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Freezing improves taste?

Discussion in 'Food & Cooking' started by tamdoankc, Apr 19, 2010.

  1. Apr 19, 2010 #1
    tamdoankc

    tamdoankc

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    I've been doing a lot of donut experimenting and one thing I found very interesting is that freezing a fresh donut will actually improve the taste. My theory is that freezing gives time for the CO2 to expel thus removing the tart after taste. Could this be correct and would it apply to most breads in general? One thing I've noticed but cannot figure out is a prefrozen donut actually stays softer a lot longer. Could it be that freezing affects the crystallizing of the starches somehow?
     
  2. Apr 19, 2010 #2
    mgchef

    mgchef

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     Wow that's odd. CO2 dissolves into cold mediums better than into warm ones, and also it expels faster in warmer mediums than colder ones. Both statements you have are exactly the opposite of this. Make a few more guesses at what it could be and make tests to see if they're true. But I got a question. What do you mean by improved the taste, I need a bit more detail. 
     
  3. Apr 19, 2010 #3
    tamdoankc

    tamdoankc

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    Improves tastes is pretty subjective. I should clarify that it improved the taste for me. I've been doing donuts for a year now. I have a tiny shop that I experiment and sell donuts in. One of my friends has pretty sensitive taste buds and she would always get a faint tart after taste with all types of fresh breads. After thorough research I can only guess that it's the CO2 that is produced by the yeast. I wish I had proper scientific eqpt to measure CO2 content to verify. I live overseas so have very limited access to eqpt and don't have any other donut shops here for comparison.

    I'm not sure if it works the same way with baked breads or if frying has some kind of strange affect.

    I've taken a frozen pre-fried donut and reheated it and left it side by side with a fresh fried donut and the frozen stayed softer longer by a large margin. Nothing will ever beat a nice hot donut straight out of the fryer but in a marathon the frozen seems to wins.

    Can someone test with fresh baked bread?

    I freeze in a controlled industrial freezer immediately after the donut has cooled from frying.
     
  4. Apr 19, 2010 #4
    chefedb

    chefedb

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     I believe that after having been slow frozen regular walk in or reach in ( not flash frozen,) moisture remains in the expanded cells of the  donut, therefore it stays soft longer. In some breads the reverse, dehydration occurs and tends to get hard quicker. Food chemistry is very complex and by experimetation we learn more..
     
  5. Apr 19, 2010 #5
    phatch

    phatch Moderator Staff Member

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    My sister is of the opinion that freezing a cake after cooking improves its moistness and cooking. Also makes it easier to decorate.

    I've never tried it. My freezer is always too full.

    EDIT  ....and cooking?  What was I typing. I meant texture.
     
    Last edited: Apr 19, 2010
  6. Apr 19, 2010 #6
    tamdoankc

    tamdoankc

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    thanks for the great replies. really makes a lot of since.
     
  7. Apr 19, 2010 #7
    mgchef

    mgchef

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    You don't need much special equipment. I'd like to help you experiment. P.M me and I can help you out. I've made a homemade rotovap to make a rosemary essence that I use often, but in little amounts, and the rotovap you buy online is like $2,000. Now, to test Ed Buchanan's idea you'd need a really good scale. I put it down as one of the 6 things( we're not very wealthy) on my birthday list. We can check the weight of donuts day by day. If the non-frozen one loses weight faster than the other, then it could be the water. Eat the donut again and check if its not only losing texture but tell me if it seems denser and less fluffy. That could be the CO2 leaving, again, just a guess.
     
  8. Apr 19, 2010 #8
    kiwi9845

    kiwi9845

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    Freezing is okay. I have green chili from New Mexico that I buy every year and freeze. It is a great way for me to have my bowl of green chili year round, yet it can't replace the taste of fresh chili.