Tag Archives: Jeannie Nichols

Six tips when freezing meat – including storage chart

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Courtesy Michigan State University Extension

By Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension

 

You found a great sale on meat and bought more than you can use within a day or two. You can preserve it by canning, drying or freezing. Freezing is by far the simplest method of preserving meat. Michigan State University Extension has some helpful tips when freezing meat.

  1. You can freeze fresh meat and poultry in its supermarket wrapping if you will use it in a month or two. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that you add a second wrapping for long-term storage to maintain quality and prevent freezer burn. Overwrap the package of meat with airtight heavy-duty aluminum foil, freezer paper or place the package inside a freezer bag. While it is safe to freeze fresh meat or poultry in its supermarket wrapping, this type of wrap allows air to pass through, which can lead to freezer burn. Foods with freezer burn are safe to eat, but will be dry and may not taste good.
  2. Keep your freezer at 0º Fahrenheit or lower. Put no more food in your freezer than can get frozen in 24 hours.
  3. Spread out the bags of meat in your freezer when you are first freezing them. You can neatly stack and organize them in your freezer once they are completely frozen.
  4. Do not stuff any kind of meat or poultry before freezing it. Harmful bacteria can grow in the stuffing before it gets completely frozen and then it can once again grow when it is being thawed.
  5. Thaw all meats in the refrigerator for the very best quality. Cook the meat once it is thawed.
  6. Freeze meat in meal size portions. Label the package with the kind of meat, the amount in the package and the date it was frozen.

Freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, but the quality and nutritional value decreases over time. Recommended storage times from the United States Department of Health and Human Services are for quality only.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Freezing great cookies

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By Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension

 

You can preserve cookie dough in the freezer just as you can freshly-baked cookies.

 

Properly frozen dough ensures that your dough will make great cookies when the time is right. Simply follow a few steps offered by Michigan State University Extension.

Tips for freezing baked cookies:
  1. Before freezing your baked cookies make sure they are completely cooled.
  2. Wrap your cooled cookies individually in plastic wrap and store them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
  3. Cookies can also be placed between layers of waxed paper in the container. Make sure the top layer is covered with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookies. The individually wrapped cookies will store longer.
  4. Freeze frosted cookies, uncovered, until they are firm and then pack them in a freezer bag or an airtight container.
  5. Label the freezer bag or container with the date and type of cookies.
Tips for freezing cookie dough:
  1. Drop unbaked cookie dough onto cookie sheets and place in the freezer until frozen.
  2. Transfer the drops of frozen cookie dough into freezer bags or airtight containers.
  3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible or if using a storage container make sure the top layer is covered well with wax paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil so that very little air will get to the cookie dough.
  4. If you choose to freeze the entire amount of dough and then thaw it later, to make into individual cookies, wrap the dough with wax paper or saran wrap and then place it into a freezer bag or airtight container.
  5. Label the freezer bag or container with the type of cookie dough and the date.

Keeping air away from cookie dough or baked cookies helps to prevent freezer burn. Freezer burn is not a food safety risk but it affects the appearance and flavor of cookies and dough. It looks like grayish-brown leathery spots on the frozen food. Freezer burn occurs when air reaches the food surface and dries it out.

 

The suggested storage time for both cookie dough and baked cookies in your 0 degrees Fahrenheit freezer is no more than six months. Most people have no problem eating their cookies within this time-frame! Freezing cookies and cookie dough is both a money and time saving activity that has very tasty results.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

Rhubarb: A spring-time delicacy with pucker power

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Mmmm — rhubarb and strawberry pie

By Jeannie Nichols, Michigan State University Extension

 

Rhubarb is a springtime delicacy that is classified by botanists as a vegetable, but because it is so popular in desserts, it is often recognized as a fruit by many consumers. Rhubarb is traditionally made into sauce or pie, this led to it getting the nickname “pie plant.”

 

Hothouse, or forced, rhubarb is a pink to rosy-red color all the way to the leaf. It will have a milder, more delicate flavor than field or homegrown rhubarb. Use hothouse rhubarb only when fresh because it loses color rapidly when canned or frozen. Medium to thick stalks are best to use because they are the most tender.

 

Fresh field or homegrown rhubarb is available late April through June. It can be mostly green or have a rosy to dark red color and have medium to thick stalks. Homegrown rhubarb is more tender than hothouse, however, both provide a tasty source of calcium and potassium.

 

Remember to cut off and compost, or discard, all rhubarb leaves when you harvest rhubarb. Rhubarb leaves contain oxalic acid which is harmful to eat.

 

Enjoy rhubarb in pies and muffins or as a sauce

 

When rhubarb is combined with strawberries, raspberries, apples and other fruits, the flavor only gets better. Rhubarb also makes a terrific sauce for chicken, venison, halibut and salmon. Adding diced rhubarb to muffins and biscuit recipes not only adds nutritional value but makes the muffins and biscuits sing with flavor without making the batter runny.

 

Rhubarb (courtesy Michigan State University Extension website)

Store rhubarb in the fridge

 

Stalks of rhubarb can be placed in a perforated plastic bag and stored in the refrigerator crisper for two to four weeks. If you add a wet paper towel to the bag of rhubarb, it will help to keep the rhubarb from drying out.

 

Preserve rhubarb by freezing

 

Freeze homegrown rhubarb early in the season when the color is best and the stalks are almost tender. Freezing rhubarb is easy. Just rinse stalks well, dry them with a paper towel and cut them into one or two-inch pieces to fit your freezer containers or freezer bags. If you have an amount you need for a favorite pie, crisp or bread recipe, you can measure that amount into the freezer bag and label it with the date and amount, then when you take it out of the freezer you won’t have to measure the rhubarb before adding it to your recipe. You can also make cooked rhubarb sauce; pack it into containers, leaving one-half inch headspace, label and freeze.

 

Michigan State University Extension’s MI Fresh, has a range of information and resources about Michigan’s bounty of fresh, locally grown fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamentals. Here you will find information on recommended varieties, storage, food safety and preserving techniques for many fruits and vegetables.

 

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. Reprinted with permission. For more information, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit http://www.msue.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit http://expert.msue.msu.edu, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888.678.3464).