How long can you freeze food?

When it comes to preparing healthy meals at home, don't underestimate the value of your freezer. A well-stocked freezer can save you a trip to the store when you're pressed for time, which could mean the difference between making dinner and ordering in. It also lets you save meals that you prepare in big batches ahead of time, take advantage of discounts at the grocery store, and keep food that might otherwise go to waste.

Freezing is also an easy way to preserve local, in-season, fruits, and veggies that you buy at farmers markets or grow in your garden. If you want to eat delicious tomatoes in the dead of winter, for example, but are intimidated by canning, freezing is worth considering.

But just how long will that casserole or whole chicken last in the freezer? According to the Food Safety and Inspection Service, food stored in a freezer set at 0 degrees Fahrenheit will stay safe indefinitely. But that doesn't mean the taste and texture will remain the same.

Here is a guide to how long you can freeze foods before you sacrifice quality. Keep in mind that quality does deteriorate the longer food sits in your freezer, so aim to defrost sooner rather than later.

• Bacon: 1 to 2 months
• Breads: 2 to 3 months
• Casseroles: 2 to 3 months
• Cooked beef and pork: 2 to 3 months
• Cooked poultry: 4 months
• Cookie dough: 3 months
• Fruit: 8 to 12 months
• Frozen dinners: 3 to 4 months
• Hot dogs: 1 to 2 months
• Lunch meats: 1 to 2 months
• Sausage: 1 to 2 months
• Soups and stews: 2 to 3 months
• Uncooked chicken (parts): 9 months
• Uncooked chicken (whole): 1 year
• Uncooked steaks, chops, or roasts: 4 to 12 months
• Uncooked ground meat: 3 to 4 months
• Vegetables: 8 to 12 months

Basic tips for freezing food:

• Freeze foods as close to purchase (or harvest if you have a garden) as possible. The fresher food is when you freeze it, the better the quality when you defrost it.
• While most foods can be frozen, there are some foods you should keep out of the freezer. Don't freezecanned foods or eggs in shells (which can crack and allow bacteria to enter). Technically you can freeze mayonnaise, cream sauce, and lettuce, but the quality takes a big hit. Here's a list of foods that don't freeze well with details on their condition after thawing.
• Cool cooked foods down before freezing so they freeze faster, which helps preserve quality.
• Packaging matters and varies depending on what you're freezing. If you choose glass over plastic containers, wrap, or bags, you'll need to make sure it's tempered so it doesn't break.
• You can freeze meat in its original packaging, but if you want to store it for long periods of time, add an additional layer of packaging, such as plastic wrap or bags.
• It's always a good idea to label items so you know what they are and how long they've been in the freezer.
• Resist the temptation to defrost foods on your countertop. The three safest ways to thaw foods are in your fridge, in cold water, and in the microwave.

How to freeze fresh produce:

• The key to freezing fresh fruit is to spread out the cleaned, dried, and prepared (cut up) pieces of fruit on cookie sheets. Once the individual pieces of fruit are frozen, you can combine and put in freezer bags. Some people prefer to pack fruits in sugar or sugar syrup to help preserve texture and flavor. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has tips on how to freeze specific fruits such as strawberries,tomatoes, peaches, and many more.
• Vegetables usually need to be blanched (boiled or steamed for a short time) before freezing to maintain flavor, color, and texture. Blanching times vary depending on the vegetable. The National Center for Home Food Preservation has a chart with blanching times for everything from corn to collard greens and simple instructions for how to freeze a large variety of vegetables.

Source : Yahoo Green

Hadkan pengambilan garam

Garam berlebihan bawa pelbagai penyakit

TANPA garam makanan berasa tawar. Bagaimanapun, pengambilan garam yang tinggi dalam pemakanan, sebaliknya mendedahkan kepada risiko tekanan darah tinggi, angin ahmar, barah perut dan masalah pada ginjal.

Ini disebabkan tahap garam yang terlalu tinggi menyebabkan tubuh menyimpan jumlah air yang banyak, sekali gus meningkatkan jumlah cecair dalam badan.

Garam ialah nama umum untuk sodium klorida. Tidak dinafikan, sejumlah kecil sodium penting untuk kesihatan kerana kesemua cecair tubuh mengandung sodium, termasuk darah.

Namun, berapa banyakkah garam yang diperlukan? Jika mengikut diet umum, pengambilan garam mestilah antara 9 - 10 gram termasuk yang dikenali sebagai ‘garam tersembunyi.’ Ini merujuk kepada garam yang ada dalam bahan makanan seperti kicap, sos, mayonis, keju, ikan masin, penambah perisa dan kiub perasa.

Makanan yang siap diproses seperti sosej dan makanan dalam tin juga tidak terkecuali mengandungi garam tersembunyi ini.

Selain penambah perisa makanan, tidak ramai yang tahu fungsi sebenar garam bagi badan ini. Hakikatnya, ia berfungsi menyeimbangkan cecair dalam tubuh.

Dalam konteks ini, penting untuk tubuh menyeimbangkan tahap sodium dalam darah. Sodium juga penting dalam membantu mengekalkan konsentrasi cecair tubuh pada tahap yang tepat.

Dengan kata mudah, garam berfungsi sebagai rangsangan elektrik dalam saraf dan otot selain menyeimbangkan tekanan darah normal.

Tetapi awas, terlalu banyak mengambil garam akan menyebabkan peningkatan cecair dalam tubuh. Jika cecair yang berlebihan itu berada di otak, ia mungkin menjadi faktor risiko salur darah otak pecah yang menyebabkan angin ahmar.

Bagi jantung pula, ia mungkin menjadi penyebab masalah koronari arteri dan tekanan darah tinggi. Bagi dewasa yang sihat, garam boleh disingkir dari tubuh melalui ginjal menerusi air kencing.

Bagaimanapun, bayi yang mengambil makanan dewasa mungkin tidak berupaya menyingkirkan sodium yang terkumpul di badan. Ia mungkin menjadi punca masalah ginjal, kerosakan hati dan otak serta berkemungkinan menyebabkan maut. Ini kerana, bayi tidak memiliki keupayaan untuk memproses kuantiti garam yang banyak kerana ginjal yang belum sempurna pembentukannya.

INFO: Tip kawal pengambilan garam

Gunakan ramuan semula jadi seperti jus limau atau rempah

Kurangkan penggunaan garam dan bahan diawet

Kurangkan pengambilan kiub, makanan segera, sos, mayonis dalam masakan

Kurangkan pengambilan makanan dalam tin seperti sosej, burger , kekacang

Kurangkan mengambil makanan diawet, ikan masing, udang kering, jeruk.

Makanan tinggi garam

Sos berperisa seperti kicap, sos cili/tomato dan sos tiram - 1,000 hingga 5,000 miligram garam

Stok/kiub makanan - 3,000 mg garam. Setiap kiub 700 mg

Sos salad seperti mayonis - lebih 1,000 mg

Makanan dalam tin - 500 hingga 1,500 mg.

Makanan diawet :

Telur masin - 500 mg

Ikan masin - 1,500 mg

Buah-buahan jeruk (masin) - 1,000 mg

Udang kering - 4, 000 mg

Belacan - 1, 000 mg.

Sumber : Berita Harian