Defrosting meals; pool of water

fussyonion

I do a lot of home-cooking from scratch and I freeze leftovers, such as curries or Bolognese.

I place the leftovers in Ziplock bags and when I want to defrost them, I take the meal out of the bag and leave it on a plate, covered.

It thaws fine but there's always a pool of water on the plate, obviously the ice that defrosted with it, but it's very off-putting.

Is it silly to ask if anyone else gets this problem and if so, what do you suggest to combat the wateryness?

If I put the meals in tin-foil trays and defrosted them, would I still get the same issue?

Alun

Why take them out of the bag in the first place? They'll defrost quite happily in whatever container they're in be it a bag or a plastic container.

If you have a microwave, just run the bag / container under the tap for a few seconds to release the contents, and place in a microwaveable container to defrost / reheat.

fussyonion

Alun wrote: »

Why take them out of the bag in the first place? They'll defrost quite happily in whatever container they're in be it a bag or a plastic container.

If you have a microwave, just run the bag / container under the tap for a few seconds to release the contents, and place in a microwaveable container to defrost / reheat.

I do take them out of the bags to defrost naturally. When they're thawed, they're all watery.

Cushie Butterfield

You could place the frozen food in a sieve or colander & put that over a bowl which would collect the water.

Dizzyblonde

I find that too, but they usually come together once they're reheated. I think it's just that the water in the food separates as it freezes.

awec

fussyonion wrote: »

I do take them out of the bags to defrost naturally. When they're thawed, they're all watery.

Why not defrost in the bag though, is what he is asking?

Dizzyblonde

I usually heat them slowly either in a pot on the hob or in the oven, covered with tinfoil. They might stay watery if you microwave them.

nompere

They're frozen when you take them out of the bag. Water vapour in the air around them freezes on the surface, and then melts. So there's water on the plate - not from the food itself, but from the air around it.

If you defrost in the bag, the only water will be what was in the bag to start with. That's why you get as much air as possible out of a freezer bag when you first freeze it.

rubadub

nompere wrote: »

That's why you get as much air as possible out of a freezer bag when you first freeze it.

Thats the key. Think of ice cube trays that have been in a freezer for ages, or in a freezer which had the door left open a little, they get that horrible furry frost all over them, but it you have ice cubes in those bags you fill with water it cannot happen.

fussyonion

Thanks very much for your replies everyone; I'm glad I wasn't laughed out of the forum

I have placed the food in a colander over a bowl (ingenious) and it looks grand now, but in future I think I'll do as you suggest; defrost IN the bag.

Thanks again

rubadub

A trick to get the air out of the bag is to put the food in, and then dip the bag into a bowl of water making sure the top of the bag does not get submerged of course. This squeezes all the air out naturally and you can twist the bag while its still underwater.

shown here http://teacherbakermealmaker.blogspot.ie/2011/08/freezing-fresh-sweet-peas.html

MissFlitworth

I genuinely love all your engineering+food posts Rubadub. Have learned lots and lots from you

[Actually - not sure if is engineering. Physics maybe. Some form of science wizardry anyways]

Seaneh

Just defrost in the bag/container.

I always defrost over night in the fridge and never have this problem

April O Neill

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I find that too, but they usually come together once they're reheated. I think it's just that the water in the food separates as it freezes.

Yeah, curries and stew can separate out into solids and liquid when defrosted but I don't get rid of the liquid as you do need it for when it starts to warm up and recombine. It was part of the original dish, and so you need it!

With thing like raw meat that has been defrosted, it is a wee bit off-putting but just pat the meat dry with kitchen paper - be grand.

fussyonion

April O Neill wrote: »

Yeah, curries and stew can separate out into solids and liquid when defrosted but I don't get rid of the liquid as you do need it for when it starts to warm up and recombine. It was part of the original dish, and so you need it!

With thing like raw meat that has been defrosted, it is a wee bit off-putting but just pat the meat dry with kitchen paper - be grand.

You're right..I kept the water and found I needed it because the curry was a bit too dry as it was heating up..The ironic thing is, I ended up putting all the water back into the pan!

April O Neill

fussyonion wrote: »

You're right..I kept the water and found I needed it because the curry was a bit too dry as it was heating up..The ironic thing is, I ended up putting all the water back into the pan!

The separation can look very off-putting. I tend to just mix it up quickly with a spoon and shove it in the microwave. When it comes out, it looks much more appetising.