Fresh vs. Frozen

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sec820
sec820 Posts: 40
in Food and Nutrition
Need opinions! In an effort to shed these 60 lbs, I need to reevaluate what is is my freezer. I have a feeling I will be eating a lot of chicken! I'm trying to decide whether to keep buying the bags of frozen, boneless, skinless breasts or to start buying fresh boneless, skinless breasts and sealing them in portions with my Foodsaver. My upright freezer died a while back, so I'm down to just the freezer side of my refrigerator. Needless to say, I have some space issues when it comes to food storage. What do you think?

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  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    I buy frozen chicken since I don't personally taste the difference (but most people do) its also cheaper and I'm frugel. Only downside is weighing it is next to impossible so I'll weigh it afterwards. I eat 100g of cooked chicken breast - does that sound right to others????

    As to veggies, especially in winter when veggies are more rare or overpriced its totally ok to buy frozen since it s frozen at the peak of freshness therefore its actually better than the broccoli that got trucked into you and lost all of its vitamin c on the truck (loses 50% or so in 7 days).
  • Ms_Natalie
    Ms_Natalie Posts: 1,030 Member
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    I buy frozen chicken since I don't personally taste the difference (but most people do) its also cheaper and I'm frugel. Only downside is weighing it is next to impossible so I'll weigh it afterwards. I eat 100g of cooked chicken breast - does that sound right to others????

    As to veggies, especially in winter when veggies are more rare or overpriced its totally ok to buy frozen since it s frozen at the peak of freshness therefore its actually better than the broccoli that got trucked into you and lost all of its vitamin c on the truck (loses 50% or so in 7 days).

    completely agree!!

    there is nowt wrong with frozen anything :flowerforyou:
  • jamie1888
    jamie1888 Posts: 1,704 Member
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    Compare labels when you buy the frozen chicken.... look for some with the least amount of added sodium!
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    frozen plain food is fine. Such as chicken, fish, veggies.......for me I would rather pop in a bag of brocolli into the microwave for 4 minutes and have veggies...............than to not eat any at all.


    I love the frozen fruits off season too. I make protien shakes for breakfast.

    Convienence is good.
  • mynameisdumbnuts
    mynameisdumbnuts Posts: 111
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    I buy fresh chicken breasts and freeze them. I find the frozen ones have added chicken broth and more sodium.

    We eat frozen vegetables all the time, probably more than fresh, unless it's summer.
  • sabrinafaith
    sabrinafaith Posts: 607 Member
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    i like frozen veggies. i really love the steam-ready bags of broccoli or oriental mix vegetables and sweet peas. I think they taste very fresh. I did try steam fresh asparagus and I was grossed out. So depending on what vegetable it is, I think frozen is great.

    I freeze fresh poultry and meat myself when it arrives from the butcher. I am very picky about food though. I think if frozen poultry works for you and makes eating healthy easier, than you should continue what you are doing.

    Good luck!
  • catcrazy
    catcrazy Posts: 1,740 Member
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    I buy fresh meat and freeze it myself. I know when I defrost multipacks of ready frozen meats that there is an awful lot more water in the pack than when I defrost the fresh packs that I froze myself so I think a lot of water is added in the process.

    I think you have to do what is best for your budget and freezer space. But be aware that a 400g pack of pre-frozen meat may be a 50-100g down when defrosted and excess water tipped away.

    As for vegetables....Unless picking the veg yourself you cannot guarantee how old they are so buy "fresh frozen" they have to be prepared and frozen within 6-12 hours to be able to sell as fresh frozen and then they are about as fresh as you are going to get unless picking them yourself.
  • kappyblu
    kappyblu Posts: 654 Member
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    I buy the packs of fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts and then wrap them up in dinner portions for my family and freeze them. Usually 4 breasts. (I have four kids and the little ones don't eat a whole breast each) However, since you now have limited freezer space, that's a tough one. Buying in smaller packages is definitely more expensive and means more trips to the store. I find that the more I go to the store, the more I buy crap I don't need and didn't plan on buying. Is there any way to get your freezer working again or to get another one?

    And yes, weigh it when it is cooked.

    Heather is right about the veggies. They are frozen when they are picked so that is definitely better. :-)
  • rmkorama
    rmkorama Posts: 232 Member
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    One of the advantages I've found with buying the "fresh" chicken [just because it's not currently frozen in the butcher case doesn't mean it wasn't frozen before] is that I can clean it before freezing it. Usually I get a 10-lb bag from our favorite grocery store when it's on sale at a good price, then clean all the excess fat off of it, cut it into pre-weighed portions, and wrap into dinner-sized packages. It's time consuming at the outset, but I've found that as our healthy habits have progressed, our portions have gotten smaller. Consequently, a 10-lb bag of chicken goes a lot farther than it used to! Also, I chop some up into chunks for use in those recipes that require chunks of chicken instead of whole breasts, and the time saved by not having to thaw and then chop things is awesome all by itself.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    I don't know what I would do without my small chest freezer! I paid less than $100 for it 3 years ago, but it has more than paid for itself. When ever chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) are on sale I will buy lots of them. I then take them home, clean them up a bit and portion them out into 2 per bag, and freeze them. If the frozen happen to be cheaper I will buy those.

