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Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [freezing]

Methods, techniques, and quality/safety concerns around the freezing of various foods.

Use this tag if you have a question about:

  • Whether or not a particular food can be frozen safely;
  • How freezing can affect the quality of a food;
  • How to prevent ice crystals, freezer burn, or other issues associated with a frozen food;
  • How to correctly prepare a food for freezing;
  • ...or any other question specifically related to storing food in a freezer

Do not use this tag for questions about pre-frozen foods (i.e. purchased frozen) unless the question is specifically about the subsequent storage of those foods.

If your question is about defrosting a frozen food, use the tag instead.

If you are concerned with the safety (as opposed to quality) of a frozen item, consider including the tag in addition to .

554 questions
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How dangerous is it to refreeze meat that has been thawed?

I've often been told by people that I shouldn't refreeze meat (particularly hamburger meat) once it has been thawed. However, this seems a little silly to me. I can't imagine how meat that hasn't been bought fresh and local could find its way to…
Daniel Bingham
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Once a month cooking

I've heard of "once a month cooking" or "freezer cooking," where you basically spend a day cooking and fill your freezer with the next month's worth of food. This could especially come in handy when preparing for a baby. (Take-out food gets boring…
Dinah
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Why does frozen food still have an expiration date?

In a below 0°C environment, no bacteria or fungi may grow. How could time "spoil" frozen food? edit: More concretely, I have lobsters and pizza dough that stayed really long in my freezer, are they completely useless now?
Fermat's Little Student
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Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?

I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time. Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking? Update: We are now freezing our butter and margarine. It is a…
Justin Nathanael Waters
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Can my freezer be too cold?

The FDA recommends a freezer temperature of 0˚F (-18˚C). Warmer temperatures risk bacterial growth and quality problems. But what are the reasons not to set the freezer colder? My Bosch freezer can be set as low as -8˚F (-22˚C). The only downsides I…
Doug
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Why are there spikes growing out of my ice tray?

This is sooo weird. As is my habit, I filled my ice trays with cold tap water and let them settle on the counter for 15 minutes or so. Then I put them in the freezer. A few hours later I opened the freezer and found that the ice had these nail-like…
Jolenealaska
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How to chill beer quickly?

We all know the situation. The party is about to begin, it's really hot outside and we forget to put the beer (or similar drink) into the fridge... What is your way to chill beer really fast?
Cornelius
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Why did my Turkey Stock turn into gelatin?

We took our left-over turkey carcass and parts and simmered them for a few hours with water in a pot with some herbs and veggies. After removing the solids, and separating the fat, we placed it in the fridge to be frozen the next day. When we…
mohlsen
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Is it okay to keep flour in the freezer?

Years ago I noticed I was getting little bugs in the flour that I kept in the pantry. To prevent this, I started keeping my flour in the freezer. I don't do a lot of baking, but I was wondering what effects this might have on anything I do…
Fezter
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Can I freeze roux?

Is it possible to prepare a (large) batch of roux and then freeze it, or will the texture and flavour be destroyed in the process?
Ruben Steins
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26
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6 answers

Why not use alcohol ice?

I don't really drink alcohol so it's more of a theoretical question. I know that some people don't like ice because it dilutes the drink, so they prefer to use metal or stone cubes instead. However they have smaller thermal capacity and thermal…
Amomum
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Why is expired frozen chicken safe to eat?

It seems to be a widely held belief that that freezing chicken, and then defrosting, cooking, and eating it much later (well past the expiration date) is a perfectly fine thing to do. What makes it safe? And are there any food safety hazards to…
Ana
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9 answers

Can raw eggs be frozen?

If raw eggs are nearing their expiry date, can they be preserved in the freezer? Would there be any issues with them after taking them out of the freezer?
Daniel Vandersluis
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6 answers

Can I freeze Milk?

After a bit of miscommunication, my wife and I ended up buying 6 litres of milk between us. I don't really want to waste it, so I'm wondering if it's safe to freeze some of it and defrost and use it later?
lomaxx
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Can meat freeze from the inside out?

We received a turkey recently which was meant to be 'fresh'. When it arrived it was frozen on the inside. We are told that the fridge was probably set a bit low so the turkey froze on the inside. I'm not rocket surgeon, but I would have thought…
Mr. Flibble
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