I sometimes get frozen dinner items for our Grand Children to eat on the run. Tonight they opened an Alfredo meal and it was covered with ice inside. I'm wondering if this means the temperature in the freezer is too low or too high? I've had this happen before. And had to throw out the item. This has also happened with chicken nuggets. They weren't old, just had ice inside. Any ideas?
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My guess is improper wrapping. I have found meat packed by me 1 1/2 years old with none and something I packed in a hurry covered in ice. I just found a 2 lb. pack of shrimp covered in ice, since I packed it in the freezer in the package it came in.
I would like to know to it happens to me all the time. I buy those bag dinners you put in the crock pot and the meat will be freezer burnt already when I try and use it like the next week.
There was no need to throw it out-happens to me
all the time. Just scrape off the ice.
It happens to me too. Scraping off the ice does not help in some cases. It has a funny taste when cooked, and seems like once the ice melts, it absorbs in the food which makes it soggy.
When this happens to me, and I've had the alfredo, crock pot, frozen vegies, and nuggets with this, I use several methods to work with this.
One method I use for the frozen vegies in a bag they were bought in, is to make a slit in top of the bag 1 inch down and 2-4 inches long, I slide this over the sink spicket and run some water in the bag till it is to the top, then I stab the bag with a knife to drain some water out, and run water till I'm satisfied the ice crystals are gone. This saves using a colindar. I use this with every bag of frozen vegies I do.
Another method can be to run hot water and quickly rinse the tv dinner top so the ice crystals melt then drain well and cook as desired.
As for nuggets, I'd bang the bag to loosen the ice, run hot water and quickly rinse, I've put the oven heat up some to dry them out quickly.
As I said this is what I do.
The secret is to eliminate as much air as possible from your package before you freeze it. One method is the Food Saver. I have also had good luck with Press and Seal. I cut one piece and lay it on the counter, sticky side up. Lay my food in the center, then top with a second piece of Press and Seal on top with sticky side down. Press the two pieces together tightly and close to the food. But the newest and handiest gadget is the new Vaccuum Sealer that is put out by Reynolds. It is very inexpensive...about $10.00 at Walmart for the tool, and then you buy special Ziplock bags to use with the tool.
I use the Tilia Food Saver for anything that goes in the freezer. I never store frozen products in the bag they came in since there is always air in the bag and that is what causes the forming of ice crystals (freezer burn). Food savers can be found quite reasonably priced on Ebay.
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