30 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 437 



Questions and Answers on Home Freezing 



This bulletin was prepared and the accompanying experimental work done in 

 an effort to furnish answers to some of the many questions that have been raised 

 regarding "Home Freezing in Massachusetts." This information may be sum- 

 marized by the following questions and answers: 



1. Question: What types of home freezing equipment and facilities are 

 available? 



Answer: Locker plants and home freezing cabinets are the two general 

 methods available to the homemaker for freezing foods. Frozen food locker 

 plants are of three general types: (1) those maintaining refrigerated lockers for 

 rent but offering no special service for customers; (2) those renting lockers and 

 offering a butchering, meat-cutting, packaging, and freezing service; and (3) 

 those offering both butchering and meat-cutting service and also the preparation 

 and packaging of fruits and vegetables. 



During the past few years there has been a considerable development in frozen 

 food locker plants in New England, and such facilities are available to a limited 

 number of people. Since the end of the war there has been a marked increase in 

 the manufacture of home freezing cabinets. At the present time upwards of 100 

 manufacturers are actually in production or have signified their intention to 

 make home freezing units. These units vary in capacity all the way from 23^ 

 cubic feet to 50 cubic feet. Cabinets up to 15-18 cubic feet in capacity are often 

 considered a home type while the larger ones are considered "farm" freezers. 

 Many of the home freezers are being advertised extensively and are readily 

 available on the market. Home refrigerators are also available with a special 

 storage compartment for frozen foods. 



2. Question: Should I buy a home freezer or hire a commercial locker? 



Answer: This is a question that can be answered only by the individual 

 concerned after careful consideration of all the factors involved in home or locker 

 freezing. Such factors as convenience, desire for frozen foods, suitability of 

 other methods of food preservation, economy and convenience of other means of 

 providing the family table with frozen foods, availability of raw material, cost, 

 etc., should be considered. 



3. Question: What advantage does freezing have over canning? 



Answer: Although the excellence of canned or heat-processed foods is 

 generally admitted, such foods are as a rule cooked beyond the strict require- 

 ments for table use. The desirability of frozen foods is claimed to be due to the 

 retention in a large measure of the natural appearance and unaltered quality 

 for table use. This is particularly true in the case of fruits and meats. 



4. Question: What about the comparative costs of home canning and freezing? 



Answer: An investigation carried on here has shown that home freezing 

 is definitely more expensive than canning. For example, on a basis of equipment 

 costs and depreciation, power, containers, and storage, the unit cost for pre- 

 serving a pound of food by freezing was approximately four to five times as 

 much as for canning. This figure is based on an initial cost of $30 per cubic foot 

 for freezer capacity, which is somewhat lower than current retail prices. These 

 freezing costs may be reduced by a well-planned freezing program. 



