# Foods You Can Freeze, Foods You Can't. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 24, 2015, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416 "2015-11-24T08:17:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/21 "2015-11-25T02:58:21Z")
Egg whites freeze just fine. You can freeze each one in individual ice cube molds. I have also just kept accumulating them in one freezer bag until I have enough to make an angel food cake. Tomato sauce also freezes nicely. I accumulate the leftovers from several meals and eventually have enough for a meal. Also meatballs. I always make way more than I need and freeze what’s not eaten. Later I can thaw the portion I need for another meal. ---
**Author:** ![Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cabin_fever_1/32/2908_2.png) [@Cabin\_Fever\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabin_Fever_1)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/22 "2015-11-25T03:37:17Z")
Just a question…why on earth would one freeze canned goods? They are sterilized, cooked, sealed, have a Sell-By date (which I have ignored by several years with no ill effect). Perishables, freeze in a proper container. Meat, veggies, fruit, separate from cross-contamination. When your power goes out, eat heartily. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/23 "2015-11-25T06:21:37Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Not only bread, but unrisen bread dough. Just thaw it out at room temperature and it will rise. > > Strawberries and raspberries will freeze, but it’s a two-step process: freeze them single layer on a baking sheet, then bag them or quickly vacuum seal them. Otherwise you end up with a bag of mush. > > Not sure what the OP means by ‘canned goods’. Properly home-canned food will keep for at least a year or two on the shelf. Dill pickles usually _require_ refrigeration, but sweet pickles don’t. > > I used to freeze milk many years ago. Thawed out and vigorously shaken to recombine what has settled out seemed to work. When strawberries or blueberries are on sale, I always freeze a bunch, which I use to make breads or muffins. I just throw them in the batter frozen. Like you said, they have to be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet, then put into bags. I quarter the strawberries first. I also buy green and red peppers in bulk when they’re on sale. I dice them, freeze them on a single layer, and put them in bags. They’re great for omelets, or for adding to fried potatoes. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/24 "2015-11-25T06:22:25Z")
Leafy herbs like cilantro and basil, I either freeze with water in ice cube trays or make into pesto, and freeze that in cube trays, too. ---
**Author:** ![Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/son_of_a_rich/32/5439_2.png) [@Son\_of\_a\_Rich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Son_of_a_Rich)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/25 "2015-11-25T06:27:25Z")
I’ve always kept my potato chips in the freezer. They’re better cold. ---
**Author:** ![movingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@movingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/movingfinger)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/26 "2015-11-25T07:28:16Z")
Don’t repeat don’t freeze potato salad. You will be horrified. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/27 "2015-11-25T07:30:14Z")
I’ve had no success freezing tofu. Am I doing something wrong, or is it just not freezable? Maybe freeze it in a big ice cube? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 9:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/28 "2015-11-25T09:34:47Z")
I’m a little perplexed by the freezing of canned goods as well. The canning process was invented to ensure a long shelf life without freezing. And butter or cheese? I’ve had both for months in the fridge with no ill-effects. It’s butter and cheese for god’s sake, if it is covered properly and you remove any mould (from the cheese) it’ll be OK for ages. Having said that. I do freeze mozzarella as that ends up mushing after too long in the fridge. When defrosted it can be a little grainy and you wouldn’t want it in a salad but torn up on a pizza it is perfectly fine. We used frozen mozzarella for a pizza last night and it was great. Fruit is the real beneficiary of freezing. We freeze loads of apples rhubarb and blackberries when in season and that keeps us in pies and crumbles during the winter. Other softer fruit won’t keep their shape as well (the formation of ice-crystals kills the cell walls) but we often grab reduced packs of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries etc. when we see them in the shop and freeze them for use in milk-shakes, smoothies or compotes. Another winner is bulk buying oriental herbs and spices. Lemongrass, thai basil, turmeric, galangal, chilis, pea aubergines etc. They seem to suffer no ill effects from freezing. If you leave them whole and give them a quick nuke in the microwave they are close enough to fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/29 "2015-11-25T11:27:11Z")
Bananas freeze well for cooking or using in smoothies (chop before freezing). It’s a good way to get use out of ripe (or overripe) bananas you won’t eat. We freeze bread all the time. It’s hot and muggy where we live, especially in the summer, and bread gets moldy quickly if left unfrozen. Only problem is that it breaks apart sometimes when pulling the slices apart. Use a knife to pry them apart. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/30 "2015-11-25T15:06:59Z")
> [@yellowjacketcoder](#): > > …The canned goods I have in my closet have an expiration date sometime in the next decade. How quickly are yours expiring!?! > [@Cabin\_Fever](#): > > Just a question…why on earth would one freeze canned goods? > They are sterilized, cooked, sealed, have a Sell-By date (which I have ignored by several years with no ill effect). > Perishables, freeze in a proper container. Meat, veggies, fruit, separate from cross-contamination. > When your power goes out, eat heartily. I have often wondered that myself (why mine expire so soon). If it’s any help, I do get them from the dollar store, by which time they have already been reject by some other store probably. But yeah, the canned goods I get often expire like the next year, or month or something. And I do sometimes put them in the fridge, esp. if it is something I want chilled anyways. (That is actually what got me thinking about whether or not that would delay the expiration process too.) Yes, I do realize water expands, when it freezes. But cans usu. have ribs on them, that can take a little stretching (or so I’ve assumed). Don’t worry though, I’ve never tried it anyways. I was just wondering out loud. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/31 "2015-11-25T15:16:29Z")
