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posted by Fnord666 on Friday March 27 2020, @02:37PM   Printer-friendly
from the gonna-need-a-bigger-freezer dept.

Foods you can freeze besides meat and produce:

A freezer can be a highly useful appliance in your kitchen. You probably already use it to store staples such as frozen veggies and ground beef. However, you may have wondered about other items, especially if you're stocking up to shelter at home to reduce the spread of the new coronavirus. Can you freeze milk, for instance? What about eggs and cheese?

As you'll see, there are several dry and refrigerated pantry items you can freeze too.

[...] All foods will last indefinitely in a frozen state. However, the food is only as fresh as the state it was in prior to freezing. Once it defrosts, it must be used as soon as possible. In general, frozen food will keep for three months in a standard home freezer. The FDA has specific recommendations for the shelf life for foods, but if you aren't using your frozen goods within three months, you're probably buying too much.

[...] According to the USDA, you can freeze almost any food. However, some foods don't freeze well; apples and pears will turn mushy when defrosted, cream sauces will separate and raw tomatoes will never be the same (but you can still put them in sauces).

Fortunately, there are many foods that freeze and defrost beautifully. So, go ahead and stock up on these 10 pantry staples you can freeze:

There are caveats and cautions listed with several of these items, so be sure to read the source article for details before proceeding! The items listed are:

  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • Cheese
  • Butter
  • Bread
  • Flour
  • Chocolate
  • Fresh herbs
  • Cooked rice and pasta
  • Nuts

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  • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @03:06PM (1 child)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @03:06PM (#976326)
    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:18AM

      by driverless (4770) on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:18AM (#976579)

      What they sort of avoid mentioning directly is that frozen onions tend to turn to paste on thawing. They only hint at it indirectly by telling you to use the thawed ones in cooked meals.

  • (Score: 2, Interesting) by nitehawk214 on Friday March 27 2020, @03:12PM (1 child)

    by nitehawk214 (1304) on Friday March 27 2020, @03:12PM (#976334)

    On Good Eats, Alton Brown showed a way to get better results on freezing fruit and vegetables. Put a sheet pan in the freezer and get it good and cold. Then arrange the washed and cut items on it so they are not touching. Put sheet tray in freezer until everything is solid. Then transfer into a plastic bag. (quickly, so it doesn't melt)

    It won't be as good as the flash-freezing that commercial food companies do, but you will get decent results on a lot of things.

    Whether or not you need to blanch them depends on the item.

    --
    "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @11:35PM

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @11:35PM (#976507)

      Cookie sheets work well for freezing fresh raspberries. The berries in the back yard come over a few weeks, too fast to eat all at once. We still have a pint bag left from last summer. I use them in cereal, they do get mushy as soon as they are defrosted, but the flavor is great.

  • (Score: 2) by looorg on Friday March 27 2020, @03:42PM (9 children)

    by looorg (578) on Friday March 27 2020, @03:42PM (#976345)

    As noted you can freeze everything, it's just a matter of temperature. That said not all things turn out so good when defrosted. They are usually still eatable they might not just look, and taste, so good after their structure has exploded.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @03:46PM (7 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @03:46PM (#976348)

      In the time of Corona, you make do.

      I just ate some 10 year old frozen spinach in a curry and it was fine.

      • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Friday March 27 2020, @03:57PM (5 children)

        by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday March 27 2020, @03:57PM (#976351) Homepage
        A 10-year-old frozen curry might have been just as good - condiments comdiment. Handy hint - always put potatoes in curry you want to freeze, as they continue to leach up flavours from the spices, and end up quite fantastic.
        --
        Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
        • (Score: 2) by beckett on Saturday March 28 2020, @01:22AM (4 children)

          by beckett (1115) on Saturday March 28 2020, @01:22AM (#976541)

          Freezing kills the spice in a curry.

          • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday March 28 2020, @02:08PM (3 children)

            by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Saturday March 28 2020, @02:08PM (#976629) Homepage
            Says who? Which chemicals in the spices do you think break down into what, and by what mechanism?

            Here's my counter argument, said with exactly as much evidence as your absurd statement: Freezing preserves the spicing in curries excellently.

            And here's my evidence: my curries never degrade with freezing, and in fact some improve. One data point not enough? How about basically every single person who weighed in on this issue here: https://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/1945646
            --
            Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
            • (Score: 2) by beckett on Saturday April 04 2020, @04:43PM (2 children)

              by beckett (1115) on Saturday April 04 2020, @04:43PM (#979065)

              If you can't taste the difference between a fresh and frozen-then-thawed your curry, then you do you.

              • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Sunday April 05 2020, @09:17AM (1 child)

                by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Sunday April 05 2020, @09:17AM (#979335) Homepage
                Then I do what?

