Many of us will sometimes cook too much of something or miscalculate and buy too much of an item. Instead of getting rid of the food, we turn to our freezers for help. While freezing is a great way to avoid excess food going to waste, it’s not always the best option. Some foods will actually lose their taste, texture, or quality when placed in the freezer.
Below is a list of eight food items you might want to avoid placing in the freezer:
1. Creamy Foods
Foods such as yogurt, sour cream, or dips that contain cream in them will not hold up in frozen conditions. When they are frozen and then defrosted they’ll separate and lose their consistency.
2. Gravy
Similar to creamy foods, when frozen and then defrosted, gravy will separate. This is due to many graves using cornstarch or flour to thicken them. While it might be tempting to save your leftover Thanksgiving gravy in the freezer until next year, don’t do it.
3. Whole Eggs
Eggs that are still in their shell are an absolute no-no for freezing. Just don’t do it.
4. Soft Cheeses
When it comes to cheese, there is a divide. While hard cheeses like cheddar or parmesan are okay to go into the freezer, soft cheese like goat cheese, cream cheese, ricotta, etc., should never be frozen.
5. Cooked Pasta
While it might seem like a good idea to make pasta in bulk in order to defrost whenever needed, you might want to avoid the temptation. Cooked pasta will not maintain its integrity and when it’s thawed it will be soggy.
6. Fruits and Vegetables that are Water-Based
Fruits and vegetables that contain high water content, such as watermelons, cucumbers, celery, etc., will turn into soggy mush once they are defrosted.
7. Fried Foods
Any fried food that gets frozen will become soggy once it is defrosted. And nobody likes soggy.
8. Milk
Milk is a liquid which means that it can technically be frozen. However, when you defrost it you can look forward to lumpy milk – and that is just gross. Don’t freeze milk.