I don’t think the dates on canned goods are expiration as much as “best by” dates. As far as I know, if the can isn’t bulgy, the food within is safe. But I prefer frozen veggies, so I may be all wet about canned. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/32 "2015-11-25T16:51:18Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Egg whites freeze just fine. You can freeze each one in individual ice cube molds. I have also just kept accumulating them in one freezer bag until I have enough to make an angel food cake. See my post #15, you can also freeze the entire egg. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/33 "2015-11-25T18:43:29Z")
You can freeze cookies, candy and pie. I bought a bunch of extra Halloween candy this year and it’s in the freezer. Mom always makes her Christmas cookies well ahead of time and freezes them. My mom also often freezes her Thanksgiving turkey. She cooks it ahead of time, de-bones it, and freezes it in bags of broth. I think it adds a lot to the flavor and juciness! ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/34 "2015-11-25T18:48:39Z")
It’s actually much better to immediately freeze bread than to put it in the fridge. The hierarchy from best to worst seems to be fresh from the oven, frozen and toasted, then refrigerated or stale. ---
**Author:** ![TheFaerie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TheFaerie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheFaerie)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2015, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/35 "2015-11-25T18:58:54Z")
I’m going to try to freeze a pumpkin pie tonight for the first time. I’ve got a vacuum sealer, so after it cools I’m going to put it in a bag and seal it. Instant potluck dish! ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/36 "2015-12-05T23:04:24Z")
I tried freezing parboiled vegetables, and I just wasn’t impressed. They were better than commercial frozen vegetables, but still kind of soggy and flavorless. When I posted earlier, I forgot to add one thing: pancakes. My pancake recipe makes about twice as much batter as I need to make a meal’s worth of pancakes, but I can’t make less, because it calls for one egg and halving one egg was too much fuss. So rather than throw out the unused batter, I started making it all into pancakes, and freezing half of them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Once the pancakes were frozen, I pop them off the cookie sheet and portion them out into serving sizes in ziplock bags. They defrost/reheat very well in the microwave and we get the treat of eating pancakes midweek instead of just on weekend mornings. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2015, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/37 "2015-12-05T23:11:09Z")
You CANNOT freeze low-fat/fat-free margarine-like spreads. The water content (which is mixed in to replace some of the fat) will separate and the whole thing thaws into disgusting oil soup. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/38 "2015-12-06T00:16:50Z")
> [@Dave\_Hartwick](#): > > We freeze bread all the time. It’s hot and muggy where we live, especially in the summer, and bread gets moldy quickly if left unfrozen. This. I imagine you’ll find a lot of the people who freeze things like bread or butter live (or lived) somewhere hot and muggy. I still freeze my bread. I also buy butter when it’s on sale, and freeze it. And leftovers. I freeze those suckers into single-serving portions pretty quickly. All because things get nasty fast, even in a decent fridge, if you live somewhere hot and humid. BTW, homemade cranberry sauce freezes very, very nicely. I have several portions in the freezer. Maybe tomorrow I’ll try making Greek vanilla frozen yogurt with a cranberry sauce swirl. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/39 "2015-12-07T04:45:46Z")
> [@AllShookDown](#): > > Sour cream will get grainy if you freeze it. I’ll be experimenting with frozen fresh cream that I didn’t have time to use this summer. I suspect it’ll be somewhat grainy. I wouldn’t use it for ice cream or whipped cream but I’m sure it’ll be fine in baked goods. I find that containers of whipping cream go on sale at 1/2 price or less after holidays here so I buy a couple and freeze them for the next holiday, they work just fine but need to be defrosted and then shaken if you’re not actually whipping them. > [@teela\_brown](#): > > When I posted earlier, I forgot to add one thing: pancakes. My pancake recipe makes about twice as much batter as I need to make a meal’s worth of pancakes, but I can’t make less, because it calls for one egg and halving one egg was too much fuss. So rather than throw out the unused batter, I started making it all into pancakes, and freezing half of them on a lightly oiled cookie sheet. Once the pancakes were frozen, I pop them off the cookie sheet and portion them out into serving sizes in ziplock bags. They defrost/reheat very well in the microwave and we get the treat of eating pancakes midweek instead of just on weekend mornings. French toast works well too, I’ve gotten to the point now where if the freezer runs out I’ll make a batch specifically to refill it and no need for a special occasion breakfast. Potatoes don’t freeze well whole or in chunks so I leave them out of soups and stews until serving time but mashed potatoes are okay, particularly if you add a fat (butter, sour cream, cream cheese or all of the above work) I’m a huge fan of stocking the freezer and being able to pull most of a meal out of it on nights when I just don’t have the time or energy for anything else. I prefer it to my previous go to - the phone 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2015, 5:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416/40 "2015-12-07T05:49:45Z")
> [@Carryon](#): > > I found that while bread freezes OK, when it’s back to room temp, it is very crumbly and while still good, isn’t quite the same. My grandparents have been freezing bread for years, and you could never tell it was frozen before. They save the old bread bags, and use those to triple bag the bread. When they need a loaf of bread, they leave it thaw on the counter (in all three bags) over night. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/foods-you-can-freeze-foods-you-cant/738416.md?page=3)