Whether frozen vegetables, meat, fish – or frozen fruit. The selection of deep-freeze shelves is huge and cooking with food is popular in many households. The RTL show “Gecheckt – How good is frozen food really?” explains: People almost always make this mistake when shopping for deep-frozen foods.
You need: Potatoes and butter – and it should be the carrot and pea mixture and the fish from the freezer. Maybe the frozen berry mix for the morning smoothie. You make your way to the supermarket; but you probably forget to take one thing with you, just like many other Germans.
Buy frozen food correctly
What you need is a cooler bag. But that’s not enough, as food inspector Bernd Stumm explains. He’s in the today RTL program “Checked – How good is frozen food really?” to see and gives helpful tips. Ice packs are always needed for shopping so as not to interrupt the cold chain – AND: the cooler bag should already be with you in the supermarket when you go shopping. However, many people simply leave them (without batteries) in the trunk.
A test in the car gives clarity
Tonight at 8:15 p.m. on RTL it will be tested: Various frozen products end up in the shopping trolley and in the car finally in the cooler bag – without batteries. The result: during a 20-minute ride, both the bag and the products are heated. A lot stronger than many people assume. The exact result is in the program, but so much can be said: The cold chain has already been broken.
That could shorten the shelf life by half – and this error can occur Breeding ground for germs and bacteria be. “The risk is low with vegetables, but the germs grow faster with sensitive products such as meat or fish,” explains Bernd Stumm to RTL. Above all, vegetables quickly become mushy as a result of such transport. In the case of fish or meat, however, the goods could spoil more quickly due to the sharp rise in temperature. So: Always take a cool bag with cold packs directly to the supermarket take along. And if you are unsure: Do the smell test after defrosting.
Avoid mistakes at home: Thaw properly
Germs on the surface of food do not die when they freeze, they are frozen with it. thats why hot water for defrosting is an absolute no-go! The principle is similar to that of the transport route. The outside temperature of a frozen fish or piece of meat, for example, should never rise quickly. “The bacteria grow like crazy on the outside and a bit more slowly on the inside,” explains food inspector Bernd Stumm. Hence the tip from the expert: “If anything: cold water”. It would be best Putting frozen goods out in the evening for the next day – away in the refrigirator with the frozen good and the next noon it is ready for the pan or the oven. This is the best way to get the quality of the product.
Freeze properly: what helps?
Correct freezing should be learned. Expert Stumm explains that frozen products should be frozen as flat as possible. Because otherwise it can take up to 24 hours before the core of a product freezes. Therefore: Smooth things out or beat them flat – and don’t throw the goods into the chest in criss-cross and shapeless clumps. Who Freeze meat, it is best to take a freezer bag, pound the meat flat and press the air out of the bag. Then you should close it tightly and freeze it. This is more likely to ensure that the moisture is not removed from the meat and that it loses its taste. And one last tip from the expert: Place new items at the bottom of the freezer and old items at the top. Because old things should of course be used up first and the newer ones can stay longer in the chest.
“Checked – how good is frozen food really?”
The broadcast “Checked – how good is frozen food really?” running today, August 17, 2023 at 8:15 p.m. on RTL. You you can then stream the show on RTL+ for seven days. Plus: More exciting tips and information – for example, which frozen vegetables are even healthier than fresh from the supermarket, or what “fresh fish” at the counter actually means. And immediately afterwards, at 10:35 p.m., it delivers “The super snapper – our best savings tips in the supermarket” more expert tips.
Source used: RTL