Frozen Ingredients: Good, Bad, or Indifferent?

Frozen corn is handy to keep around..the stuff is indestructable and cooks up pretty good..we all know it can take a lot and come out looking pretty much the same...uhm....errr...:giggle:
OMG, we were at a reptile convention once and the resort hotel across from the convention center was pretty nice. One side fronted Daytona Beach, the other the strip. They had a buffet for dinner or you could order off menu or go to 1 of their on-site table service restaurants or, of course, go elsewhere. We decided to order off menu 1 night but were seated where they had the buffet going. A group of guys came in, and let's just say there are some "characters" at reptile conventions, and proceeded to go through the buffet. They were talking rather loudly so the whole large room could hear their conversation. I think they'd had a bit much to drink already. One of them asked another one why he wasn't getting any corn. He answered that it looked the same way going in as it did coming out so why bother, except he didn't use such nice language. Dead silence after that for a few minutes. Craig and I looked at each other and almost burst out laughing.
 
Buy raw shrimp shell on. The shell protects the meat from freezer burn. Also, look for the origins on the bag (required by law). Look for "Wild Caught USA." I am close enough to the Gulf coast that I can pretty much always find wild caught shrimp. It may be harder in Detroit.

CD
Good advice. I’d want the shells on anyway, so I can use them to make a stock. But, this is another good thing to know.
 
Buy raw shrimp shell on. The shell protects the meat from freezer burn. Also, look for the origins on the bag (required by law). Look for "Wild Caught USA." I am close enough to the Gulf coast that I can pretty much always find wild caught shrimp. It may be harder in Detroit.

CD

Won't vacuum sealing the shrimp help eliminate this problem? I did it before, & the shrimp were fine. Just try to remember that air is the destroyer & enemy! Anything that is not vacuum sealed & frozen can spoil!! :eek:
 
Caused by air. When you vacuum seal food, the machine sucks out all the air from the bag, vacuuming & sealing the bag so that nothing but the food is there. :whistling:
 
Won't vacuum sealing the shrimp help eliminate this problem? I did it before, & the shrimp were fine. Just try to remember that air is the destroyer & enemy! Anything that is not vacuum sealed & frozen can spoil!! :eek:

Yes, vacuum sealing helps. But, when they are in the store, they are frozen in loose fitting bags. That's where the shells help. I buy big bags, break them into single portion size bags, and vacuum seal them when I get home from the store. I do the same thing with meats.

CD
 
Yes, vacuum sealing helps. But, when they are in the store, they are frozen in loose fitting bags. That's where the shells help. I buy big bags, break them into single portion size bags, and vacuum seal them when I get home from the store. I do the same thing with meats.

CD

I think I've seen them without the shells, cooked & raw. I wouldn't buy them!! No telling how long they've been sitting there!! I usually buy them in the shells & raw. Then I vacuum seal them & store them in the freezer for a later time. :whistling:
 
I think I've seen them without the shells, cooked & raw. I wouldn't buy them!! No telling how long they've been sitting there!! I usually buy them in the shells & raw. Then I vacuum seal them & store them in the freezer for a later time. :whistling:

Just keep in mind, even though you are near a coast, raw shrimp in your grocery store was likely frozen at the docks, then thawed out at the store to look "fresh." You have to ask. If they were frozen and thawed, you are better of just buying them still frozen from right after they were caught.

CD
 
But they are sold in bags lose & frozen. Confusing because you don't know which way to go!! :eek:
 
Just keep in mind, even though you are near a coast, raw shrimp in your grocery store was likely frozen at the docks, then thawed out at the store to look "fresh." You have to ask. If they were frozen and thawed, you are better of just buying them still frozen from right after they were caught.

CD
This. Florida has a law that says they must be advertised as previously frozen if they are.
 
This. Florida has a law that says they must be advertised as previously frozen if they are.

Same in Texas, but not sure about all states. Best advice is to ask if it isn't labeled. The person behind the counter knows, and they aren't likely to lie about it. If they do, you are shopping at the wrong store.

CD
 
I believe it's s Fed law the store has to have paperwork on origin, etc, simply so they can trace back to source if there is an issue. But, like you, not sure if previously frozen notification is required everywhere.
 
Frozen: I use packages of frozen spinach or peas for specific purposes. I will sometimes enjoy frozen broccoli in certain preparations (usually soups). Tomatoes can be frozen and work in future sauces. Assuming it is a good type of tomato to begin with.

As I patronize local pasture raised meat farmers, I do purchase half a porker or half a lamb. No way these bulk purchases can be eaten all at once - so as long as the cuts are properly vacuum packed, they work very well in the freezer. I freeze my own chickens (ack????), too.

Some fish can be frozen. Salmon and grouper, yes. Tilapia and catfish, a hard NO. Every year I try to buy a supply of eel at Christmas, to section off and freeze for future use. (The area Italians will often eat all manners of seafood for Christmas Eve, so some groceries will stock up on more unusual fishes then.) I also take any really good quality salmon that I want to make sushi or sashimi from, and freeze that for 5-14 days, to kill any inadvertent parasites.

And I freeze raw clams still in the shell, for about the same amount of time - not in this case for parasites, but because when they thaw the previously-closed shells will open just enough that you can easily pry them open to enjoy.

If there's too much bread to eat in three days (which for me is usually the case), I toss it in the freezer. It lasts better than in the fridge.

I freeze leftover pancake batter, and IF I remember in time, I'll freeze milk I'm not getting to quickly enough. I usually don't remember, and out it goes once it gets that specific "smell" of past-use dairy.

But most veggies don't really freeze well.
 
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