Freezer Burn - Preventing Freezer Burn

Spotting freezer burn on food usually makes us all react the same way - yuk! But there are ways to keep freezer burn away from our frozen foods, including ice cream.

1. Do not remove the food from its original package unless you want to separate it into smaller portions.

2. Wrap the original package tightly with heavy-duty foil, plastic wrap or freezer paper.

3. You may also place the package into a freezer bag, but put pressure on the bag to get out as much air as possible.

4. When freezing smaller portions removed from the original wrapper, do step 2 then step 3.

5. It is not necessary to rinse meat and poultry before freezing.

6. Freeze unopened vacuum packages as is.

7. If you notice that a package has accidentally been torn or has opened while food is in the freezer, the food is still safe to use, merely overwrap or rewrap it.

Avoiding Freezer Burn in Ice Cream

To avoid freezer burn in ice cream, wrap the container in aluminum foil or plastic wrap with the lid off, then replace the lid.

Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air reaching the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food. Heavily freezer-burned foods may have to be discarded for quality reasons.