Questions tagged [freezing]
Methods, techniques, and quality/safety concerns around the freezing of various foods.
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How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?
I've often been told by people that I shouldn't refreeze meat (particularly hamburger meat) once it has been thawed. However, this seems a little silly to me. I can't imagine how meat that hasn't ...
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Once a month cooking
I've heard of "once a month cooking" or "freezer cooking," where you basically spend a day cooking and fill your freezer with the next month's worth of food. This could especially come in handy when ...
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Why does frozen food still have an expiration date?
In a below 0°C environment, no bacteria or fungi may grow. How could time "spoil" frozen food?
edit: More concretely, I have lobsters and pizza dough that stayed really long in my freezer, are ...
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Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?
I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time.
Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking?
Update:
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Can my freezer be too cold?
The FDA recommends a freezer temperature of 0˚F (-18˚C). Warmer temperatures risk bacterial growth and quality problems. But what are the reasons not to set the freezer colder? My Bosch freezer can be ...
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How to chill beer quickly?
We all know the situation.
The party is about to begin, it's really hot outside and we forget to put the beer (or similar drink) into the fridge...
What is your way to chill beer really fast?
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Why are there spikes growing out of my ice tray?
This is sooo weird. As is my habit, I filled my ice trays with cold tap water and let them settle on the counter for 15 minutes or so. Then I put them in the freezer. A few hours later I opened the ...
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Why not use alcohol ice?
I don't really drink alcohol so it's more of a theoretical question.
I know that some people don't like ice because it dilutes the drink, so they prefer to use metal or stone cubes instead.
However ...
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Why did my Turkey Stock turn into gelatin?
We took our left-over turkey carcass and parts and simmered them for a few hours with water in a pot with some herbs and veggies. After removing the solids, and separating the fat, we placed it in ...
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Is it okay to keep flour in the freezer?
Years ago I noticed I was getting little bugs in the flour that I kept in the pantry. To prevent this, I started keeping my flour in the freezer. I don't do a lot of baking, but I was wondering what ...
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Can I freeze roux?
Is it possible to prepare a (large) batch of roux and then freeze it, or will the texture and flavour be destroyed in the process?
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Why is expired frozen chicken safe to eat?
It seems to be a widely held belief that that freezing chicken, and then defrosting, cooking, and eating it much later (well past the expiration date) is a perfectly fine thing to do.
What makes it ...
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Can raw eggs be frozen?
If raw eggs are nearing their expiry date, can they be preserved in the freezer? Would there be any issues with them after taking them out of the freezer?
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Can meat freeze from the inside out?
We received a turkey recently which was meant to be 'fresh'. When it arrived it was frozen on the inside. We are told that the fridge was probably set a bit low so the turkey froze on the inside.
I'...
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Can I freeze Milk?
After a bit of miscommunication, my wife and I ended up buying 6 litres of milk between us. I don't really want to waste it, so I'm wondering if it's safe to freeze some of it and defrost and use it ...
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Does polenta freeze well?
Does freezing polenta substantially change its consistency? I like polenta but would prefer to make it in batches instead of every time I want to eat it. After I make it, I usually let it cool, cut ...
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Can whole chilli peppers be frozen?
I have some Dorset Naga chilli peppers bought from the local supermarket.
Aren't they lovely? :)
Well, unfortunately, my local supermarket (I think the only one in the UK that stocks them) doesn't ...
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How to make large clear ice cubes
I want to make some ice cubes that are large (1" on a side or more), crystal clear, and perfectly cubical. I want them large to make my drinks dilute less slowly, and clear and cubical because I think ...
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How to properly freeze kefir grains
I have been making kefir regularly for a couple years. Lately, however, my family's interest in it has waned and I have been using it less often and so feeding it less often.
I want to store some ...
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Does keeping a fridge/freezer full significantly help energy efficiency?
This is one of those statements I frequently encounter, but I've never really seen evidence to support it. The advice often goes even further to say that if your fridge/freezer is relatively empty, ...
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How should I deal with blood released while thawing meat in the refrigerator?
Saturday I pulled a package of venison from my freezer to thaw and hope to make stroganoff with it tonight. However, this morning I noticed that the package (in a bowl) had really released a lot of ...
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Labeling Food for the Freezer
I freeze stuff. Anything from Bolognese to stew. I portion these meals, after they've cooled, into meal-sized Tupperware boxes and stuff them randomly into my crowded freezer.
The problem is that it'...
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Could I use a blast chiller to make modern frozen meals at home?
Over the last decade or so I have noticed that the quality of store-bought frozen meals has increased. And after heating, the quality of the frozen food is better than my own prepared meals that I ...
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Is it better to freeze crepe batter or cooked crepes?
I sometimes make crepe pancakes with the following recipe: 200g of flour, 350ml of milk, 2 eggs and a table spoon of vegetable oil.
I was wondering whether it was better to store the crepe batter in ...
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How long does uncooked meat last when kept in the freezer? [duplicate]
Chicken, beef, or even shrimp? How long can I keep it there before it goes bad?
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What is a refrigerator tray in older recipes?
