65
votes
Why does frozen food still have an expiration date?
Frozen food does spoil over time. Much slower than even just thawed, sure, but don't expect that something that would spoil within few days at just above 0°C will last with unchanged quality for years ...
55
votes
Accepted
Can my freezer be too cold?
One possible consideration is that some frozen desserts (most notably ice creams and sorbets) can be very difficult to scoop if your freezer is too cold. Optimal serving temperature for ice cream is ...
- 912
52
votes
Accepted
Why not use alcohol ice?
Ethanol has a much lower freezing temperature than water: -114°C. This is considerably colder than dry ice and would require expensive specialised equipment to make and store. It would also be ...
- 11.7k
36
votes
Accepted
Labeling Food for the Freezer
As mentioned in comments, masking tape is an excellent solution. It's cheap, it holds well yet comes off easily, it can be torn off at whatever length you need, and you can write on it with just about ...
- 14.9k
35
votes
Accepted
Could I use a blast chiller to make modern frozen meals at home?
Supermarket frozen food is not leftovers.
Aside from the fact that some things freeze well - chilli is almost impossible to break - & some things freeze badly … don't freeze leftover risotto, it ...
- 28.8k
34
votes
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Why wait for some hours before filling any food into a new freezer?
Most of the "cold" in a freezer isn't stored in the air. It's stored in the contents of the freezer, and in the walls (air has a very low volumetric specific heat). However, the thermostat ...
- 681
32
votes
How much does freezing grapes longer sweeten them more?
The time doesn't matter. What you need is a single freeze-thaw cycle. Once your grapes have been frozen solid, holding them frozen won't do anything more.
I get it that you are not happy with the ...
- 135k
26
votes
How can I unstick frozen fish/food quickly?
For the already-stuck fish: no, there is no way. Don't try to chisel them out, I've known somebody who damaged their freezer that way.
For any fish you will be placing there in the future: find a ...
- 135k
25
votes
Accepted
What to do with forgotten, uncovered raw chicken in the freezer?
There’s no safety issue; frozen is frozen. It’s hard to tell from the colors in the photo but they do look a bit dehydrated. Assuming your freezer doesn’t smell weird, this would cause no taste ...
- 26.1k
24
votes
Accepted
Can I freeze beef stew?
Yes, you can freeze stew. You may find that the vegetables are a bit softer or broken into smaller pieces after thawing. If you used a thickening agent (flour, cornstarch), it may separate as it thaws ...
- 2,755
21
votes
How do I label already-frozen bags?
If you can’t get the marker to work, just add another bag around the old one.
- 1,304
19
votes
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Can I freeze cinnamon buns in unbaked roll form
You can certainly freeze it in roll form, but it will be virtually impossible to cut while still frozen*. You'd need to completely thaw the roll in the refrigerator, slice, and then rise in a pan.
It ...
- 1,907
18
votes
How do I label already-frozen bags?
Get a piece of paper, preferably a bit thicker. Write on it with black marker. Wet small part of it with warm water and stick to the frozen thing. The water will freeze acting as a glue.
- 623
18
votes
Why not use alcohol ice?
You could - provided you have a specific custom freezer that can reach as low as -17° F / -27°C - produce whiskey ice cubes.
The question is, should you?
If you are cooling your drink, you are ...
- 57.7k
17
votes
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Is it okay to freeze a cheesecake for a shorter period of time as opposed to chilling it longer?
Don't freeze it. I tried that. The ice crystals that form at the lower temperature make the cheesecake texture awful and can cause cracks.
However, people will eat warm cheesecake so just chill it ...
- 385
17
votes
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Is it better to freeze crepe batter or cooked crepes?
It is a compromise either way. Neither will be as good as freshly made, but both methods will work. As far as frozen batter, you will either need to plan ahead, or be willing to wait for it to thaw. ...
- 72.7k
16
votes
Is goat cheese ravioli freezable?
It's not going to make it dangerous if you're sensible. The texture might suffer a bit, but it will still be edible - better than wasting it. Defrost in the fridge before cooking, not at room ...
- 43k
15
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to freeze ground beef one day before its expiration date?
It's fine to freeze, no need to cook if you don't want to; just be sure to use it immediately after thawing.
Freezing things essentially stops the clock: food will stay just as safe to eat no matter ...
- 58.1k
15
votes
Accepted
What is it in frozen food that makes chefs so mad?
I like chef Ramsay, he can be snobbish and course at times but he knows food and he's a straight shooter and tells it like it is.
Sometimes he's just saying the food isn't hot or even warm in the ...
- 6,324
15
votes
Accepted
Can falafel be made using previously frozen chickpeas?
I made 4 test case batches:
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours
Dried chickpeas, soaked for 24 hours, frozen, then thawed
Canned chickpeas
Canned chickpeas, frozen, then thawed
I tested with canned ...
- 409
15
votes
Can my freezer be too cold?
There is little reason, aside from the obvious ones you already mention, to avoid the coldest setting. You might be concerned with scoop-ability of some frozen desserts, but that probably will not be ...
- 72.7k
15
votes
Accepted
Is it advisable to cook cilantro or mint leaves and store them, instead of blanching them?
No, it is certainly not advisable.
Cooking reduces the fridge life of plants. If you cook your herbs, they will only last 3 days in the fridge. Besides, you will also change the taste, and not for ...
- 135k
13
votes
Can I freeze beef stew?
By all means, freeze the stew! Having some ready meals in the freezer is a wise move, come winter or on a hectic day you'll probably be grateful for it.
Your meat won't suffer and while the veggies ...
- 57.7k
13
votes
How much does freezing grapes longer sweeten them more?
You may be thinking of sweet ice wine. But the grapes used for making that are not only frozen at some point, but juiced while frozen. So the juice is a more concentrated solution of, well, everything ...
- 530
13
votes
Accepted
Is it a good idea to put desiccant packs in the freezer?
You would need a tremendous amount of desiccant to make any significant temporary impact on ice build-up in a freezer. The only major drawback of ice build-up is that it takes up space in the freezer… ...
- 26.1k
13
votes
Why not use alcohol ice?
Many cocktails are shaken with ice, this isn't to mix it - you could do that with a spoon - it's to dilute the drink with water. This seems counterintuitive, but that's usually desired. The idea of ...
- 74.1k
12
votes
What is a refrigerator tray in older recipes?
I ran a quick search on ebay Images. Looks like a refrigerator tray is a shallow glass or enameled dish. I saw a few plastic ones, also from the 60s-70s.
- 129
12
votes
Can I freeze ice cream base before creaming it?
There should be no problem with your approach from a safety perspective as long as the base doesn't spent too long in the danger zone. From a consistency standpoint you are fine as long as you use a ...
- 74.1k
11
votes
Accepted
Freeze or refrigerate bread?
Methods, from best to worst (assuming the bread is in a sealed plastic bag):
Freezing
Room temperature
Refrigerating
According to the FAQs for Dave's Killer Bread, which does not use preservatives:
...
- 1,080
11
votes
Why does frozen food still have an expiration date?
They are most likely "best by" dates, meaning quality may suffer, but they remain safe.
- 72.7k
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