The freezer is a lifesaver for busy, waste-averse, and forgetful people alike.
Mine is often stuffed with food for future meals, along with scraps from previous dinners to reuse later, like hunks of bread and extra anchovies. But too often, when I go to retrieve them, the telltale signs of freezer burn have crept in — a harbinger of stale flavors. (While the US Department of Agriculture says freezer burn doesn’t impact food safety, it’s certainly unpleasant.) And nothing feels more inconvenient at 5 p.m. on a weeknight than checking the freezer to find that you do, in fact, need to run out to the store.
If you’ve noticed that ice cream pints are mysteriously melty, fruit and vegetables are sprouting crystals, or ice takes longer to solidify than usual, you might be wondering if you need a whole new refrigerator. But you can avoid many freezer woes entirely by knowing a bit about how a freezer stays cold and packing it accordingly.
Here are the rules to live by for the most rock-solid performance (and fastest-freezing ice cubes).
Originally published on Source.
