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 .

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How do I label already-frozen bags?

We have a question about how to label things for the freezer in general, but that's for if you've managed to plan ahead. What if you have a bag in the freezer, already thoroughly frozen, so tape doesn't stick well and markers don't write well?…
Cascabel
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Is there a difference between freezing meat at 26°F and 0°F?

According to this answer, you are allowed to market turkeys as fresh as long as they haven't been frozen below 26°F. What is the purpose of this law/regulation?
Philip
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Why blanche vegetables before freezing?

I have a bumper crop of french beans, runners, and (earlier in the summer) peas. I know that we're supposed to blanche vegetables prior to freezing and my general purpose cookbooks tell me how long to give each vegetable. I believe that blanching…
Tea Drinker
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Should homemade lasagna be frozen cooked or uncooked?

My wife and I are prepping some meals ahead of time before Baby #2 arrives early next month. She just made 3 small lasagnas (8"x8" pans) this afternoon and we are debating whether to bake them first and then freeze them down, or freezing them…
psubsee2003
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Can I freeze ice cream base before creaming it?

I recently acquired an ice cream maker, and successfully used it to make sone chocolate and coffee ice cream. The ice cream maker is actively cooled, but I doubt it makes a different. Most ice cream recipes call for preparing some sort of mix of egg…
Vladimir Cravero
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Why wait for some hours before filling any food into a new freezer?

User manuals of some freezers indicate that for the first few hours after switching on the new freezer, one should not put any food into it. For instance, I am looking at a specimen that requires me to wait for 6 hours before starting to fill…
O. R. Mapper
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What is the best way to store stock in the freezer?

What is the best way to store stock in the freezer? I can think of ice cubes and plastic bags, but am looking for other ideas. Also, what would be the optimal portion size?
Markus
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How much does freezing grapes longer sweeten them more?

My grandparents in Toronto bought 10 kg of Ontario coronation grapes from Loblaws on Sep 1 2019, as they have been doing the past 10 years. They don't know why, but the grapes taste too sour and acidic this year, and they couldn't eat any more after…
user24882
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What can I do with frozen eggs?

Although a previous question asks if raw eggs can be frozen, my eggs froze, in the shell, because the chicken coop into which they were delivered was very cold last week. I thawed the eggs, and they seem fine, except that the yolks are solid /…
David LeBauer
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Can I freeze beef stew?

I've made too much beef stew, and I'd love to be able to freeze it instead of letting it go bad. It's a stew with cooked vegetables and chunks of beef. Will this freeze and defrost well? (If it matters, I bought the beef frozen, not fresh -- but I…
Ziv
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Can you freeze soup?

I am planning on making soup with my leftover turkey frame. I was just wondering if it is possible to freeze the soup and have it taste good when it is thawed. I am guessing it should be fine as long there aren't any noodles in the soup. Other than…
Kyra
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Can I freeze Parmesan?

I am thinking about buying a larger amount of Parmesan and freeze it for later use. Is this possible? How long can I keep it for? How is the taste/texture affected?
Sven
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Are there things you cannot freeze?

There are a lot of edible things that come to mind when I think about what can be frozen. But when I think about things you better not put in the freezer, I honestly have no idea. So, what food and/or drinks come out of the freezer unusable? (I…
Mien
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Freeze cookies before or after baking them?

I need to make many batches of cookies for a party next Saturday, and I would like to start baking them now. To make sure they're still tasting fresh six days later, I want to take advantage of my freezer. I can find advice all over the internet on…
Erica
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How to cook popcorn from frozen popcorn kernels?

I'm in a part of the tropics where weavels and other similar critters seem to get everywhere. Last time I bought popcorn kernels, they'd somehow got infested before I'd even opened the packet (same thing happened once before with ants in an unopened…
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