how to iqf at home?

What does flash freeze mean for your kitchen? To flash freeze at home means to freeze small items individually and bag them quickly once they’re individually frozen.

This is an excellent way to treat blueberries:

Food authorities with Better Homes and Gardens recommend this treatment for many other foods, including shaped and unbaked cookie dough, individual portions of meat, or unbaked rolls.

If you’re handling raw food with the intent of flash freezing it, be certain to follow safe handling techniques. When handling raw meat, be sure to wash all utensils and flat pans used for freezing once you’ve bagged up the meat.

While freezing kills many bacteria, raw meat can exude liquid as it freezes, so be sure to freeze on a pan with enough of a lip that you don’t spill this liquid inside your freezer.

Individual freezing is an excellent way to stabilize cooked foods.

If you’ve got a messy potato casserole or cheese covered dish, freeze it for 20 to 30 minutes. Once the gooey portion of the food has stabilized, bag or cover it for a great presentation later.​

Per experts with Easy Home Meals the commercial flash freeze temperature is approximately -60 Fahrenheit / -51 degrees Celsius. This freezes the meat flesh solid and doesn’t allow a lot of moisture to crystallize in the flesh.

At home, you probably won’t be able to get your freezer to such a low temperature, even when using a blast freezer.

However, if you separate the food and freeze it long enough to become solid, once you bag your berries or chicken breasts you’ll be able to free them in small portions rather than one large lump.

There are many seasonal foods that freeze well. If you enjoy cold sweet treats, consider freezing bananas in chunks for dessert instead of ice cream. Strawberries, thinly sliced, flash freeze well and are quick to thaw. Another seasonal item that freezes well is an avocado.

Flash frozen foods are extremely handy for smaller households. If you’re only preparing one or two chicken breasts, you can still save by buying several in bulk at a great price. Then flash freeze them until they’re stable and bag them until you need them.​

If a freezer space large enough for a cookie sheet is hard to come by, you can flash freeze in a cooler with dry ice. You’ll need enough dry ice to cover the bottom of the cooler and metal pans to sit on top of the dry ice.

Always use gloves to handle dry ice.

Once your food is solidly frozen, transfer it to freezer bags. This reduces the risk of spills and is much easier to clean.

So what is flash freezing? In the food industry—or on fast-paced cooking TV shows—this term means freezing foods at extremely low temperatures with circulating air. (It's also sometimes called "blast freezing.") This quick-chill method keeps ice crystals small, which prevents moisture loss in the food when it thaws.

For the home cook, however, the definition is different: Flash freezing refers to the practice of freezing individual pieces of food, usually spread out on a baking sheet to keep them from fusing together, then packing them in airtight containers for longer storage. This method allows you to thaw and use just the amount of food needed, rather than pulling out larger amounts from your freezer.

To get started, you'll need a baking sheet or tray that fits in your freezer and freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. Depending on what you're freezing, you may need plastic freezer wrap or heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Test Kitchen Tip: For easier cleanup, line the baking sheet or tray with parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap before adding the food.

Test Kitchen Tip: Do not use foil to wrap foods that contain acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes or lemon juice, since acid reacts with aluminum foil. Instead, use plastic freezer wrap.

Whether raw or cooked, just about any food that comes in individual pieces (or can be broken/cut into individual pieces) can be flash frozen. The best candidates, however, are those foods that freeze well in general and are particularly useful in smaller portions. Here are some examples:

Because they lose flavor, texture, and/or overall quality when frozen, these foods won't do well with flash freezing:

According to the USDA, food stored at temperatures of 0°F or below will always be safe to eat. That's because freezing prevents the growth of the microorganisms that cause foodborne illness. However, after time, frozen foods might lose flavor, texture, or overall quality. We recommend sticking within the times suggested here:

So what is flash freezing? In the food industry—or on fast-paced cooking TV shows—this term means freezing foods at extremely low temperatures with circulating air. (It's also sometimes called "blast freezing.") This quick-chill method keeps ice crystals small, which prevents moisture loss in the food when it thaws.

For the home cook, however, the definition is different: Flash freezing refers to the practice of freezing individual pieces of food, usually spread out on a baking sheet to keep them from fusing together, then packing them in airtight containers for longer storage. This method allows you to thaw and use just the amount of food needed, rather than pulling out larger amounts from your freezer.

To get started, you'll need a baking sheet or tray that fits in your freezer and freezer-safe containers or resealable bags. Depending on what you're freezing, you may need plastic freezer wrap or heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Test Kitchen Tip: For easier cleanup, line the baking sheet or tray with parchment paper, waxed paper, or plastic wrap before adding the food.

Test Kitchen Tip: Do not use foil to wrap foods that contain acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes or lemon juice, since acid reacts with aluminum foil. Instead, use plastic freezer wrap.

Whether raw or cooked, just about any food that comes in individual pieces (or can be broken/cut into individual pieces) can be flash frozen. The best candidates, however, are those foods that freeze well in general and are particularly useful in smaller portions. Here are some examples:

Because they lose flavor, texture, and/or overall quality when frozen, these foods won't do well with flash freezing:

According to the USDA, food stored at temperatures of 0°F or below will always be safe to eat. That's because freezing prevents the growth of the microorganisms that cause foodborne illness. However, after time, frozen foods might lose flavor, texture, or overall quality. We recommend sticking within the times suggested here: