Personal Chef Freezing Foods Refresher
The ability and knowledge to freeze food well is the cornerstone of the personal chef business. Let’s face it, there is a vast array of ready frozen food available in every supermarket and even the corner variety in some cases. Personal chefs have to be able to provide a superior and more nutritious product in order to compete. Lucky for us, supermarket offerings are usually quite tasteless and often sodium and fat laden. So, here is a few tried and true tips for great freezing with little alteration to the intended structure of the food.
I will not try to cover everything but instead lightly touch on some things to remember when creating entrees and vegetable side dishes.
A good place to start is temperature. Most home freezers will not go below -9 C/ 15 F due to constant opening and closing of the door. Always check the temperature of a client’s freezer and go over how important it is to control the fluctuations of temperature to ensure a safe and successful product. Be sure you freeze your food quickly , otherwise large ice crystals will form and food cells will be ruptured. You will lose flavor and moisture if this occurs. Another method to avoid moisture loss is to pay attention to your packaging. It seems elementary, but make sure your containers and plastic bags are moisture proof. Always squeeze as much air as possible out of approved freezer bags . Some personal chefs go as far as vacuum packing their products which takes an initial investment in equipment and a little practice. Remember to label everything with contents, portion size and the date in a freezer resistant pen or marker to avoid the “mystery” container dilemma.
Entrée style meals freeze better in evenly filled containers , adequately covered in a sauce , with enough space for liquid expansion. Smaller cuts of meat freeze better than large and remember fat will eventually turn rancid so try to rotate entrees to ensure these type will be consumed quickly. Never freeze stuffed poultry because the stuffing will not reach a safe temperature to prevent bacteria, creating a food hazard you will want to avoid. When freezing fish entrees remember it is one of the most perishable foods and must be completely fresh for success. If you want to maintain texture and firmness of the flesh you can dip the fish steaks and fillets in a brine solution for 15-30 seconds before freezing. Take into consideration that freezing cooked dishes will affect the flavoring so adjust the seasoning where necessary when reheating to ensure the finished product is exactly as you intended.
Fruits and vegetables also need to be handled carefully, always freeze produce at its peak of flavor, color and freshness. A hallmark of a superior personal chef is the ability to provide an extensive range of food choices including marvelous sides of fresh, perfectly prepared produce. Most vegetables will deteriorate in quality if not cooked or blanched before freezing. Vegetables can be frozen either in packages or if presentation is a concern some can be tray frozen first to ensure individual pieces do not clump up. Vegetables that freeze well are squashes( either cut in chunks and lightly sautéed or pureed ) green beans, carrots, parsnips , beets and corn ( blanched in water and shocked in cold water to arrest cooking ) spinach, cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus ( steamed and shocked ),and mushrooms ( firm varieties do best like truffles and chanterelles ). Again, remember to suggest seasoning pureed vegetables after reheating . Most clients will appreciate a well prepared, colorful zip lock bag of vegetables to accompany their entrée.
Look for the next installment of Freezing Tips and Methods which will cover soups, sauces , grains and pasta, breads , dairy and all the little extras. Check out our recipes that work in the freezer at
recipes
I will not try to cover everything but instead lightly touch on some things to remember when creating entrees and vegetable side dishes.
A good place to start is temperature. Most home freezers will not go below -9 C/ 15 F due to constant opening and closing of the door. Always check the temperature of a client’s freezer and go over how important it is to control the fluctuations of temperature to ensure a safe and successful product. Be sure you freeze your food quickly , otherwise large ice crystals will form and food cells will be ruptured. You will lose flavor and moisture if this occurs. Another method to avoid moisture loss is to pay attention to your packaging. It seems elementary, but make sure your containers and plastic bags are moisture proof. Always squeeze as much air as possible out of approved freezer bags . Some personal chefs go as far as vacuum packing their products which takes an initial investment in equipment and a little practice. Remember to label everything with contents, portion size and the date in a freezer resistant pen or marker to avoid the “mystery” container dilemma.
Entrée style meals freeze better in evenly filled containers , adequately covered in a sauce , with enough space for liquid expansion. Smaller cuts of meat freeze better than large and remember fat will eventually turn rancid so try to rotate entrees to ensure these type will be consumed quickly. Never freeze stuffed poultry because the stuffing will not reach a safe temperature to prevent bacteria, creating a food hazard you will want to avoid. When freezing fish entrees remember it is one of the most perishable foods and must be completely fresh for success. If you want to maintain texture and firmness of the flesh you can dip the fish steaks and fillets in a brine solution for 15-30 seconds before freezing. Take into consideration that freezing cooked dishes will affect the flavoring so adjust the seasoning where necessary when reheating to ensure the finished product is exactly as you intended.
Fruits and vegetables also need to be handled carefully, always freeze produce at its peak of flavor, color and freshness. A hallmark of a superior personal chef is the ability to provide an extensive range of food choices including marvelous sides of fresh, perfectly prepared produce. Most vegetables will deteriorate in quality if not cooked or blanched before freezing. Vegetables can be frozen either in packages or if presentation is a concern some can be tray frozen first to ensure individual pieces do not clump up. Vegetables that freeze well are squashes( either cut in chunks and lightly sautéed or pureed ) green beans, carrots, parsnips , beets and corn ( blanched in water and shocked in cold water to arrest cooking ) spinach, cauliflower, broccoli and asparagus ( steamed and shocked ),and mushrooms ( firm varieties do best like truffles and chanterelles ). Again, remember to suggest seasoning pureed vegetables after reheating . Most clients will appreciate a well prepared, colorful zip lock bag of vegetables to accompany their entrée.
Look for the next installment of Freezing Tips and Methods which will cover soups, sauces , grains and pasta, breads , dairy and all the little extras. Check out our recipes that work in the freezer at
recipes
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