Many older cookbooks call for filling a “refrigerator tray”. For example, in the 1960 Better Homes and Gardens Dessert Cook Book the recipe for “Banana Ice Cream” says to “Pour into refrigerator trays....
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Why peel tomatoes?
Everyone seems to think it is necessary to peel tomatoes before canning or freezing them. Since I do not peel tomatoes when I'm cooking with them (soups, salsa, etc.), I'm wondering if I can freeze ...
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Why does frozen food seem to have lost its original taste and texture after reheating?
I usually freeze my leftovers.
Then, when I reheat them, the flavors are diminished - less salt, less chili, less everything.
Any ideas why?
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How should I store raw steaks in the freezer?
What's the best method for storing steaks in the freezer? How should I wrap them? Should they be stored individually?
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Defrosting pizza dough correctly?
Last time I made pizza dough I was a bit...generous with the ingredients - not a problem, I thought, as I'd read before somewhere that pizza dough is nicely freezable. So, I broke the dough in half, ...
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How do I label already-frozen bags?
We have a question about how to label things for the freezer in general, but that's for if you've managed to plan ahead. What if you have a bag in the freezer, already thoroughly frozen, so tape doesn'...
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Can I freeze ice cream base before creaming it?
I recently acquired an ice cream maker, and successfully used it to make sone chocolate and coffee ice cream. The ice cream maker is actively cooled, but I doubt it makes a different.
Most ice cream ...
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Should homemade lasagna be frozen cooked or uncooked?
My wife and I are prepping some meals ahead of time before Baby #2 arrives early next month.
She just made 3 small lasagnas (8"x8" pans) this afternoon and we are debating whether to bake them first ...
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Why blanche vegetables before freezing?
I have a bumper crop of french beans, runners, and (earlier in the summer) peas. I know that we're supposed to blanche vegetables prior to freezing and my general purpose cookbooks tell me how long to ...
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Is there a difference between freezing meat at 26°F and 0°F?
According to this answer, you are allowed to market turkeys as fresh as long as they haven't been frozen below 26°F. What is the purpose of this law/regulation?
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How much does freezing grapes longer sweeten them more?
My grandparents in Toronto bought 10 kg of Ontario coronation grapes from Loblaws on Sep 1 2019, as they have been doing the past 10 years. They don't know why, but the grapes taste too sour and ...
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Why wait for some hours before filling any food into a new freezer?
User manuals of some freezers indicate that for the first few hours after switching on the new freezer, one should not put any food into it. For instance, I am looking at a specimen that requires me ...
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What is the best way to store stock in the freezer?
What is the best way to store stock in the freezer?
I can think of ice cubes and plastic bags, but am looking for other ideas.
Also, what would be the optimal portion size?
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What can I do with frozen eggs?
Although a previous question asks if raw eggs can be frozen, my eggs froze, in the shell, because the chicken coop into which they were delivered was very cold last week.
I thawed the eggs, and they ...
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Can you freeze soup?
I am planning on making soup with my leftover turkey frame. I was just wondering if it is possible to freeze the soup and have it taste good when it is thawed. I am guessing it should be fine as long ...
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Are there things you cannot freeze?
There are a lot of edible things that come to mind when I think about what can be frozen. But when I think about things you better not put in the freezer, I honestly have no idea.
So, what food and/...
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Can I freeze Parmesan?
I am thinking about buying a larger amount of Parmesan and freeze it for later use. Is this possible? How long can I keep it for? How is the taste/texture affected?
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How to cook popcorn from frozen popcorn kernels?
I'm in a part of the tropics where weevils and other similar critters seem to get everywhere. Last time I bought popcorn kernels, they'd somehow got infested before I'd even opened the packet (the ...
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How can I chill ice coffee quickly?
I brew coffee using a french press. After I've pressed it, how can I make it chill fast?
I've tried pouring it into a wider container (larger surface area) and putting it in the freezer. This is not ...
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Can I freeze beef stew?
I've made too much beef stew, and I'd love to be able to freeze it instead of letting it go bad.
It's a stew with cooked vegetables and chunks of beef.
Will this freeze and defrost well?
(If it ...
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Is a longer defrost better than microwave defrosting?
I was taught the idea that if you let frozen meat thaw out over night then it is better for the end product that defrosting it in the microwave? Does this have merit or is it just an old wives tale?
...
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What is it in frozen food that makes chefs so mad?
Gordon Ramsay's number two complaint (we know the first...) is that the food was frozen. But I am confused about the specifics. Does he mean the meat was not thawed before cooking? Does he mean that ...
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How long can fresh yeast be frozen?
I've heard that I can actually buy a large box of fresh yeast cubes, freeze it, and take one out of the freezer twelve hours before using it, to let it slowly get to room temperature again.
How long ...
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How to make part bake baguettes and rolls?
I'm not sure if these are available everywhere but in the UK we buy these part baked bread rolls from the supermarket and after about 10mins in the oven, you essentially have fresh baked bread and ...
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Freeze cookies before or after baking them?
I need to make many batches of cookies for a party next Saturday, and I would like to start baking them now. To make sure they're still tasting fresh six days later, I want to take advantage of my ...
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