    When it comes to vegies I usually buy frozen if I plan to eat them cooked. Salads, carrots, celery and stuff like that I buy the freshest I can find. Fruit I buy fresh, unless I am going to use berries in a smoothie, then I buy frozen.
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
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    We never do frozen vegetables, I just don't like them. I like fresh vegetables much better. We try to do as much fresh and natural as possible. We're trying to get away from all processed and prepackaged foods.
  • overit
    overit Posts: 273
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    i buy the fresh chicken breasts and freeze them. On a side note, not sure if anyone realized this but I was shocked when I noticed how many ounces a single chicken breast is! I was packaging our meat to put in the freezer and was shocked that one of the breasts were 12 ounces! A serving is 4 ounces right? By measuring out the meat, it will not only save me the calories but money too :)
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    We never do frozen vegetables, I just don't like them. I like fresh vegetables much better. We try to do as much fresh and natural as possible. We're trying to get away from all processed and prepackaged foods.

    I totally understand. The only frozen veggies we will eat is the pea/corn/bean mix and even then I eat 1 cup daily for lunch along with ½ can of tuna so it’s more of a convenience thing than anything. Frozen broccoli imo was pretty gross (other than on homemade pizza, it crisped up fine then) but I'm sure a lot of the new steamer options are great. I agree with an above comment, NOT asparagus. That delicious veggie needs to be baked, not microwaved.

    Ps: thanks for the responses everyone on the quantity of cooked chicken! I did check online the sodium content and yes, its 480g for frozen but the fresh sodium level wasn't listed (I was on the President’s Choice website comparing fresh to frozen) so whatever is under MFP is only as accurate as the human who research it, kind-of flawed.
  • heathersmilez
    heathersmilez Posts: 2,579 Member
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    i buy the fresh chicken breasts and freeze them. On a side note, not sure if anyone realized this but I was shocked when I noticed how many ounces a single chicken breast is! I was packaging our meat to put in the freezer and was shocked that one of the breasts were 12 ounces! A serving is 4 ounces right? By measuring out the meat, it will not only save me the calories but money too :)

    Those are some crazy huge chicken boobies you found there, ha ha! When I buy fresh I try and buy the smallest breasts for that reason since I have seen some larger ones but 12 oz? Wow! The frozen kinds are 100-138g and the bigger ones (138g) are the big Costco ones but still <150g after being cooked.
  • overit
    overit Posts: 273
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    yes! i know they are huge. I have my husband and 2 kids to cook for so it helps out the budget :)
  • francescafmm50
    francescafmm50 Posts: 2
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    I buy the Organic boneless skinless Chicken Breast from Costco they are idividually wraped two breast to a sealed pouch come fresh but I freeze them and they taste just the same as if I cooked them fresh.
  • sharonimo
    sharonimo Posts: 2
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    I agree with the Costco chicken. It's pre-packaged with 2 breasts in one pouch and freezes very well. It's perfect if you're cooking for one or two people.
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
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    We never do frozen vegetables, I just don't like them. I like fresh vegetables much better. We try to do as much fresh and natural as possible. We're trying to get away from all processed and prepackaged foods.

    I totally understand. The only frozen veggies we will eat is the pea/corn/bean mix and even then I eat 1 cup daily for lunch along with ½ can of tuna so it’s more of a convenience thing than anything. Frozen broccoli imo was pretty gross (other than on homemade pizza, it crisped up fine then) but I'm sure a lot of the new steamer options are great. I agree with an above comment, NOT asparagus. That delicious veggie needs to be baked, not microwaved.

    Ps: thanks for the responses everyone on the quantity of cooked chicken! I did check online the sodium content and yes, its 480g for frozen but the fresh sodium level wasn't listed (I was on the President’s Choice website comparing fresh to frozen) so whatever is under MFP is only as accurate as the human who research it, kind-of flawed.

    I had flash frozen yellow corn from Publix last night. Was on sale for a buck in one of those micro bags. Only ingredient:Corn

    I swear I added a bit of salt and lots of pepper and it was like crunching it off the cob!!

    Their peas are also awesome......

    I have fresh broc in my garden and it is the best brocolli I have ever had in my life. I snip off a bunch and crunch! I may never be able to eat the frozen kind again:cry:

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