First year growing beans, and they’ve been doing really good. I’ve blanched them for about 2 minutes, followed by an ice bath. Dried and then put in bags to freeze. First batch I don’t think I fully dried before freezing and had a lot of ice crystals in the bag. Second batch was much more dry after blanching, but still had a bunch of ice crystals. Wondering if thats normal, or will reduce how long they stay good?
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- frongt@lemmy.zipEnglish20 days
If you mean unspoiled, frozen stuff basically keeps forever, though the quality might degrade. Why not pickle them? Or any other kind of canning process?
20 daysWondering if the ice crystals will give them freezer burn or something. I didn’t even consider pickling. I’ve been doing fermented lemon ginger carrots that I really like. This is definitely going to be what I do with the next batch.
- SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.worldEnglish20 days
The longer something is frozen, the more the moisture in the item sublimates out and forms into ice crystals. That’s what the “freezer burn” is, all the moisture/water has been removed from the item.
- Madzielle@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish19 days
When I was growing up, we always blanched, vacuume sealed, and froze our veggies, including beans.
After blanching, and cold water bathing, just let them dry on a strainer for a bit, then either ziplock as air tight as you can, or vacuume seal them, and theyll last for months. Freezer burn shouldnt be in issue if used by three months, and minimal (if at all) at 6months.
Recently did this with an epic fuck ton of kale, worked wonderfully.
- iocase@lemmy.zipEnglish20 days
Ice crystals actually do the opposite. You’ll notice most frozen veggies you buy from the store are coated in ice crystals, and that’s not by accident.
Freezer burn happens while your freezer runs a defrost cycle and then kicks back on. It’s essentially the same process as freeze drying just incomplete and at the surface only.
Water coating the outside of your food helps protect it by providing a sacrificial layer of water to freeze dry from instead of your food itself. Using a deep freezer also helps since they rarely defrost compared to your fridge freezer.
They actually deliberately spray frozen food like fruit and veggies with water after Flash freezing them. It keeps them from sticking together and also protects better against freezer burn.
- plantfanatic@sh.itjust.worksEnglish20 days
Ice crystals on your supermarket frozen veggies are a sign that it spent too long out of the freezer during transport and stocking. It’s not by accident, but it’s also not on purpose.
Ice crystals are never a good sign, and are the starting indicators that the moisture is sublimating out and freezer burning.
Freeze drying is a wholefully different process entirely.
The process of spraying moisture is solely to add water weight to the end product, it also leads to freezer burn happening faster, which in turn leads you throw the product out and replace it with new.
Did you get your information from an Ai search? Because everything is marginally correct, but wrong in its process.
- iocase@lemmy.zipEnglish20 days
Glaze is used to protect frozen seafood products and to prevent quality deterioration during storage. Freezing is a natural means of preserving food and extending shelf-life, but the freezing process does not entirely prevent quality deterioration, particularly if the item is exposed to air. Through a process known as sublimation, frozen water in the ice crystals on the surface of a product can evaporate when they are exposed to air, this loss of water from the product causes dehydration of the exposed surface, leaving a distinctive matt finish and cardboard-like texture. This drying out of a product is typically referred to as ‘freezer burn’, and whilst it is not a food safety hazard, it is detrimental to both the appearance and the eating quality of the product, and in the worst cases, it can make it unmarketable
There’s a lot more like this. Individual Quick Frozen (IQF) food is sometimes glazed with water to protect it as above.
Also I’m in STEM, I’ve taken thermodynamics, I know my steam tables (where the core principles are explained) and how vapour pressure works, and yes, freeze drying is the exact same mechanism as freezer burn.
Ice crystals on your supermarket frozen veggies are a sign that it spent too long out of the freezer during transport and stocking. It’s not by accident, but it’s also not on purpose.
Not true if you read my sources
Ice crystals are never a good sign, and are the starting indicators that the moisture is sublimating out and freezer burning.
That’s true if they didn’t originally come from the factory with them.
Freeze drying is a wholefully different process entirely.
Why don’t you explain how it’s different to me then. Include sources.
The process of spraying moisture is solely to add water weight to the end product, it also leads to freezer burn happening faster, which in turn leads you throw the product out and replace it with new.
…no.
Did you get your information from an Ai search? Because everything is marginally correct, but wrong in its process.
No. Did you? Because you’re wrong on all counts as far as I can tell except for water crystals forming being a bad thing (not my claim if you read and comprehend carefully.)
- SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.worldEnglish19 days
Why don’t you explain how it’s different to me then. Include sources.
Freeze dried food can be rehydrated since it’s intentional and done quickly. Freezer burnt food is mush since it’s slowly drawn out crushing and tearing all the cellular walls along the way.
It’s like saying you can cook pasta by bringing it to 100c in an oven. Yeah the temperature reached what you want it, but is it “cooked”? Or boiling a pizza in a pot of water. Both items have been brought up to a food safe temp, but it’s not “cooked”. Cooking is a specific process, and unique to each process.
For someone “in STEM” you’re wildly off the mark with most of your points. It’s like someone read a brochure and is just belaying the facts without comprehending them.
Just because some items are glazed for protection from damage or other issues, it’s not to protect it from sublimation. In fact the presence of ice crystals can excerbate the issue. It’s a delicate balance to glaze it enough to protect something like the florets, while not providing an avenue for quicker degradation with freeze burn. You’re taking a specific process and applying to blanketly across the board. A little like saying freezer burnt and freeze dried are identical.
