In life, fresh fruits, vegetables and meat are sometimes hard to come by, so frozen food becomes a good choice. Freezing homemade complementary foods can better preserve nutrients, but many people have misunderstandings about this.

Now let’s talk in detail about the truth behind frozen food.

Frozen fruits and vegetables are often considered not as good as fresh.

But that's not entirely true.

Research has found that some so-called fresh fruits and vegetables are not actually fresh at all.

Take the BBC experiment as a reference, which compared the vitamin C content in frozen and fresh peas, onions, raspberries and carrots.

Frozen foods during the peak picking season can be frozen quickly. For example, the entire process from picking to freezing peas only takes a few hours, which can more effectively retain their nutritional value and freshness.

Vitamin B and vitamin C in fruits and vegetables are sensitive to light, heat, and oxygen. For example, the vitamin C content of carrots refrigerated for a week will be reduced to nearly 80% of its original value. In contrast, frozen carrots retain about 80% of their vitamin C.

Thawed vegetables and fruits lose less nutrients during cooking and storage, which is not much different from fresh fruits and vegetables. However, frozen fruits and vegetables tend to contain more nutrients than fruits and vegetables that have been stored for a longer period of time.

Frozen fruits and vegetables also offer many advantages.

In some areas or special seasons, the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables is insufficient.

In remote mountainous areas or some places in winter, it is troublesome to transport and preserve fresh vegetables and fruits, but frozen vegetables and fruits are easy to obtain and can meet everyone's needs for vitamins and other nutrients.

Freezing technology allows fruits and vegetables to be quickly frozen after being picked. For example, in many large-scale vegetable and fruit planting areas, fruits and vegetables picked early in the morning can be frozen that morning.

Many families are accustomed to buying fresh meat, but have prejudices against frozen meat.

Many people feel that the taste of frozen meat is not as good as fresh meat, the quality is not reliable enough, and the nutrition is not as good as fresh meat.

In fact, meat is mainly to supplement protein and minerals. Research shows that once frozen meat is thawed, its core nutritional content is minimally different from that of fresh meat.

Frozen meat products also ensure that their quality is not compromised, as long as established refrigeration practices are followed.

Large-scale meat freezing processing enterprises have strict quality supervision mechanisms, covering the entire process from slaughtering to frozen storage, and each step is subject to careful inspection and hygienic management.

In addition, different families have their own habits in using frozen meat.

In some cases where the family size is large, it is more cost-effective to buy frozen meat.

Some large families tend to buy frozen meat in large quantities at one time for storage, which not only helps save money but also makes it easy to access at any time.

Sometimes, supermarkets will hold frozen meat promotions, and consumers can buy quality-assured frozen products at lower prices.

While both frozen and canned foods can be healthy options, there are some differences.

Frozen food mainly relies on rapid freezing in a low-temperature environment to keep it fresh, while canned food is stored through high-temperature sterilization and sealing.

In terms of nutrition, frozen food can effectively retain the nutrients in the food, such as vitamins in fruits and vegetables.

When canned food is made, some of its nutrients are reduced. However, this type of food has a longer shelf life, can be stored at room temperature, and is easy to carry and transport. For example, outdoor adventurers often carry canned food.

In terms of taste, frozen food tastes more like fresh food after thawing and cooking.

For example, frozen shrimp tastes delicious when cooked after thawing.

Canned food will develop a unique texture during processing. For example, canned fish has a unique flavor unique to canned food.

Thawing frozen food is an important step related to safety and taste.

If time is tight, you can choose to cook in a frozen state. For example, it is safe to cook frozen shrimp directly.

Thoroughly thawing, say, a pound of ground meat or boneless chicken breast can take a full day.

And after thawing in the refrigerator, the storage time is limited.

For example, minced meat, poultry, seafood, etc. can be stored in the refrigerator for another 1-2 days.

Different frozen foods have different thawing methods and storage time requirements.

Larger whole cuts of beef will take longer to thaw than smaller pieces of frozen meat.

Whether we buy fresh or frozen food, as long as we ensure a diverse daily diet, including fruits, vegetables, meat and other ingredients, it is good for our health.

Frozen food also means different things to different people.

The elderly have limited mobility, so frozen food is easy to store and easy to cook; for office workers, frozen food can quickly prepare meals.

When purchasing frozen food, be sure to check details such as shelf life, production time, and storage requirements.

When shopping for frozen food in large supermarkets, you should pay attention to whether the storage temperature meets the standards and check whether the food packaging is intact.

From a safety perspective, even if meat is frozen for a long time, it may not turn into inedible "zombie meat."

The USDA points out that as long as meat is stored below minus 18 degrees Celsius, frozen food can be safely eaten for a long time without affecting its quality.

Companies that produce frozen food must strictly implement production specifications, and every link from the selection of raw materials to the final delivery of products is subject to strict supervision.

Do you know of any new frozen food innovations?

I hope that after mastering these common sense about frozen food, everyone will have a new and correct understanding of frozen food. You are welcome to like and forward this article, and everyone is also welcome to discuss it in the comment area.