A freezer could also be a couponer or impulse purchaser’s greatest buddy for its spectacular storage capabilities, however it does not make an appropriate residence for all forms of meals. In truth, it might probably have the other impact of preservation by inducing freezer burn or fully altering a meals’s bodily state after thawing.
To forestall a mass clean-out of costly groceries, we have rounded up six widespread meals that ought to by no means, beneath any circumstance, be bought in bulk and positioned within the freezer. Enjoy these recent or after a while within the fridge however not when uncovered to the weather of maximum chilly.
Milk and cream
Keep your dairy out of the freezer or it is going to separate and curdle.
Most dairy merchandise cannot be frozen and can turn out to be inedible if they’re. Milk, cream, yogurt and bitter cream are likely to separate when frozen. Once they do, there is not any returning them to their former state and the thawed outcome can be grainy, watery and even curdled. Nut milks, alternatively, may be frozen extra efficiently.
Ice cream is the exception, after all, attributable to its excessive sugar content material that lowers the freezing level and retains the product gentle and palatable.
Potatoes
Potatoes should not even be refrigerated, by no means thoughts frozen.
America’s favourite carb turns mushy and grainy when thawed, a bodily state that’s no bueno to be used in something from mashed potatoes to french fries. This is as a result of the water separates from the tuber’s starch, leading to a gag-inducing texture that not even trash-foraging critters like raccoons can abdomen. That stated, freezing cooked or partially cooked potatoes (usually parboiled) is a-OK, as a lot of the water content material is extracted through the cooking course of.
Cheese
There are methods to retailer all forms of cheese that may preserve them recent for longer however the freezer is not one in all them.
Pesky ice crystals kind in frozen cheese, which fully modifications its taste and texture profile. This primarily applies to gentle and moldy cheeses, although some exhausting varieties reminiscent of cheddar and jack can stand up to the constant blast of chilly air if grated first and laid flat in a plastic storage bag.
Read extra: Store Cheese Properly and You’ll Extend Its Life by Days, Even Weeks. Here’s How
Fried meals
Unfortunetly, that leftover buddy hen cannot be frozen for later.
The greatest a part of fried meals is, after all, its crunchy breading. When positioned in a freezer, this batter or crumb absorbs the equipment’s moisture and makes the meals turn out to be soggy. Additionally, fried meals is chock-full of — you guessed it — oil, which does not freeze fully and might spoil earlier than the meat or vegetable it has been cooked into. This can result in foul-tasting meals but additionally an unlucky and probably harmful bout of meals poisoning.
Eggs
Eggs have a reasonably lengthy shelf life within the fridge so that you should not have to freeze them.
If you get pleasure from your scrambled eggs rubbery, stick them within the freezer earlier than preparation. This is because of a course of referred to as “gelation” the place the yolk’s protein molecules clump and make the liquid tougher. Egg content material additionally expands when frozen, which causes entire eggs to crack and leak. Of course, avoiding eggs within the freezer means you could additionally keep away from egg-based condiments, as properly, reminiscent of mayonnaise, which get lumpy and unspreadable.
Salad-friendly fruit and veggies
Leftover salad elements reminiscent of avocado, lettuce and cucumbers ought to by no means be frozen.
If it is a fruit or vegetable and might go right into a typical salad, it will not maintain up within the freezer. This consists of any produce with excessive water content material reminiscent of lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and celery. The beloved avocado can even not fare properly in extraordinarily low temperatures. As it thaws, it is going to instantly start to brown. And no one desires to dip their means by means of brown guacamole.
Citrus
Your greatest with an extra of citrus is to juice the fruit and freeze the juice for recipes and cocktails in a while.
Some dense fruits reminiscent of berries and mango do properly within the freezer, however citrus will not maintain kind fairly so properly. Whole citrus fruit will turn out to be mealy after thawing it out. If you could have an abundance of lemons, limes or oranges, your greatest guess is to juice them and freeze the juice for later.
Cooked pasta and rice
Leftover cooked rice and pasta may be frozen safely however they will lose a lot of their construction and toothsomeness upon reheating.
While you definitely *can* freeze cooked pasta and rice, it doesn’t suggest that you simply *ought to*. The water content material causes the cells in noodles and grains to actually burst, leading to a pasty, gloopy leftover that may’t be salvaged with even probably the most scrumptious of sauces.
Bottled or canned drinks
We’ve all tried to quick-chill a beer or soda within the freezer earlier than.
Who amongst us hasn’t tried to cheat time by chilling a lukewarm beer can or bottle, forgot about it and returned to discover a frozen, effervescent catastrophe. If you are going to use the freezer to sit back canned or bottled drinks, you would be clever to set a timer for 10 minutes so they do not freeze strong and explode.
