HOME FREEZING 19 



Meats, Poultry, and Eggs 



At present there is considerable interest in the freezing of meats and poultry, 

 undoubtedly stimulated by the meat shortage during the past few years. Since 

 relatively little meat is raised in Massachusetts, meat freezing would have to be 

 confined largely to those products which might be bought in large amounts such 

 as a side of beef, etc. When the cost of preparation, packaging, and storage is 

 considered, it is questionable whether it would be practical to purchase meat in 

 large quantities for home freezing in normal times. On farms where home-grown 

 meat is processed, the home freezing of meats would have a definite place in the 

 freezing program. This accounts for much of the popularity of home freezers 

 and locker storages in the Middle West and West. 



With the large number of backyard poultry flocks in Massachusetts, poultry 

 may well be considered in the home freezing program. Poultry may be frozen 

 in several ways, such as (1) drawn, (2) not drawn, (3) stuffed, or (4) cut up in 

 pieces. Tests were carried out to compare the quality of poultry frozen in the 

 above wa^s, and in all cases the finished cooked product was very good. Since 

 poultry that is not drawn before being frozen requires a longer time to thaw out, 

 it is recommended that poultry be drawn before rather than after freezing. 

 Chickens which were stuffed before being frozen were very good, but here again 

 the thawing and cooking time is prolonged. 



Freezing may provide a satisfactory method for storing surplus eggs for many 

 people. Eggs should not be frozen whole in the shell because freezing causes 

 them to expand and crack the shell. Frozen eggs are quite satisfactory for use 

 in the preparation of scrambled eggs or omelets. They may also be used in 

 cooking when they are mixed with other ingredients. The ultimate use of the 

 frozen eggs should be anticipated at the time of freezing in order that the most 

 convenient methods of preparation and packaging may be used. 



Seasonal Freezing 



It has been suggested that the seasonal freezing of products such as butter, 

 lard, eggs, and citrus juices might play an important part in the home freezing 

 program. The price of these products varies between the seasons of high and low 

 production. It seemed possible therefore, that freezing such products during the 

 seasons of high production and low prices might result in decided savings and that 

 these savings might offset in part the general overhead and operating cost of the 

 freezer. 



Freezing and storage tests were conducted with butter, lard, eggs (frozen in 

 different ways), and citrus juices — products which are adapted to home freezing. 

 Butter for freezing is best when unsalted. Home-frozen eggs are somewhat 

 limited in use, since they must be removed from the shell before being frozen. 

 Also, the white and yolk must be mixed together or, if they are frozen separately, 

 salt, sugar, honey, or a corn syrup must be added to the yolk to prevent gummi- 

 ness. This further limits their use. 



It was found that, although a considerable economy could be realized throuo-h 

 the purchase of such foods when their price was low, the resultant saving was 

 completely offset by the cost of packaging and of the freezing storage and by the 

 amount of space required in the unit. The additional labor involved is also a 

 factor which must be considered. 



