ice crystals forming inside sealed meat packs in new freezer

[RogerS]

Bought a new freezer to sit alongside our existing one in the garage.

SWMBO has noticed that packs of meat bought from the supermarket...the ones that are sealed with a film over the top...have ice crystals forming inside the pack. We never had this problem with the old freezer. Any ideas as to why? Googling seems to focus on poorly sealed food but that isn't the case here as identical packs bought at the same time and put in the old freezer are OK.

TIA

 

[Racers]

Mmmmm don't know, have you done a side by side comparison with the same package in both freezers?

Could it be slower cooling making larger crystals?

Pete

 

[CHJ]

How much stuff did you try to freeze in one go, was it within the recommended rating of the unit, and if the unit was empty there would have been no cold sink of existing produce to help with the rapid lowering of temperature.

Slow freezing could be the cause of crystals having time to grow.

 

[RogerS]

It was one pack. Freezer was already down to temperature. But gut feel suggests that you guys are on the right track. I'm going to get two identical packs of meat tomorrow. Stick one inside the old freezer and the other inside the new freezer. See what happens. If the pack in the old freezer is OK then I will put that (frozen) into the new freezer and see if ice crystals form.

 

[CHJ]

It was one pack. Freezer was already down to temperature.

Yes but with modern freezers more than likely 90% plastic lined, it is only the air volume that is down to temp. with little or no heat sink. A pack of meet put into an empty freezer probably has 10 times the latent heat of the air mass and until it warms up the air in the freezer no heat will be removed by the heat exchanger and air is a relatively good insulator.
In a nearly full freezer the contents do a high percentage of the cooling whilst the heat pump catches up with the few degrees air temp change surrounding the whole mass.

 

[RogerS]

Ah OK...see what you mean. I will pack the sample with already frozen stuff from the old freezer. Mind you this new one has freezing coils underneath each drawer so that should help.

 

[Racers]

About this time of year fridge 3 at our house seems to start working, over the summer it doesn't work at all.

I should say it has a second use as my workshop/garage

Pete

 

[CHJ]

That's cool. 8)

 

[RogerS]

Well, two identical packs, same weight etc. One went in the old freezer and the other in one of the drawers of the new freezer surrounded by pre-frozen food. Digital thermometer in new freezer said -20 degrees. Left to freeze.

Surprised to find both packs had ice crystals inside them. This has never happened before with the old freezer and so can only guess that perhaps the meat packaging has changed or there is more water in the meat? Googling suggests that it is water vapour from the meat that is freezing and forming the crystals. Am guessing that if it takes longer to freeze down then more chance of water vapour.

Anyway, the real aim of the exercise was to convince SWMBO and get her off my back and prove that there is nothing wrong with the new freezer and that objective has been achieved.

 

[CHJ]

Is your meat supplier selling you more water?

 

[DrPhill]

I think that horse contains more water than beef.......

 

[MARK.B.]

I think that horse contains more water than beef.......

Only if its SeaHorse :wink:

 

[DrPhill]

=D> :lol: