I call my freezer “food purgatory.” During my periodic endeavors to both save money and eat a little healthier, I buy food in bulk, repackage it into cute little containers, and then tuck it away in my freezer to use … sometime.
It rarely works. By the time I remember to actually eat all of this stuff, it either has freezer burn or doesn’t defrost properly. At this point, I’ve pretty much given up on using my freezer to store anything but frozen yogurt, so I wonder—what am I doing wrong?
What You Freeze ...
Freezing works by stopping the bacterial action in food and preventing spoilage. But it can also alter the texture and physical structure of some foods. In general, anything with high water content does not freeze well, because water freezes at a different temperature from the other molecules, and expands when it freezes. Dairy and eggs don’t do very well either.
Here’s a full list of foods you want to think twice about freezing. You might think you’re being economical by saving them for later, but you’ll actually be better off just buying them in smaller amounts.
- Milk, cottage cheese, mayonnaise, and gravy will separate. You can try to save them by stirring them while defrosting, but they won’t return to their pre-frozen consistency.
- Cheese will get crumbly.
- Egg yolks don’t freeze well, and cooked eggs will become rubbery. But you can freeze egg whites by placing them in ice cube trays and defrosting them as needed. They’ll be good enough to use for baking, but probably not very good to eat, as freezing will take away the flavor.
- Raw vegetables will become pithy, mealy, and limp upon defrosting.
There are, however, plenty of foods that do work in the freezer, and some even benefit from a little chill.
- I love freezing fruit for a healthy snack. Bananas, grapes, peaches, and berries all freeze extremely well. You can defrost them, or suck on them while frozen for a treat that’s better than candy.
- Though other dairy products don’t seem to like the cold so much, yogurt is a happy exception. I pop flavored yogurt containers (opt for blended varieties rather than fruit-on-the-bottom) into the freezer for some homemade frozen yogurt. It satisfies my sweet tooth and helps me meet my calcium needs.
