How To Freeze Food Without Plastic?
Plastic freezer bags have always been the first choice when you are freezing food at home, isn’t it? And if you are not using plastic bags, you probably use airtight containers. Both of these are basically plastic. So, what can you do if you want to avoid plastic?
Do you have alternatives to plastic for freezing food? Yes, there are alternatives to plastic for freezing food. How to freeze food without plastic? Freezing food without plastic is easy. I have three alternatives to plastic that you can consider to freeze food. Check them out below.
Freeze Food In Stainless Steel Containers
You might have never thought of it, but containers made of stainless steel are also suitable for freezing food items. You can either buy new metal containers specifically for this purpose or reuse biscuit tins. Check if they have lids that close adequately.
Stainless steel containers are more reliable and adaptable than plastic packs for freezing food. They can be reused again and again. If you want to freeze food without plastic, stainless steel containers are an excellent alternative.
Freeze Food In Glass Containers
Glass jars or glass containers are pretty good options for freezing food items when you are avoiding plastic. The best part is you do not always have to buy glass jars, you can simply reuse jam jars. Just remember that the jars have a metal lid.
Freezing in glass jars or containers is easy. All you have to keep in mind is that there is a headspace in each jar to allow space for expansion. This will also protect the food from spilling. You can clean and use the glass jars repeated times for freezing food.
Freeze Food In Silicon Bags
Apart from glass jars and stainless steel containers, silicon bags are also a fantastic option for freezing food. They are remarkably better than plastic bags. While they may not be reusable, silicon bags consume less space than glass or metal containers in the freezer.
Silicon bags are perfect for freezing fresh fruits and vegetables for a long time in the freezer. You can fit a lot of food items in the freezer at a time if you are using silicon bags. Make sure that while freezing in these bags, you seal them properly for best results.
What Is The Best Way To Freeze Without Plastic?
All of the three above-mentioned ways are considered best while freezing food without plastic. The stainless steel containers, glass jars, and silicon bags serve the same motive- they keep the freshness and flavor of the food intact.
However, if you want to know which method will prove better than the other, this can vary depending on the food item you intend to freeze. For liquid textures of food, a glass jar would be best, while for gravies stainless steel. On the other hand, if you want to freeze rice or similar food items, silicon bags would be best.
Eliminating the use of plastic is also environmentally friendly. Likely you can switch to using beeswax wraps instead of plastic wraps. I have mentioned some examples of freezing food without plastic below. Check them out to learn more.
Freezing Soups Without Plastic
If you are not freezing soups in plastic freezer bags, you can use glass jars as an alternative. Glass jars will serve better than stainless steel or silicon bags. This is because the soup has a liquid consistency, and would store better in a closely sealed glass jar.
Glass jars are also suitable for tomato sauce, lentil soups, and other such food items. While glass jars are not soup-specific, you can freeze any food item in them. This is just a suggestion for better freezing results.
Freezing Chicken Without Plastic
Stainless steel would be best for freezing all types of chicken dishes. You just need to ensure that the containers are closely sealed so that there is no air contamination. The chicken will stay fresh and juicy for about 4 months when frozen this way.
You can also freeze other meat recipes or any other food items in a stainless steel container. All of them will freeze effectively and will stay for quite a long time in the freezer. Also, remember that while freezing chicken, you wrap it adequately.
Freezing Fruits and Vegetables Without Plastic
If you intend to freeze fresh fruits and vegetables, what could be better than silicon bags? Silicon bags are one of the best alternatives to reduce plastic waste. They also keep the food fresher and maintain the quality for longer.
Also keep in mind, while freezing fresh fruits and vegetables, you flash freeze them for a few hours. This will avoid the formation of clumps in fruits or vegetables. You can also use silicon bags for rice, quinoa, and other such foods.
Summing it up, that was all about freezing food without plastic. Now you know the best alternatives to plastic. So, the next time you freeze food at home, use any one of these three methods, and you will not regret it.
