17 Foods You Should Never Put In The Freezer
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Read this before you freeze all the flavor out.
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Probably worse than overcooking pasta and letting it bloat with extra water is freezing it. Once you take it out of the freezer, it turn into a squishy puddle formerly known as noodles.
Don’t store coffee beans or grounds in the freezer: Taking it in and out every morning will freeze and thaw the coffee, which can cause condensation and essentially ruin it. Plus, it’ll absorb any funky freezer smells. That being said, feel free to store any unopened bags of coffee beans or grounds in the freezer for up to a month.
Two words: soggy mess. The crispy, crunchy fried bits will collect moisture when frozen and thawing this mess will only make the mushy matters worse.
After freezing and thawing milk, it’s going to be really lumpy. This is not ideal for drinking. You can cook with it, however you should let it sit in the fridge to slow-thaw for a whole day before you use it.
The gooey inside of raw whole eggs will expand when frozen, causing a cracked and leaky mess in your freezer. Not to mention the potential for bacteria growth. Unfortunately, even cooked eggs aren’t a good idea either. Same goes for egg-based items like mayo and meringue.
Don’t even think about putting this creamy fruit (or is it a vegetable?) in the freezer—unless you’d like to kiss that silky center goodbye. Like cheese, it’ll totally lose its original texture.
Soft cheeses like ricotta, cream cheese, and goat cheese will separate if they’re frozen and then thawed. This will change the texture in weird ways. You could technically try harder varieties like Parmesan or cheddar, though we’d advise you just keep in the fridge instead.
If you can’t polish off sprigs of basil or other fresh herbs, turn them into compound butter or pesto. If you freeze the bunches whole, they’ll turn into brown mushy messes when thawed.
If you thicken your gravy and sauces with flour or cornstarch, they’re not going to be freezer-friendly because they’re 100 percent going to separate awkwardly.
This deliciously vinegary tomato condiment will separate into a half watery, half chunky mess so it’s best to keep it in the fridge or toss it in favor of a new bottle.
This might sound obvious, but putting fresh, crisp greens into the freezer will yield watery, wilted and limp leaves. Plus, they’ll lose a lot of flavor in the process. Play it safe and relegate them to the crisper drawer in your fridge.
Yogurt, sour cream, buttermilk, cream, custard, and other dairy products will all separate and curdle after getting frozen and thawed. This is the opposite of what you want.
Freezing this starchy vegetable is only going to give you gritty, grainy results. Avoid this sad story at all costs and avoid the fridge, too. Store them at room temperature instead.
Freezing canned foods or beverages is a no-go — when the liquid inside freezes, the can will expand and likely explode, leaving you with a big mess to clean up.
If you left some frozen food out to thaw, but changed your mind on what you want for dinner, you may need to toss the room temperature item — especially meat and seafood. The thawing time already allowed bacteria to grow that could make you sick when you decide to dig in.
Freezing pre-made casseroles and pies is a pretty genius way to make sure you’re ready whenever a potluck rolls around, but leave the crumb topping off before you pop your dish in the freezer. It’s best to add the addictive crumbles after it’s been defrosted, right before serving so it doesn’t get soggy during thawing.
It might be time to clean out your spice drawer, because your freezer is not the place to store these seasonings. The flavor can change in items like pepper, garlic and clove when frozen, so a cool, dry cabinet is the ideal storage spot.