Packaging the food is an important part of food storage. There are many types of containers you can use for these purposes.
If you are going to store food below zero degrees, you may use an assortment of plastic containers that were specifically manufactured for this. Most kitchenware stores have them. Plastic containers that were not designed to handle such low temperatures, even though cheaper, won?t be able to protect your food because they tend to crack in such cases. Special polythene and plastic containers are suitable for freezing different type of foods such as sandwiches, biscuits, cakes, leftovers as well as all kinds of liquid food like juice, soups, milk, stews and many others.
Very thin plastic bags are not good for storing food in the freezer, because they become porous under such temperatures. There are specially manufactured bags for freezers. They are thicker and cost just a little more. Freezer bags are good for pretty much all types of food. They are great for cooked food, meats, fish, fruits and vegetables.
Another item, which is very popular for packaging food, is aluminum foil. It is ideal for wrapping food like meat, fish, sandwiches, cakes, etc. But it is important to be careful with it, because the foil is easily split or torn.
We can also use glass jars and bottles for food storage. They can suit for freezing food, but you have to leave 1-2 inches of head space, because liquids expand when freeze. If you don?t leave the space, the expanding liquid will break the glass.
There are also wax coated cardboard tubs that are great when new and when the lid fits tight. But, during the washing of these containers, the wax coating tends to wear off. If you put a suitable plastic bag inside the tub, you can still use it. These tubs are great for liquid types of food as well as shell fish.
You can also use tins in the freezers. These household biscuit tins should be rust free and used with a special tape for sealing the lid. They can be used for storing baked goods, sandwiches as well as fragile items that need to be at first put in the plastic bag and then into the tin.
The packaging type you select depends on the food you have to deal with. If you are dealing with liquid foods, they are better to be frozen in plastic containers with or without a plastic bag in it, and with a tight fitting lid.
It is also strongly recommended to label all items in your freezer. It is very easy to forget the details of your freezer contents, especially if you have a lot of containers there. Make sure all the details, written on containers, remain readable, even if the packaging is dampened.
Have you heard that food storage can save you from lots of troubles during different emergency cases. Read more about food storage on this food storage blog.
