Proper packaging helps maintain quality and prevent freezer burn. Aluminum foil, freezer paper, plastic containers, and plastic freezer bags will help food maintain optimum quality in the freezer. Plastic wrap alone will not provide enough protection by itself, but can be used to separate foods within another package.
Metal is impermeable and if sealed properly, it blocks freezer burn and any odor transfer or dehydration. So is glass and some triple wall bag packaging.
Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.
When freezing meat, preventing freezer burn starts with wrapping it in multiple layers of plastic wrap, wax paper or tin foil. Place your items into your preferred container and pack them down to help prevent excess air exposure. If you are using a bag, try to eliminate as much air from it as possible.
Glass containers for food storage are generally freezer-proof and leakproof, and they are made with a tight seal to prevent any air or liquid from coming into contact with food stored in the container.
Ziploc® Freezer Bags are your indispensable ally. The Double Zipper seal helps lock in freshness with confidence you can see, feel and hear — from edge-to-edge, across the entire bag. Plus, it helps prevent freezer burn, meaning less food waste.
FOR STORING LEFTOVERS IN THE FRIDGE & FREEZER: GLASS
For storing food in the fridge or freezer, glass, particularly OXO's set wins. The containers are freezer-safe so the glass won't break, leakproof with a tight seal (no mysterious liquids sticking to your refrigerator shelves!), and easy to clean.
Food grade materials, such as aluminum foil, heavy freezer-weight plastic bags, heavy plastic wrap and parchment or freezer paper are excellent choices. It is safe to freeze meat or poultry directly in its supermarket wrapping, but this type of wrap is thin and lets air in.
If you know you won't be heating the extras anytime soon, double wrap in aluminum foil and store all the pieces in a tightly sealed plastic bag. This same principle should be applied when storing meat.
Heavy aluminum foil, like Reynolds Wrap Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil, is the easiest to find. You can wrap items in heavy-duty foil only, especially if you want to avoid single-use plastic. But a tight layer of ordinary plastic wrap under the foil wrapping will provide an extra line of defense against freezer burn.
Prevents Freezer Burn: For businesses that rely on frozen food storage, cling film is a lifesaver. It creates a protective layer that prevents freezer burn, which occurs when moisture within the food crystallizes. Freezer burn can degrade the quality of frozen items and lead to food wastage.
Conversely, you would not want to use parchment paper for freezing food because its lack of a coating would not protect your food well enough, or lock in the moisture needed to keep meats fresh. The bottom line is: think parchment paper for heat, and freezer paper for cold temps and maintaining freshness.
Both Zip Lock bags and plastic containers are effective for freezing food, but each has its advantages. Zip Lock bags are more space-efficient and allow for easy removal of excess air, which helps prevent freezer burn. They are ideal for flat, stackable storage.
Double wrap your food before freezing.
For things like baked goods, go for two layers of protection. Wrap a brownie first in plastic wrap, then put the wrapped brownie in a freezer bag, or wrap it again in aluminum foil.
So, unless you're storing it there, you might not want to use plastic wrap in the freezer too much. Because of this poor temperature resistance, Brisk recommends wrapping food intended for long-term freezer storage, such as baked goods, in plastic wrap first, then adding a second layer of protection with aluminum foil.
Rigid containers made of plastic or glass are suitable for all packs and are especially good for liquid packs. Straight sides on rigid containers make the frozen food much easier to get out. Rigid containers are often reuseable and make the stacking of foods in the freezer easier.
To prevent freezer burn from claiming your frozen foods, the best solution is to use a vacuum sealer. Vacuum sealing your foods prevents freezer burn, as all the air from the packaging is removed. This creates a tight seal, that prevents foods from moisture loss and exposure to air.
The thing that causes freezer burn is air, so the remedy is to wrap the food as airtight as possible. My method is to pack everything into zipper-seal freezer bags. Put a straw into the bag and zip the bag around it.
This decreases that trademark stickiness and static, making the plastic wrap temporarily easier to handle. Static: While we need static electricity in order for the plastic wrap to work, the cold air of the freezer eliminates some of the static, making the plastic wrap much easier to handle.
We recommend freezer paper as the best barrier against air and moisture, which helps prevent freezer burn. It has a slick, shiny coating on one side that helps keep food moisture from soaking through the paper.
Polyethylene bags, Mylar-type bags, food-grade plastic buckets, glass canning jars, and #10 cans are all suitable for dry sugar storage. Glass canning jars and #10 cans work best for liquid syrups and honey. Removing oxygen for long term sugar and honey storage is not required and not recommended.
Room can be left in containers to account for this expansion but it is not always able to prevent damage to a container. Polypropylene and PVC are both plastics that are brittle at temperatures below freezing. Polystyrene is considered brittle at 68°F and is very brittle at temperatures below freezing.