Freezer Blues
Freezers certainly provide a welcome convenience when it comes to cooking and dining, but they can be a major crutch and sometimes even ruin entire meals. Most chefs and home cooks can agree that there are certain items that should never be in a freezer.
1. Steak
It may be cheap to buy some bulk steak and store it in the freezer, but you’re essentially ruining the flavor and texture of quite an expensive piece. It’s better to save steak for special occasions, that way you can always buy it fresh and avoid the water leakage that occurs when you thaw frozen meats.
2. TV Dinners
There’s no better place for a frozen TV dinner than in a freezer, but many chefs agree that they’re a terrible idea. Not only are they loaded with icky preservatives, but they’re honestly pricey too. It’s far better to just do your own meal prep and portion out weekly meals in the fridge. Or you can even freeze your own home-cooked meals!
3. Chicken
Proteins in general have no place in the freezer, and this applies to most lean meats as well, including chicken breasts and fish. Once they’re stashed in the freezer, they get this dry quality to them that ruins most dishes.
4. Mussels
Seafood enthusiasts should know that certain temperatures can easily ruin the freshness and flavor of certain items. One such item is mussels, which should always be bought and eaten fresh to avoid them losing all their water in the pan.
5. Strawberries
While storing fruits and veggies in the freezer is a great way to preserve their seasonality and freshness, it doesn’t seem to work the same way for strawberries. This is because strawberries have a porous nature that causes them to disintegrate and turn mushy—even in smoothies!
6. Waffles
Plenty of breakfast brands offer freezer waffles, and they’re quite convenient to load up in the toaster. However, you’ll never be able to enjoy the true fluffiness or softness of a waffle if you freeze it, as they become quite dry.
7. Choux Pastry
If you’re in the mood for baking, then choux pastry might be just the thing you need for airy and creamy puffs. But be warned, if you leave that pastry in the freezer, you should be ready for soggy shells and lackluster filling flavor.
8. Herbs
You might think it would be such a time and cost saver to store herbs in the freezer, but you should think twice. Herbs only accentuate meals when they’re fresh, and once they’re frozen up like cubes, they lose their flavor and become watery, soggy messes. You can always grow them in your house to have them around 24/7.
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9. Scallops
Another protein that should never see the inside of your freezer is scallops, which have a tendency to retain water. The downside is when you thaw them out, they leak all that water over your pan, and become tough in texture.
10. Bread
People may argue about whether bread belongs out on the counter or in the fridge, but you won’t hear any takers for frozen bread. The best bread is the type that comes out buttery and fresh off the oven. On the other hand, frozen bread becomes dense and has this weird texture that sucks.
Now that we have discussed items that should never be frozen, here are 10 that are better in the freezer!
1. Cheese
You can buy frozen bags of cheese for cheap, or if you have a special cheese in mind, you can pick out the blocks, grate it yourself, and store it in a Ziploc bag. Just be sure to avoid freezing it in a large block, as that’s quite hard to work with.
2. Spinach
Most vegetables tend to freeze great, and spinach does an exceptional job at this. Additionally, spinach is so versatile and can be used in many dishes, which is why it never hurts to have a bag at hand.
3. Nuts
You might not have expected to see nuts on this list, but it turns out nuts freeze just fine. This is great for stashing in-season nuts, even the kind you harvest yourself.
4. Stock
Whether you prefer store-bought stock or homemade variants, this is another versatile ingredient that is great to have on hand. Like most liquids, be mindful of expansion when freezing it. You can even use ice trays and then essentially have little blocks of flavor.
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5. Soups
While canned soups may seem like a cheap alternative to freezer variants, they are very high in salt, fats, and preservatives. Most people say it’s better to make your own soup, but rather than having to do it every day, you can save yourself some trouble by freezing leftover servings.
6. Milk
Many people think liquids should avoid freezers, and while this is somewhat true, you can easily get away with it when freezing milk. It turns out both dairy-free and dairy-inclusive milk stores for months in the freezer. Just be sure to leave extra space in the container to account for expansion.
7. Seasonal Fruits
Aside from the case of strawberries, plenty of fruits do great in the freezer. You can get smoothie mix blends or pick out your favorites and have them in stock all season long—even when they’re out of season!
8. Leftover Meat
While it’s best to avoid freezing whole proteins, if you’ve used up the parts you want and are planning on throwing it away, you can instead freeze them. These leftover bits can then be used later as fillings!
9. Pre-Made Meals
While you should certainly avoid store-bought TV dinners and frozen meals, you can go ahead and make your own meals and stash away as many as you like. This is because by making them at home, you avoid the high salt contents and preservatives.
10. Pierogies
Some chefs may argue you should be making pierogies by hand, but let’s be honest, they freeze exceptionally well, last a long time, and are still super delicious. Just be sure to first boil your pierogies in water, and then pan-fry them with some butter to get that crisp shell!
