What is Freezer Burn and How Can I Prevent It?

Freezer burn: behind Microsoft Works and government efficiency, it might just be the most famous oxymoron in the English language. Of course a freezer can't actually burn anything, but the phrase just feels right for describing the lifeless, tasteless, desiccated semblances of food that are so often found in our freezers. Here's how freezer burn happens and what you can do to prevent it.

What is freezer burn?

Freezer burn is actually dehydration. When food freezes, the thousands of water molecules inside of it become ice crystals. Water molecules are the opposite of Florida retirees: they're always moving to where the temperature is coldest. In a freezer, that means the sides where the cold is coming from.

As water molecules flee, the surface of food becomes dry and changes in color. This is the result of oxygen molecules replacing the water molecules in the food. Eventually food becomes so dried out that it "burns."

Freezer burnt food isn't unsafe. It's just disgusting. Oxidation has robbed the food of flavor and color. If freezer burn is caught in time you can cut away the dried spots, but more often than not, freezer burnt food is inedible.

How can I prevent freezer burn?

The simplest and most widely practiced means of freezer burn prevention is wrapping. Plastic containers and Ziploc bags reduce the rate of water transference from frozen food, and thus lock in color and taste for a longer period of time.

So why does wrapping food still not eliminate freezer burn? Well, poor or loose wrapping is a culprit. Some materials are also better insulators than others. Airtight containers are the best way to preserve food in a refrigerator or freezer.

Another reason is temperature fluctuation. Refrigerator freezers are especially problematic in that regard. The automatic defrost feature on your refrigerator freezer keeps ice from building up inside, but it also causes temperature changes that draw moisture from frozen food. Refrigerator freezers are also opened and closed much more frequently than chest freezers, which further accelerates the freezer burn process.

However, there are a number of home remedies that will combat freezer burn like garlic and crucifixes do vampires. Try a few of these ideas the next time you store leftovers:

• Keep the air out

The less air there is in a container, the less room it offers for freezer burn. If you use sealed plastic bags for storing food in the freezer, suck the air out from inside with a straw before sealing the bag shut. If you use plastic containers with lids, make them size appropriate. The fuller the container, the less room for air. A great solution is to stock your freezer with glass jars. The combination of glass and an airtight lid will keep frozen food edible for months.

• Practice short-term/long-term storage

Refrigerator freezers are seldom up to the task of long-term food storage. If you have a chest freezer or upright freezer, your refrigerator freezer should be used only for frozen food that will be eaten within a few days. Keep the freezer temperature close to zero. With refrigerator freezers, overstocking creates cold air pockets that accelerate freezer burn, so try to leave a few inches of space on top to improve air circulation.