# You can freeze that? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 2, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038 "2005-02-02T20:44:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/1 "2005-02-02T20:44:13Z")
In [Help Me Make a Better Lasagna](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300105), Angua asks if it’s possible to freeze a lasagna. It is, if you wrap it carefully in plastic wrap and make sure to keep it level. But it occurred to me there’s lots of foods that can be frozen if properly prepared. So please ask your freezing questions and share your freezing tips. I’ll even go first. Question: Can you freeze a half full bottle of wine without affecting the taste? Does it matter if you use one of pump things to remove most of the air first? Tip: You can freeze unopened bags of potato chips. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/2 "2005-02-02T21:24:24Z")
You can freeze a whole parsley bush, and break off ‘chunks’ when needed, which then crumble in your hand. ---
**Author:** ![Uncommon\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Uncommon\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncommon_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/3 "2005-02-02T21:42:25Z")
> [@The Devil's Grandmother](#): > > I’ll even go first. > > Question: Can you freeze a half full bottle of wine without affecting the taste? Does it matter if you use one of pump things to remove most of the air first? Yes, and yes. But why? Wine will last quite some time in the fridge with the air pumped out of it. No real reason to freeze it. I would recon that freezing the wine would be akin to bruising it. You tend to seperate stuff when you freeze stuff and wine is the fine art of blending different things over time. Allowing the different parts of the wine to age together makes it all the better. So, I would like to say No don’t freeze the wine. > [@](#): > > Tip: You can freeze unopened bags of potato chips. To what benefit? Hell, you can freeze anything, but lots of stuff you have to ask - Why? ---
**Author:** ![rjk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ed655f/32.png) [@rjk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjk)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/4 "2005-02-02T21:48:15Z")
Herbs freeze well. Chop coarsely and pack in an ice-cube tray with enough water to cover, then transfer to a freezer bag. Drop a cube or two into soup or stew. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/5 "2005-02-02T21:49:02Z")
> [@Uncommon Sense](#): > > To what benefit? Hell, you can freeze anything, but lots of stuff you have to ask - Why? My mom froze chips, I think to prevent us from eating all the chips at once. She’d buy a lot of sale, you see, and the freezer “hid” them from view. I found later that it reduced the slight “off flavor” of rancid oil you get when you keep chips too long at room temperature. I was wondering about the wine because I normally freeze herb cubes with water to add later to soups and things. Last year I started trying to use broth, wine, \*whatever \* instead of water for all cooking projects. Broth works ok for the herb cubes but I wasn’t sure if freezing would damage the wine. WIll wine freeze all the way through or will I have a little core of brandy? ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/6 "2005-02-02T21:58:44Z")
I love the title. I want it to be a foodie’s game show. Cooked pasta doesn’t freeze all that well, if it’s in soup. You can freeze milk, butter, cheese, yogurt, creamer without it going all funny. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/7 "2005-02-02T22:09:39Z")
Most people don’t know that you can freeze live clams. When you decide to use them, remove from the freezer, put in a pan of water and steam them open as you would if they were fresh. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/8 "2005-02-02T22:09:59Z")
One thing my mum does is to finely chop thin green chillies and corriander, mix them together, and freeze them in ice cube trays. Quick and easy spice mix for curries, stews, soups, anything. And thank you **Devil’s Grandmother** for the lasagne tip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/9 "2005-02-02T23:05:13Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > I want it to be a foodie’s game show. Like a specialist’s Jeopardy? I’ll take animal parts for $100, Alex. Hey Chefguy! Should I wash the clams first or should I just drop their sandy little butts into a bag? If you rub the dirt off oranges and lemons you can freeze them whole in thier skins. It seems to work better if they are not touching each other while freezing. ---
**Author:** ![Cowgirl\_Jules](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4af34b/32.png) [@Cowgirl\_Jules](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cowgirl_Jules)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/10 "2005-02-02T23:15:49Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Most people don’t know that you can freeze live clams. When you decide to use them, remove from the freezer, put in a pan of water and steam them open as you would if they were fresh. Really? That’s going to be so handy - I’ll walk by the seafood display, but if I"m not in the mood for clams that night, I won’t buy them. Then, when the seafood special is gone from Costco, I’m craving clams. Next time I’ll pop them in the freezer. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/11 "2005-02-02T23:46:07Z")
**Chefguy** , would that work with mussels, too? I’m the only one who really likes them, but I don’t want to eat a whole 2 pound bag at once. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2005, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/12 "2005-02-02T23:58:46Z")
Grated lime and lemon peels freeze nicely. Having a little jar of them stashed away cuts down on last minute trips to the store. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/13 "2005-02-03T00:15:49Z")
If you’re planning on shellfish, check they haven’t been frozen during the transportation process - refreezing thawed seafood is a good way to increase risk of all sorts of nastiness. ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/14 "2005-02-03T00:23:49Z")
How do you figure that? Why would refreezing increase the risk of disease? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/15 "2005-02-03T02:56:10Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > **Chefguy** , would that work with mussels, too? I’m the only one who really likes them, but I don’t want to eat a whole 2 pound bag at once. I seem to recall doing it with mussels as well. **Devil’s Grandmother** : It doesn’t make any difference. You would probably be better off washing them first. ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/16 "2005-02-03T04:08:13Z")
You can freeze avocados and they’ll still be good for guacamole. Or did everyone know that but me? When we froze milk it always seemed to seperate upon thawing. Is there a trick **Ginger**? Cream cheese _doesn’t_ freeze well. ---
**Author:** ![Cherry2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cherry2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cherry2000)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/17 "2005-02-03T04:13:37Z")
I freeze berries (strawberries, raspberries, etc.). Rinse them and pat them dry. Spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Freeze until solid, them slide them into freezer bags. I also cut green peppers and jalapeno peppers into strips and freeze them the same way. Them I always have some around when I want them, and can pull out just what I need. ---
**Author:** ![dwyr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwyr/32/363_2.png) [@dwyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dwyr)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/18 "2005-02-03T04:20:40Z")
When bananas get a bit too ripe to eat I just chuck them, still in their skin, into the freezer. The skin will turn black but that’s ok. They’ll be goopy when you thaw them out but they make simply fantastic, fragrant banana bread. Or muffins. Or cake. Or even a banana lassi. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 6:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/19 "2005-02-03T06:44:16Z")
[David Letterman] Will it free-ee-eeze, will it freeze? [/David Letterman] My sister used to freeze 7-up, and then eat it. It was a like a popsicle, but with small holes (i.e. bubbles) and without a fruit flavor of any kind. Big waste of time… ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2005, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038/20 "2005-02-03T14:27:06Z")
Things I have frozen: Bread Pasta Dough (egg) Muffins Butter Stock Duxelles (Mushroom paste) Rosemary Parmesan cheese (only use melted) Lemon Juice (As ice-cubes) Orange Segments (Eat frozen) Things I have heard freeze well but haven’t frozen: Bread Dough Pie crust (short and flaky) Wine ([see here, very wierd](http://www.oxfordwineroom.com/freezingwine.asp)) Basil in Olive Oil Citrus Zest Coconut Milk (look for frozen coconut milk at ethnic grocers, it’s slightly worse than fresh but better than canned) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/you-can-freeze-that/288038.md?page=2)