                However, I do hope you realise that no matter what I might conditionally "do", your statement is about as logical as "If my gran had 3 legs, she'd be a camera tripod".
                --
                Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
                • (Score: 2) by beckett on Thursday April 09 2020, @12:47AM

                  by beckett (1115) on Thursday April 09 2020, @12:47AM (#980452)

                  Sounds like you’ll figure it out.

      • (Score: 2) by looorg on Friday March 27 2020, @03:57PM

        by looorg (578) on Friday March 27 2020, @03:57PM (#976352)

        I'm sure this is how the eventual plague will get started ...

    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:22AM

      by driverless (4770) on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:22AM (#976581)

      An example of something that may not work out well is baked products like bread, which can get freezer burn if left for too long. You can still eat it, but it's not particularly nice.

  • (Score: 5, Insightful) by tizan on Friday March 27 2020, @03:49PM (2 children)

    by tizan (3245) on Friday March 27 2020, @03:49PM (#976349)

    When freezing milk and other liguids (soups, etc) remember to leave enough space in the container for the expansion.
    Those plastic gallons of milk, we commonly get at US grocery stores, will explode in a freezer ...you are better off using a little and remove the cap and let freeze before replacing the cap.

    • (Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday March 27 2020, @05:38PM (1 child)

      by DeathMonkey (1380) on Friday March 27 2020, @05:38PM (#976382) Journal

      Back when I had a Costco membership I would freeze the 2 gal containers as-is with no problem. So, YMMV I guess....

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 28 2020, @04:28AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 28 2020, @04:28AM (#976565)

        I don't think they sell 2 gallon size of milk anymore. No dried beans either. ;(

  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by FatPhil on Friday March 27 2020, @04:05PM (3 children)

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Friday March 27 2020, @04:05PM (#976354) Homepage
    Why would you freeze chocolate? It lasts for years. If stored at an inappropriate or variable temperature, it can bloom, but that barely affects the taste.
    Why would you freeze flour? It's a dry good, and lasts for years.
    Why would you freeze nuts? They last for years (OK, some better than others).

    Personally, my fresszing advice would be: Make 5 times the amount you need, and freeze 60% of it in meal-sized portions. Voila - instant meal some time in the future. Curries, chillis, spag bol (sans spag), stews, etc. all keep fantastically.
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
    • (Score: 3, Interesting) by krishnoid on Friday March 27 2020, @04:40PM

      by krishnoid (1156) on Friday March 27 2020, @04:40PM (#976365)

      I think freezing/refrigerating keeps the grain/nut oils from oxidizing (?) and otherwise spoiling at room temperature. Chocolate is solid through-and-through, so I bet nothing can penetrate the surface to cause it to spoil.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @06:27PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @06:27PM (#976400)

      "Why would you freeze flour? It's a dry good, and lasts for years."

      Not when these buggers get in there, which freezing prevents:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confused_flour_beetle [wikipedia.org]

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by driverless on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:25AM

        by driverless (4770) on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:25AM (#976582)

        Pantry moths are another thing that you may need to refridgerate dry goods for, they'll chew their way through thick plastic packaging and get into what should be sealed airtight containers.

  • (Score: 4, Funny) by DannyB on Friday March 27 2020, @04:18PM

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Friday March 27 2020, @04:18PM (#976356) Journal

    so be sure to read the source article for details before proceeding!

    Am I the only one who, even after a double take, read that as "read the source code" ?

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
  • (Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @04:39PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @04:39PM (#976363)

    What if we just bought what we needed instead of hording things and freezing them? Then we wouldn't have this artificial scarcity we're producing for absolutely no reason. Not because coronavirus isn't a real concern (it absolutely is) but because there we plenty of things to go around a month ago without the panic and there would be now if everyone just calmed down.

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @04:48PM (1 child)

      by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @04:48PM (#976368)

      I say I need 50 lbs of rice and 20 lbs of oatmeal. I'm going to use it eventually.

      • (Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @05:01PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @05:01PM (#976374)

        Grind together into a pulp, dry/bake in thin sheets, make into crumbly toilet paper, that is good for your skin to boot.

    • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Friday March 27 2020, @05:49PM (1 child)

      by PiMuNu (3823) on Friday March 27 2020, @05:49PM (#976385)

      > there would be now if everyone just calmed down.

      Are people really panic buying now, 3 weeks after it all kicked off? Or is there really a problem with the supply chain?

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @07:25PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @07:25PM (#976422)

        I asked at my local warehouse store as well as grocery, and they say they are restocking regularly. It really is (for now) people are still buying toilet paper as quickly as they stock it. I really don't know why, other than "I see everyone else buying it."

        Apparently everyone fancies themselves as bread bakers because flour is scarce and yeast is non-existent. And you know most people will bake a loaf or two and quickly lose interest and all that yeast will go to waste.

