What Freezes Well, What Doesn’t and How to Adapt Recipes (2024)
Freezer Meal Tips
BySharlaPosted onUpdated on
Whether you are new to making freezer meals or not, you may wonder what freezes well and what doesn’t. I’ve created this reference to help you determine not only what freezes, but also how to best freeze it. I’m also including some tips on adapting freezer meal recipes if the ingredients required don’t freeze well.
I’ve also created acheatsheet for you to print out as an easy reference to remember what freezes well.
Butter, margarine – Freezes well.
Milk in a jug – Freezes well.
Milk – Doesn’t freeze well in recipes, however recipes that call for milk can be adapted easily for the freezer by using evaporated milk or heavy cream in its place.
Sour Cream – The texture changes when frozen, but it holds up well when in cooking or baking.
Yogourt – The texture changes considerably when frozen, but it is still fine for using in smoothies. You can freeze in ice cube trays and add to resealable freezer bags to put into smoothies.
Cheese – Shred it first and seal well before freezing.
Cream Cheese – The texture changes when frozen as it is, but when mixed in a recipe it is fine.
Eggs (raw) – They need to be taken out of the shell first and mixed with a bit of salt or they will be rubbery.
Eggs (cooked) – Scrambled or cooked eggs freeze well, but hard boiled eggs get rubbery.
Ground meats including wild game – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Beef – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Chicken –Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn. Chicken freezer burns easily unless it is in a marinade or within a freezer meal recipe.
Pork –Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Seafood –Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Luncheon Meat –Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Melons, lime, lemon, grapefruit – Do not freeze well.
Fruit juices including lemon, lime and grapefruit juice – Freeze well on their own or within recipes.
Oranges – Do not freeze well, but segmented orange sections do freeze well within recipes.
Grapes – Can only be frozen if you are planning to eat them frozen.
Apples and pears – Core, peel and slice, then place in lemon juice in re-sealable freezer bag to keep from browning for use in future baking.
Peaches – Peel, pit and slice peaches and place in resealable freezer bag for use in future baking.
Berries – All berries freeze well.
Cucumbers, lettuce, sprouts, and radishes – Do not freeze on their own or in recipes.
Celery, peppers and onions – Do not freeze well on their own, but work well within recipes.
Mushrooms – Can be frozen if sauteed first or if used in recipes.
Potatoes – Do not freeze well unless already frozen. Frozen hash browns and tater tots work well within recipes.
*A note about vegetables: Vegetables such as broccoli, peppers, asparagus, green beans, brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, peas, spinach, zucchini, freeze better when blanched first.
Herbs – Freeze in ice cube tray with small amount of water and once frozen, place in resealable freezer bag.
Nuts – Freeze fine if sealed well in a resealable freezer bag.
Baking chips – Seal in resealable freezer bag.
Bread – Freezes well.
Loaves such as zucchini loaf or banana bread – Freezes well.
Buns – Plastic wrap before putting in freezer bag to prevent freezer burn.
Cooking or brownies – Package and seal well to prevent freezer burn.
Cookie dough – Place pre-formed balls on cookie sheet in freezer until frozen and then place in a resealable bag and put back in freezer.
Pizza dough – Freezes well.
Pie dough – Freezes well.
Waffles and pancakes – Place on cookie sheet flat in freezer until frozen and then place in a resealable bag and put back in freezer or place wax or parchment paper in between.
Waffle, pancake and muffin batter – Freezes well.
Muffins – Freeze well.
Pasta – Freezes if cooked to al dente (slightly undercooked).
Rice – Freezes best if slightly undercooked.
Broths and Soup – Freeze well.
Sauces – Most freeze well, but some that have a thickener such as flour or cornstarch will separate.
Wine – Pour leftover white or red wine into an ice cube tray and then place frozen cubes in a resealable bag to be added to soups or sauces. It adds depth to dishes such as pasta sauces and chili.
Berries – All berries freeze well. Cucumbers, lettuce, sprouts, and radishes – Do not freeze on their own or in recipes. Celery, peppers and onions – Do not freeze well on their own, but work well within recipes. Mushrooms – Can be frozen if sauteed first or if used in recipes.
Texture: Foods with a more delicate texture, such as leafy greens or delicate fruits, may not freeze well as they can become mushy and lose their structure. Foods with a firmer texture, such as root vegetables or meat, tend to freeze more successfully.
For example, frozen grapes are a favorite snack, especially in the summer. But if you let those grapes defrost, they become soggy unappealing lumps. For anything with a lot of water, it's best to freeze it only if you plan to use it in cooking—it just won't be the same raw.
When Jell-O freezes, the tiny pockets of liquid trapped inside harden and expand, but the gelatin itself stays flexible and pliable. What you end up with is a blend of hard and soft textures in a cool, chewy treat. Shockingly, you can eat it straight out of the freezer before it thaws without hurting your teeth.
Schmidt tells us that, for best results, you can keep mashed potatoes in "a freezer set to 0°F or colder" for "up to one year." At this temperature and for this length of time, frozen mashed potatoes can be thawed and reheated without losing texture or flavor (and without risking the transmission of foodborne bacteria) ...
Yes!Freezing fresh or cooked pasta by itself is the best way to do it. Cook your dry pasta al dente (which should be your plan anytime you cook pasta, especially if it is going into a hot sauce that will inevitably keep the cooking process going). Let it cool completely.
Milk, yogurt, cream, sour cream, buttermilk, and soft cheeses all become inedible once frozen, since they separate and curdle upon defrosting, changing the texture and consistency entirely. Your milk will separate into a watery mess, for example, and your yogurt will become grainy, curdle, and separate when defrosted.
You can freeze just about any vegetable except celery, watercress, endive, lettuce, cabbage, cucumber and radishes. These foods have a high water content and become soggy and water-logged when thawed.
The short answer is yes. Mayonnaise can be frozen, but don't expect the texture to be the same after it thaws. Mayonnaise is an emulsion—combining ingredients that don't typically mix well together—to create a thick, creamy sauce that you can spread on sandwiches, make ranch dressing or onion dip.
Leftover or batch-cooked dishes, especially anything sloppy, like soup, stews or baby food and fruit purees are perfect for freezing, because they are less likely to dry out when reheated. Assembled recipes, like pizza, pies, crumble, or lasagna are best frozen raw to avoid overcooking when you reheat them.
the hardest liquid to “freeze”, if we define freeze as “make solid” is liquid helium. The stuff already needs to be kept at -270 degrees C, just a few degrees above absolute zero. To freeze it, we need to get really extreme: -273 degrees C AND a pressure of around 25 atmospheres.
Any watery fruits and vegetables don't freeze well, like cucumber, watermelon etc. Because of their high water content, freezing them changes their structure significantly and affects the taste/texture when thawed.
Freezing canned tuna isn't wise, since the fish may taste a bit funky afterwards and have an unpleasant texture. “While canned tuna can technically be frozen, it is not recommended, as it can affect the texture and taste of the fish,” Best says.
There are some things that technically can not be frozen. Helium for example never actually freezes. Even near zero degrees Kelvin, it remains a fluid. A very weird fluid called a superfluid, that almost seems to defy gravity, but a fluid nonetheless.
You can freeze unpeeled bananas, if you want—you'll just need to thaw them and peel them when they're ready. But keep in mind that bananas frozen that way get mushy when they're thawed, so you'll need to use them only for recipes that require mashed bananas.
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I’ve also created acheatsheet for you to print out as an easy reference to remember what freezes well.