Why do you think properly frozen and not moisture inundated food is able to be frozen for a significantly longer time?
And what does “in STEM” even mean? Basic science is part of everyone’s schooling degree, and most also need to take a specialty like biology, physics or chemistry along with it. Some do all 4 as well. It’s like saying I’m “in school”, great, so you’re still learning the basics. What about people who aren’t still learning basics?
My child is in some STEM camps this summer. Is it supposed to be a flex or something?
- iocase@lemmy.zipEnglish19 days
I didn’t see single source supporting your argument. Probably because if you actually look it up (like I did) you’ll see sublimation (the mechanism of freeze drying) is the mechanism of action of freezer burn.
I’m not saying what STEM job I have so I don’t dox myself, but I went to school for part of this so I’m not completely clueless like you about physical phenomena
- SchmidtGenetics@lemmy.worldEnglish19 days
I didn’t see single source supporting your argument. Probably because if you actually look it up (like I did) you’ll see sublimation (the mechanism of freeze drying) is the mechanism of action of freezer burn.
I just described how it’s not the same since the end product is different with other examples. Yes it’s the “same mechanism”, but that doesn’t mean it’s the same thing. Try boiling a pizza instead of baking it, it’s the same “mechanic” raising its temperature, but it doesn’t reach the same end goal.
An elevator and escalators both get you up a floor, but they’re entirely different things. You’re still being elevated, the same “mechanism”, but the process is different. It’s an important detail that can’t be ignored.
There’s not one single job you could say that would single you out and dox you. I also never even asked for that anyways? So… okay…?
I’m technically in STEM since my job requires mathematics, it’s just not applicable here or means what you you want it to think it does.
Try rehydrating freezer burnt food, than come back and say it’s the “same thing”, it’s great you can google it though. Experience says that’s not the case though.
- plantfanatic@sh.itjust.worksEnglish20 days
You aren’t suggesting that OP has glazed their produce are you? They haven’t, so any ice crystals they have are bad ones. The information you’ve provided to OP isn’t relevant , since they aren’t glazing, and their ice crystals are from deterioration, sorry.
And yes, some glazing is protect the product, so you notice how your brocolli mentions it’s to product the delicate florets…? Does corn or beans have that need? No. So the vast majority of products that you see that have ice crystals aren’t good ones. But most glazing is to solely add water weight, corn and beans don’t need to be glazed, since there’s nothing to be protected. You’re taking this process for select items, and treating it like EVERY product gets it. That’s just wrong as well.
Have you ever seen them stock a super market? The frozen products are exposed to non conditioned air for around an hour. This is where most ice crystals come from.
Freeze drying is a wholefully different process entirely.
Why don’t you explain how it’s different to me then. Include sources
Freeze drying removes all the moisture and causes stuff to puff up, I’ve never seen anything freezer burn puff up have you? It’s like saying just raising the temperature of something is cooking it. It kinda is, but it’s actually not. It requires a vacuum pump, that’s not what happens to freezer burnt items…
Again, you are just missing the process, your information is partly correct.
When something is glazed it looks more like frosting than ice crystals, ice crystals aren’t a good sign! And how sure are you that this isn’t a specific USDA thing? Countries do stuff differently, and it doesn’t mean the USDA is doing the right or best thing.
Your links don’t even agree with what you’ve said, the glazing isn’t to prevent freezer burn, it’s to protect delicate parts. So you’re providing wrong and damaging information to OP.
- iocase@lemmy.zipEnglish19 days
You didn’t read my second source, or the full first source, and neither did you add any of your own.
- plantfanatic@sh.itjust.worksEnglish19 days
You mean the one that talks about marketability instead of longevity?
I did, it appears you only read what you want from it though.
And why are you even using a corporate fact sheets instead of white papers or research papers?
Those aren’t even based on anything scientific, look at their list of resources. It’s all corporate crap, not research.
How does a self proclaimed “stem” person miss this? You’re not even providing legitimate sources.
Pickling is my favorite method of preserving green beans as well. You don’t necessarily have to can them, either – they last a surprisingly long time in the fridge.
- boaratio@lemmy.worldEnglish20 days
Yeah, agreed. Look up a recipe for dilly beans -they’re delicious.
Thank you for this.
Basically followed this recipe. but did 2% for the salt. Which ended up being just a little under the recipe.
- farmgineer@nord.pubEnglish20 days
Probably water inside that’s making its way out, were I to guess. You can can them or pickle them as well.
- moonshadow@slrpnk.netEnglish19 days
N-thing pickling, but if you want to freeze em (or most veg really) make sure they’re dry-ish and do it on a baking sheet before bagging so they freeze quicker. If your freezer isn’t great, little fan in there can help a lot. Basically quicker freeze=smaller ice crystals=less damage, fan is like the freezer version of a convection oven. It doesn’t really change how long they stay good, that’s more about how cold/stable you keep your freezer, but definitely keeps em nicer. Freezer being pretty full already helps it freeze new stuff quicker too, again more relevant the less good your freezer is. Kinda sounds like yours might not be great. Leaving the bags open until they freeze is a half-step in the right direction if you don’t have room for a sheet or time for the extra step, and none of this is at all specific to beans lol. Happy preserving :)
What kind of beans? They look awesome! I had a couple volunteer beans that came up this year but they mysteriously died pretty early in the season. Luckily everything else in that box survived