    • (Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:00AM

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:00AM (#976576)

      Having a lot of food stored isn't the problem. It's the sudden transition that people have made from just-in-time to stocking up that's causing the problems. That's a transient effect. If people get in the habit of having large supplies on hand, that won't alter the demand for food in the long run--except for spoilage which is exactly what's being addressed here. We'll definitely have more spoilage with more home storage, but not enough to empty shelves. Then when we do get a shock to the system again, hoarding may be reduced because people will already have stored goods. Personally, I freeze lots of garden tomatoes and corn every year. I had to run to the store to stock up on some things, but tomatoes were not on the list. That's a few cans of tomatoes and corn that were left on the shelf for somebody who needed them.

    • (Score: 2) by hendrikboom on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:52PM

      by hendrikboom (1125) Subscriber Badge on Sunday March 29 2020, @09:52PM (#977034) Homepage Journal

      I bought 8 kg of rice recently because it was the only bag of rice left in the grocery store.
      It will last me a long time. One cup to rice plus two cups of water is good for several meals!

  • (Score: 4, Informative) by KritonK on Friday March 27 2020, @05:11PM (3 children)

    by KritonK (465) on Friday March 27 2020, @05:11PM (#976378)

    According to TFA, you can freeze fresh herbs by mixing them with oil and freezing them in an ice cube tray.

    You can also chop them and freeze them plain, but depending on the herbs, you might need to blanch them first. (I.e., dip them in boiling water for a minute.) I've had good luck with parsley and dill, frozen fresh. Leaf celery requires blanching. (At least this is what an aunt, who taught me about freezing herbs, told me. I've never tried to freeze unblanched leaf celery, to see what will happen!)

    This is very handy for those of us who don't cook often enough or in great enough quantities, to use up an entire bunch of, say, parsley, before it rots in the fridge.

    • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Friday March 27 2020, @06:04PM (2 children)

      by nitehawk214 (1304) on Friday March 27 2020, @06:04PM (#976392)

      Works good for garlic too. Though definitely don't use an ice cube tray you plan on using for water later. :)

      --
      "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
      • (Score: 2) by KritonK on Friday March 27 2020, @06:19PM (1 child)

        by KritonK (465) on Friday March 27 2020, @06:19PM (#976397)

        I guess you mean freezing garlic with oil in ice cube trays. Chopped or whole cloves?

        I tried freezing plain garlic cloves once, without oil, and they turned orange! They were usable, but I don't want to try it again.

        • (Score: 1) by nitehawk214 on Saturday March 28 2020, @09:46AM

          by nitehawk214 (1304) on Saturday March 28 2020, @09:46AM (#976592)

          Chopped or puree. I have frozen whole cloves too, but you are right it doesn't turn out great.

          --
          "Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @11:47PM (2 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday March 27 2020, @11:47PM (#976509)

    Unless I skipped over it, no one mentioned frozen fish. We happen to like steelhead trout and for awhile one of the more distant local markets had a good source that was vacuum bagged and frozen directly after filleting. At first we bought it defrosted in the fish case (and cooked that day). Later we got to know the fish guy and he let us buy it frozen. So we'd buy a few and save some trips to his store.

    Now we have a source of fresh, so when it comes in we buy a few and freeze them. Just defrosted one last week, wonderful, frozen at least 6 months ago. We bake in the oven: put on a baking sheet with raised edges, fully wrapped in wide aluminum foil, sprinkle liberally with Worcestershire sauce (really!) before folding up the foil. Depends on the thickness, usually 12-15 minutes at 450F is enough.

    • (Score: 2) by driverless on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:52AM (1 child)

      by driverless (4770) on Saturday March 28 2020, @07:52AM (#976585)

      Alternatively, you could spray it with WD40 and then fry it. It won't stick to the pan, and it gives it an interesting taste.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @01:48AM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday March 29 2020, @01:48AM (#976800)

        Where do you want to meet for the taste test? I'll bring the baked (with dousing of Worcestershire) and you do it your way with petroleum.

  • (Score: 2) by VLM on Saturday March 28 2020, @08:22PM

    by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Saturday March 28 2020, @08:22PM (#976746)

    apples ... will turn mushy when defrosted

    Bug or feature? If you want a crisp apple in your brown bag lunch, its a bug. If you want the worlds laziest applesauce, its a feature. If you're going to toss it in a high carb smoothie, which is not healthy but is delicious, then you don't really care one way or the other as long as its peeled first.

    Something somehow missed is my pastry chef mother in law used to store her powdered confectioners sugar in the freezer. She doesn't understand all the thermodynamics, but the vapor pressure of water being very low in the freezer helps it remain lump free or at least less lumpy. I don't think you can do this for bulk storage due to condensation when you open the bag.

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