Putting Food By - Janet Greene [121]
Surely you don’t want to whack off a chunk of frozen egg and guess at the resulting measurement: much simpler to have in mind several basic recipes you use a good deal, and package the eggs according to the amounts you’ll want. For the rest, freeze in small quantities—bring out the muffin tins and the ice-cube trays again—and use the following measurements for USDA “large” eggs:
Equivalent measurements in large fresh eggs:
1 tablespoon stirred egg yolk = 1 egg yolk.
2 tablespoons stirred egg white = 1 egg white.
3 to 4 tablespoons mixed whites and yolks = 1 whole egg.
1 cup whole mixed eggs = 4 to 5 whole eggs.
1 pint mixed whole eggs = 8 to 10 whole eggs.
1 pint stirred whites = 16 whites.
1 pint stirred yolks = 24 yolks.
Thawing Eggs
Frozen eggs must never be thawed by warming of any kind (viz, the increased bacterial load of Salmonellae, for one example, if the fresh eggs were mishandled). Therefore, a 1-pint container may take up to 24 hours to thaw properly in a refrigerator. An alternative would be to thaw the container under cold running water: this would cut thawing time to about 3 hours. Better still, defrost in your microwave oven, then heat it or refrigerate after it comes out of the microwave.
It’s much simpler to package in smaller amounts, and thaw correctly in correspondingly less time.
Thawed eggs may NEVER be refrozen.
FREEZING DAIRY FOODS
Homogenized Milk
As an emergency ration, sealed 1-quart cartons of homogenized milk may be held for up to 3 months in a freezer; or the milk may be decanted into straight-sided freezer jars or rigid plastic containers, with 1 inch of headroom for pints, 1½ inches of headroom for quarts.
Usually the milk thaws smoothly enough to drink; certainly it does well for sauces or soups or custards.
The fat in milk not homogenized separates out as flakes that will not blend again when the milk thaws. It may be used for some cooking purposes, however.
Freezing Cream
Cream must be heavy, with at least 40 percent butterfat, to freeze successfully. It sends an oily film over hot coffee, although this drawback may be minimized if before freezing, the cream is heated to 175 F/80 C for 10 to 15 minutes, and 3 tablespoons of sugar are added to each 1 pint of cream. Cool quickly, pour into straight-sided freezer jars or rigid plastic containers with tight covers, leaving 1 inch of headroom for each pint.
Thaw in the refrigerator.
Frozen cream does not whip well and its granular texture makes it unacceptable for most uses.
Cream rosettes: whip heavy cream with ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar for each 1 pint of cream. When it peaks, drop or pipe it in rosettes onto freezer film or plastic wap laid over a cookie sheet, and freeze on the coldest shelf at sharp freeze setting. Check after 8 hours (they should be solid); when they can be handled without losing shape, remove, and wrap each separately in several folds of fresh film or plastic wrap (which helps to cushion as well as to prevent freezer burn); pack in rigid boxes or between two paper or foil pie plates taped together to form a hollow container.
Little thawing is necessary: just lay rosettes atop individual servings of pudding, parfait, etc., before carrying to the table.
Sour cream separates when frozen, perhaps because of the butterfat content or because of the commercial souring method. However, it may be frozen when combined with other ingredients. It may be sweetened slightly, spread as a topping, and “set” by a few minutes in a hot oven (about 450 F/ 232 C).
Freezing Butter
For best and safest results, freeze homemade butter only when freshly made from sweet pasteurized cream, salted or unsalted (salted has shorter ideal storage, 2 to 3 months). If it’s store-bought and in ¼-pound sticks overwrap the carton with foil or seal it in a freezer bag.
If it’s in bulk, devise your own portions as to volume/weight; roll each piece