Of course, frozen food has always existed in climates that were
cold enough for the food to freeze. Many people developed innovative
food-freezing techniques, including Enoch Piper, William Davis,
and Daniel E. Somes. However, Clarence Birdseye is credited with
inventing in 1924 the quick freezing method, which produces the
type of frozen foods that we know today.
While working as a fur trader in Labrador, NF, Canada, Birdseye
discovered that the fish that he and the local Inuit caught froze
almost immediately after being pulled from the water. He was delighted
to discover that the fish was just as delicious when thawed out
months later. From this experience, he theorized that food must
be frozen very quickly in order for it to retain its taste and
texture.
Birdseye was right. Before quick-freezing came along, foods were
frozen at a fairly slow rate. This caused large ice crystals to
form, which ruptured the cell membranes of the food. When the food
was defrosted, the ice crystals melted and water would leak out,
taking with it the foods flavor and texture.
Birdseye developed two methods for quick freezing foods, both
of which employed the innovation of packaging the food beforehand.In
the first technique, the package was held between two metal belts
that were chilled to -40°F to -45°F using a calcium chloride
solution.
In the second and more popular technique, the packaged food was
held under pressure between two hollow metal plates that were chilled
to -25°F by the evaporation of ammonia. Using this method, a two-inch-thick
package of meat could be frozen to 0F in about 90 minutes, while
fruits and vegetables took about 30 minutes.
Birdseyes quick-freezing process actually ended up creating
168 patents! These covered not only the freezing technique but
also the packaging, type of paper used, and related innovations.
Fun Fact: March is National Frozen Food Month!
Related
Web Sites |
- 50
Years of Frozen Foods
The British Frozen Food Federation created this site to promote the book they
published under the same name. However, there are some interesting tidbits to
be found here regarding the history of frozen foods, especially in the Frozen
Morsels section.
- American
Frozen Foods Institutes History of Frozen Food
The American Frozen Foods Institute (AFFI) is the national trade association
representing all aspects of the frozen food industry. This page gives a brief
summary of frozen food trends, frozen food industry, and the history of frozen
foods.
- Frozen
Food that is Freezer Friendly
This is a brief article about the history of research of frozen foods by the
United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Includes
the nine principles of freezing vegetables.
- Frozen
Foods
This is an entry from the Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 2001. It gives
a basic definition of frozen foods and also a more detailed history of the development
of freezing techniques over the ages.
- History
of Frozen Food: Long and Varied
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) maintains this
site, which includes a basic history of the development of frozen foods over
time.
- Inventor
of the Week: Clarence Birdseye
This site maintained by the Lemmelson-MIT program gives a profile of Clarence
Birdseye and includes some basic information about his development of frozen
foods. You can find the patent number for one of his innovations here!
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Further
Reading |
- Follette,
Gordon. Frozen foods: the formative years. 100 years
of refrigeration: a supplement to ASHRAE journal, ASHRAE
journal, v.46, Nov. 2004: S35-39.
- Frozen
vegetables in How products are made: an illustrated
guide to product manufacturing. Edited by Jacqueline L. Longe.
v.5. Detroit, Gale Research, c2000. p. 210-215.
- In
the beginning. Frozen food age, v. 51, Dec. 2002: 26-38.
- Peterson,
Tiffany. Clarence Birdseye. Chicago, Heinemann Library,
c2003. 32 pages. (Juvenile).
- The
war years and boom: 1941-1945. Frozen food
age,
v. 46, Aug. 1997: 46-47.
- Volti,
Rudi. The development of frozen foods. ASHRAE journal,
v. 37, Jun 1995: 69-71.
- Volti,
Rudi. How we got frozen food. American heritage of
invention and technology, v. 9, Spring 1994: 46-56.
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For
more print resources...
Search on "cold
storage," "cookery frozen
foods," "frozen foods," or "home freezers"
in the Library of Congress Online
Catalog. |
Preparation
for point rationing. While mother keeps handy her war ration
book two, daughter examines the frozen foods which require removal
of point stamps. Prints &
Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Bridgeton,
New Jersey. Seabrook Farm. Packing Birds Eye frozen foods. Prints &
Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
Examples of frozen foods. Image
Number K7225-2 USDA Photography Center
Shopping
for groceries at a Giant Supermarket in VA. USDA Photography
Center, Image No 00cn0805-33
CD4649-31
Bridgeton,
New Jersey. Seabrook Farm.
Packing
Birds Eye frozen foods. Prints &
Photographs Division, Library of Congress.
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