The food lab better home cooking through science ( PDFDrive ) 83

bestistowrapthemeattightlyinfoil,followedbyseveral
layersofplasticwrap(plasticwraponitsownwillbeairpermeable),ortouseafreezerbagdesignedforlong-term
storage.
• Freeze flat. Wide, flat shapes freeze faster and can be
stacked more efficiently than bulky packages. Freeze
meats in a single layer in vacuum-sealed packages or
freezer bags. Not only will this help you organize your
freezer space, it’ll also greatly cut down on defrosting
time.
•Labeleverything!Allpackagesshouldhavethecontents
anddatewrittenonthem.Nobodylikestoplaythefrozenmysteryguessinggame.
•Defrostsafely.Thebestwaytosafelydefrostmeatisona
plate or a rimmed baking sheet in the refrigerator. Be
awarethatit’llprobablytakelongerthanyouthink:allow
at least overnight for thin items like steaks, burgers,
chicken breasts, and the like; up to 2 days for beef and
porkroastsorwholechickens;andupto3oreven4days
for large turkeys. In emergencies, thinner foods can be
rapidlydefrostedbyplacingtheminabowlofcoldwater
under a slowly running tap or, better yet, placed on an
aluminum tray or pan, which will very quickly transmit
energy from the room to the food. Steaks will defrost
about 50 percent faster on an aluminum tray than on a
wooden or plastic cutting board. Turn them over every
half hour or so as they thaw. Do not try to defrost large
items rapidly—the risk of dangerous bacteria growing on
theexteriorbeforetheinteriordefrostsistoogreat.


ESSENTIALPANTRY
INGREDIENTS

ColdPantry
HerearetherefrigerateditemsIhaveonhandatalltimes:
• Bacon, slab (will last several weeks in the fridge, can be
frozenforlongerstorage)
• Butter, unsalted (will last several weeks in the fridge; I
keepafewextrapoundsinthefreezer,whereitwillkeep
indefinitely)
•Buttermilk
•Cheese,Parmigiano-Reggiano
•Eggs,large
•Ketchup
•MapleSyrup,GradeAdarkamber
•Mayonnaise
•Milk,wholeor2%(or,ifyoumust,skim)
•Mustard,Dijon
•Mustard,brown
BakingPantry
Some people are bakers, some are not. I wasn’t born a
baker, but I’ve discovered that after organizing my baking
pantry, making bread and pastry has become far more
pleasurable for me. I used to store my flours and such in
theiroriginalbagsinacabinet.Tobakesomething,I’dhave
to pull everything out, try and measure out of a paper bag
with a narrow opening, and finally end up folding the bag