9 foods that should never be put in the freezer

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Freezing food is the best way to preserve good foods and drinks from spoilage, including uncooked foods meatexcessive Herbs or vintage That you can’t finish.

Unfortunately, not all of your purchases are suitable for freezing. Some foods cannot tolerate subzero temperatures and must be preserved in some other way, such as pickling, vacuum sealing, or simply consumed before they begin to turn.

To prevent extensive cleaning Groceries are expensive It would be wise to know which foods don’t belong there in the first place. Below, we’ve rounded up eight common foods you should never freeze.

1. Milk and cream

Open refrigerator with white milk chocolate.

Keep your dairy products out of the refrigerator or they will separate and curdle.

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most Dairy Products cannot be frozen and will become inedible if they are. Milk, cream, yogurt, and sour cream tend to separate when frozen. Once you do this, there will be no bringing them back to their previous state and the thawed result will be grainy, watery or even curdled. Nut milk, on the other hand, can be frozen more successfully.

Ice cream is a well-known exception to the dairy rule because its high sugar content lowers the freezing point and keeps the product soft and palatable.

2. Potatoes

Potato refrigerator.jpg

Potatoes shouldn’t even be refrigerated, let alone frozen.

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America’s favorite carbohydrate turns mushy and grainy when thawed, a physical state that can’t be used in anything from mashed potatoes to French fries. This is because the water separates from the tuber’s starch, creating a stimulant texture that even scavenger creatures like raccoons can’t digest. It’s okay to freeze cooked or partially cooked potatoes (usually parboiled), as much of the water content is extracted during the cooking process. Bagged potato products from the freezer section of your local grocery store are treated with chemicals, preservatives, or other specialized preparation methods to ensure that flavor and texture are maintained when frozen.

3. Cheese

Cheese drawer in the refrigerator

There are ways to store all types of cheese that will keep them fresher for longer but the freezer is not one of them.

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Annoying ice crystals form when frozen cheesewhich completely changes its flavor and texture. This applies primarily to soft and moldy cheeses, although some hard varieties such as cheddar and jack can withstand a constant draft of cold air if grated first and laid flat in a plastic storage bag.

Read more: Store your cheese properly and you will extend its life by days and even weeks. Here’s how

4. Fried food

fried chicken

Unfortunately, leftover chum chicken cannot be frozen for later.

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The best part of Fried food It is, of course, crispy bread. When placed in the freezer, this dough or crumb absorbs the moisture of the appliance and makes the food moist. Plus, fried food is full of, you guessed it, oil, which doesn’t freeze completely and can spoil before the meat or vegetables are cooked. This can lead to poor-tasting meals, but it can also lead to an unfortunate and potentially dangerous bout of food poisoning.

5. Eggs

A carton of brown eggs on a blue background.

Eggs have a fairly long shelf life in the refrigerator, so you don’t need to freeze them.

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If you enjoy chewy scrambled eggs, place them in the freezer before preparing. This is due to a process called “clingy“The protein molecules in the yolk clump together and make the liquid more solid. The egg content also expands when frozen, causing whole eggs to crack and leak. Avoiding putting eggs in the freezer means you should also avoid condiments that contain eggs as well, such as mayonnaise .which becomes clumpy and unable to spread.

6. Salad-friendly fruits and vegetables

This goat cheese, watermelon and cucumber salad represents the Mediterranean diet.

Leftover salad ingredients such as avocado, lettuce, and cucumber should never be frozen.

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If it is a fruit or… vegetable It can be included in a traditional salad, but it will not hold up well in the freezer. This includes any produce with a high water content such as lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and celery. Also, beloved avocados will not do well at very low temperatures. When it melts, it will immediately start turning brown. No one wants to dip their way through brown guacamole.

7. Whole citrus fruits

Flosser on a citrus cutting board

Your best bet with excess citrus is to juice the fruit and freeze the juice to use in recipes and cocktails later.

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Some dense fruits like berries and mangos do well in the freezer, but citrus fruits won’t keep their shape well. Whole citrus fruits will become creamy after thawing. If you have an abundance of lemons, limes, or oranges, your best bet is to do this juice them and freeze the juice for later.

8. Cooked pasta and rice

Pasta dish with meatballs and pesto sauce

Leftover cooked rice and pasta can be frozen safely, but will lose much of their structure and texture when reheated.

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You definitely are He can Freeze cooked pasta and rice, but that doesn’t mean you… He should. The water content causes the cells in pasta and grains to explode, resulting in soggy, dreary leftovers that even the most delicious sauces can’t salvage.

The pasta will almost certainly come out of the refrigerator rough. Rice is a little more durable, but consider vacuum sealing it to preserve moisture before putting it in the refrigerator for preservation.

9. Bottled or canned drinks

Cans of Sprite, Coke, and Coca-Cola are stacked next to each other in the refrigerator.

We’ve all tried cooling beer or soda quickly in the refrigerator before.

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Who hasn’t tried to cheat time by chilling a can or bottle of lukewarm beer in the fridge, only to forget about it and come back to find a frozen disaster? If you will be using the freezer to chill canned or bottled beverages, it is wise to set a timer for 10 minutes so that solid beverages do not freeze and explode.





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