that a casserole dish will thaw overnight in the fridge. That’s not true. To effectively plan the week’s meals, I usually decide on Sunday what I’m going to do for the week and jot it down on a calendar. I also include in my notes the time it takes me to get the dish out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for proper defrosting. This helps me not to get caught in a quandary during the week and have the food on the table half frozen.

1. Defrost in the refrigerator

This method takes the longest but is the best for the quality and shelf life of the food. If you decide you don’t want to eat the meal or are going to a friend’s place for dinner instead, you can still refreeze the meal without worrying about its safety of the meal.

2. Thawing in cold water

You can wrap a casserole or freezer bag in an extra plastic bag and place it in the sink submerged in cold water. The additional bag is designed to protect the food from getting wet. This method is faster and usually only takes a few hours, but you should change the water every 30 minutes. You also risk water penetrating the product. I only recommend this method for thawing meat, marinated meat, soups, or items in plastic containers. It is not recommended to refreeze objects that you have unfrozen using this method.

3. Defrost in the microwave

This is by far the quickest method of defrosting food, but you must prepare the dish promptly. It also won’t work for you if you use foil baking pans (they aren’t microwavable). And you can’t refreeze the meals that have been thawed this way unless you cook them first.

Cook frozen food

Plus, you can cook these even when frozen. You just need to add about 50% more time to the listed cooking time. That means if it says cook for 1 hour, you should plan to cook it for at least 1.5 hours, maybe even longer. However, this does not apply to all foods. Because defrosting the spinach is usually quick. Also, note tips for warming up the spinach.

The instructions above for adding 50% are for stovetop and oven cooking. When it comes to the best time to get your meals out of the freezer in order to defrost them at the right time.

General guidelines for thawing

Here are some general guidelines for thawing.

  • Single servings – overnight or in the microwave
  • Casserole dishes, freezer bags, and medium-sized plastic containers – 24 to 48 hours
  • Meat (including marinated meat and roasts) – 5 hours per kilo
  • Ready Bread (already baked) – 24 hours (on the countertop)
  • Bread, uncooked – Overnight (in the fridge)
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Lifestyle

Instructions for Defrosting and Cleaning the Refrigerator

Defrosting the fridge is not that difficult. We offer you many useful tips and a guide that will get the job done quickly.

The fridge needs to be defrosted regularly to keep it working properly. Electricity costs also increase if cleaning is not carried out. We would therefore like to show you a few tips on how to defrost the refrigerator, clean it quickly and keep it clean.

Always defrost the refrigerator quickly

It is important to defrost the refrigerator quickly. Because the food has to be cooled again quickly. Most of the time, the refrigerator is also connected to the freezer, so that the frozen food could thaw there when it is switched off. Therefore, action must be taken quickly. Incidentally, the most important reason for defrosting the refrigerator is that energy costs increase when there is a lot of ice.

Regular defrosting is important in order not to have any energy guzzlers in the house. The food from the fridge can easily be on the table for an hour, after all, when you go shopping, you don’t have the opportunity to put the food in the fridge immediately. If you also want to defrost your freezer, you have to think better. Neighbors with space in the freezer could help here. Otherwise, in winter, you can put things outside to keep them cold and frozen.

Quickly clean the fridge

The refrigerator can be cleaned with warm water and washing-up liquid. Simply wash, dry, and put away. All glass panes, fruit trays, and more can basically be put in the dishwasher. If the fridge smells bad, you no longer have to clean it, but instead, use a solution of lemon washing-up liquid. That means you prepare water with washing-up liquid and add citric acid. The bad smell is masked and the refrigerator shines like new after cleaning.

But even after cleaning, the citric acid can be placed in the refrigerator. The liquid is in a cup of slices of lemon is on a plate. So the fridge smells like pure summer.

Defrost hot water in the refrigerator when there is a lot of ice

If the fridge is very iced up, simply place a pot of hot water in the unit. The same goes for the freezer too. Some people also like to use the hairdryer to make ice removal easier. If you do this, you save long waiting times and can put the food in the fridge faster.

The condensation water must of course be collected, this can be done with towels that you simply put in the bottom of the fridge or with dishcloths. The fat pan from the oven is also a great help.

Vinegar disinfects the refrigerator

If you feel like you have to disinfect the refrigerator, you should use vinegar. Simply mix warm water with vinegar and not only unpleasant smells are gone. Vinegar essence is not recommended here, it smells far too strong and of course, the smell also spreads to the food in the refrigerator.

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Cooking Tips

Meal and Food Defrosting Guide

Defrosting meals can be one of the trickiest things of the time. Failure to remove the meal from the freezer in time to properly thaw before cooking can result in failure. So you’re dying to remember to take the bowls out of the freezer and put them in the fridge on time, but how long does it take?

Defrosting meals

There are three ways you can adequately defrost meals – in the fridge, it’s just one of several options. Here are the three recommended food-safe methods, so if you’re in a bind and forgot to get the meal out of the freezer – don’t worry. There are three methods you can use to defrost the meal. Also, note how to freeze food properly.

The problem of defrosting meals

Individual dishes will most likely defrost overnight, e.g. frozen bread can be defrosted in this way. Casseroles, bags of food, and roasts will not. They will probably thaw in the fridge for 24-48 hours. One of the biggest mistakes is thinking that a casserole dish will thaw overnight in the fridge. That’s not true. To effectively plan the week’s meals, I usually decide on Sunday what I’m going to do for the week and jot it down on a calendar. I also include in my notes the time it takes me to get the dish out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for proper defrosting. This helps me not to get caught in a quandary during the week and have the food on the table half frozen.

1. Defrost in the refrigerator

This method takes the longest but is the best for the quality and shelf life of the food. If you decide you don’t want to eat the meal or are going to a friend’s place for dinner instead, you can still refreeze the meal without worrying about its safety of the meal.

2. Thawing in cold water

You can wrap a casserole or freezer bag in an extra plastic bag and place it in the sink submerged in cold water. The additional bag is designed to protect the food from getting wet. This method is faster and usually only takes a few hours, but you should change the water every 30 minutes. You also risk water penetrating the product. I only recommend this method for thawing meat, marinated meat, soups, or items in plastic containers. It is not recommended to refreeze objects that you have unfrozen using this method.

3. Defrost in the microwave

This is by far the quickest method of defrosting food, but you must prepare the dish promptly. It also won’t work for you if you use foil baking pans (they aren’t microwavable). And you can’t refreeze the meals that have been thawed this way unless you cook them first.

Cook frozen food

You can also cook them while frozen. You just need to add about 50% more time to the listed cooking time. That means if it says cook for 1 hour, you should plan to cook it for at least 1.5 hours, maybe even longer. However, this does not apply to all foods. Because defrosting the spinach is usually quick. Also, note tips for warming up the spinach.

The instructions above for adding 50% are for stovetop and oven cooking. When it comes to the best time to get your meals out of the freezer in order to defrost them at the right time.

General guidelines for thawing

Here are some general guidelines for thawing.

  • Single servings – overnight or in the microwave
  • Casserole dishes, freezer bags, and medium-sized plastic containers – 24 to 48 hours
  • Meat (including marinated meat and roasts) – 5 hours per kilo
  • Ready slices of bread (already baked) – 24 hours (on the countertop)
  • Loaves of bread, uncooked – Overnight (in the fridge)
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