HOME FREEZING IN MASSACHUSETTS 



By William B. Esselen, Jr., Associate Research Professor of Food 



Technology, Katherine M. Lawler.i and Carl R. Fellers, 



Head of the Department of Food Technology 



In recent years freezing has become an important method of home food preser- 

 vation in many parts of the country. Today many persons are concerned with 

 the question of whether or not to buy a home freezer, how to use it, and its value 

 as a replacement for home canning. 



Several types of freezing facilities are available. The home freezing unit may 

 consist of a unit built for freezing and holding food at a temperature of approxi- 

 mately 0°F. or one with a freezing unit operated at — 20°F. and a holding com- 

 partment at 0°F. In addition some of the new types of home refrigerators are 

 being built with a special compartment for frozen foods. The community locker 

 plant may serve for many families either as a food bank where raw materials may 

 be taken, processed, and stored until needed for use or where food prepared at 

 home may be taken to be frozen and stored. The building of new locker plants 

 and the increased production of home freezing units encourages and provides for 

 an expanded development in this method of home food preservation. It is well 

 known that this equipment is e.xpensive and that the expense of operation varies 

 with (1) the amount and kinds of food being processed, (2) the care and technique 

 of handling both food and freezer, (3) initial investment, and (4) power consump- 

 tion and rate. 



Home and locker freezing have had their initial and greatest development 

 largely in certain rural areas of the country, especially where farmers raise con- 

 siderable quantities of their own meats. During the past few years many ques- 

 tions have been raised by people in Massachusetts as to the place of home and 

 locker freezing for a more urban population such as is found in this State. This 

 bulletin attempts to answer some of these questions as they apply to this area 

 and to present the results of research carried on here on freezing and canning. 

 Factors to be considered by the individual before he embarks on a home freezing 

 program are indicated and information is presented to assist in successful home 

 freezing. 



Facilities for Home Freezing 



Home Freezing Cabinets 



A good home freezing unit should provide high quality foods after a storage 

 period of several months. The food must be prepared, packaged, frozen rapidly^ 

 and held in storage at a temperature of 0°F. or below. There are two general 

 types of home freezing cabinets— the chest type and the front opening type. 

 The size of the unit selected should be determined by the size of the family, the 

 amount of food to be frozen, and whether the home unit will be used for freezing 

 and storing or in combination with a locker plant. Six cubic feet per person is 

 the recommended storage space for a year's supply of frozen foods. This will 

 allow storage of from 150 to 250 pounds of meats, fruits, and/or vegetables. 

 However, if only a few selected foods are to be preserved by freezmg or if freezing^ 

 is to be used as a supplement to hom^e canning, the space required will be less. 



^County Home Demonstration Agent, Essex County. 



