Freezing These Foods Will Ruin Them
One of the easiest ways to save money is to cook in bulk and then freeze your leftover portions.
You can do this with the majority of foods, from chili to fish dishes. You can cook multiple servings in one go and then pop them in the freezer. Most of those meals will last for at least a month in the freezer.
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While some foods freeze really well, others can be ruined by freezing. Foods that have too much water or starch in them do not freeze well. In today’s article, we will be looking at a few other types of food that should not be frozen.
Some of these items are dangerous to freeze, while others are ruined by the freezing process.
#1 – Carbonated Drinks
It is really dangerous to try and freeze carbonated drinks – whether that’s sparkling wine, carbonated water in a plastic bottle, or soda in an aluminum can.
Freezing carbonated drinks does two things – it weakens the container holding the drink and upsets the balance of the drink.
As the water in the drink freezes, it starts to expand. As it starts to expand it will mix with the carbon in the drink and this will cause an explosion.
If you are lucky, the can will only split slightly and the drink will pour out slowly. However, it is more likely that the whole thing will explode. This could damage your freezer, or worse, hurt someone in your family.
#2 – Dairy
You should not freeze any type of dairy. This includes milk, cheese, or a dish that has been made from either of those ingredients.
Dairy is mostly made from a natural sugar called lactose, it does not cope well when frozen.
The best that will happen is that your dish will change texture and dry out after being defrosted. However, some dairy-based dishes can curdle in the freezer.
#3 – Leafy Green Herbs
Some herbs and spices freeze really well and others don’t.
For example, ginger is a great item to freeze, you can extend its shelf life for over a year and it makes the root much easier to grate.
You should avoid freezing soft and leafy greens. These have too high a water content which means that their texture will be ruined when they are defrosted. They can even go brown and completely lose their structural integrity during the defrosting process.
You will be better off getting dried versions of these herbs, rather than buying them fresh and freezing them.
#4 – Eggs
Eggs are another type of dairy that should not freeze.
Freezing eggs on their own is a bad idea, but you also need to be careful when it comes to freezing anything that has a lot of eggs in it.
Eggs have a really high water content, which means that they will go through a lot of changes when frozen. Most notably, the whites of the egg will start to expand and might crack the shell.
If you try to cook with an egg that has been frozen then you will notice that you will end up with a rubbery egg that tastes like it has gone bad.
#5 – Fried Food
There is nothing wrong with frying food. In many cases, it makes a really delicious dish. However, once you have fried something, you aren’t going to want to keep it in your freezer.
Part of the problem is that they freeze too well – so when you defrost them, they will get really tough and chewy on the outside while not cooking properly in the middle. They can also go too soft in the middle – so you will end up with a dry outside and cold, soggy inside.
