Unlock Your Freezer’s Potential: What to Freeze, What to Skip, and Why It Matters

A refrigerator is such a great addition to the kitchen, isn’t it? It allows us to save food and keep it longer. Using the fridge wisely is like a superpower skill.

Simply putting food in is not the whole story. Your fridge works best if you know what it’s for. Research shows that people here throw away a lot of food, around £387 a year. Most people admit that they sometimes buy food that they know won’t be eaten. Learning about storage methods can help tackle this big problem.

But be aware that not everything is suitable for freezing. Some of the wrong items can make food weird or can hurt the freezer itself. One food expert says you need to know how to freeze properly. Let’s take a look at what the expert says should not be frozen. Let’s look at the reasons why these things are not suitable for freezing.

1. **Tinned foods in original cans**: Many people make this mistake. Experts say never freeze food that is still in the can.

The physics works because the food inside freezes hard and gets bigger, which puts a lot of pressure on the surrounding metal can. The can may bend or even burst due to the pressure.

If the inside of the can bursts, it can be a problem later. This can also make the food unsafe to eat. It is still recommended to put the food in the can in a good freezer box before freezing.

Read more about: What Does SPAM Really Stand For? Behind the Mystery of This Iconic Canned Meat

2. **eggs still in their shells**: Frozen raw eggs in this way are difficult to use immediately after thawing. Secondly, it is also because the liquid inside the egg solidifies and becomes larger. Just like in a can, this can break the thin shell of the egg, which makes it easy for air and bacteria to get into the egg.

If you really have extra eggs that you want to freeze, there is an easy way to do it. You can choose to start by breaking the eggs out of their shells and whisking them slightly. Then put the whisked eggs into a container and freeze them, so you can use them for cooking or baking instantly afterwards. This way you won’t make a mess or waste it.

3. **Fruits and veggies with high water content**: Many produce items retain their nutrition and flavour when frozen. But some are not so good for freezing, like lettuce, cucumbers and watermelon are.

The problem with them is that they have a lot of water in them. So when the water gets frozen it gets bigger and forms ice shapes. These are shaped like big pointy crystals. They crash through the small walls inside the plant cells.

When these thaw, they fall apart. The broken cells make the texture soft and mushy. All the crunch will be gone. Maybe you can still cook with them. But they’re not good for salads or crunchy things.

4. **Dairy products**: Freezing dairy products is sometimes difficult and milk and yoghurt do not freeze well. It spoils very easily in the fridge.

This is because the fat and liquid in dairy products can separate and the texture can get weird when thawed. It may be grainy or curd-like, but it just doesn’t taste good anyway. The smoothness you expect will be ruined by freezing.

Of course not all dairy products cannot be frozen. Similarly hard cheeses such as cheddar and parmesan are freezable. One reason is that they have less moisture inside. Their structure also resists cracking problems.

5. **Foods stored in regular glass containers**: Be careful when using glass jars in the freezer. Not all glass can withstand extremely low temperatures.

The main risk comes from the expansion of the food and the contraction of the glass with temperature. This pressure can cause the glass container to break. Sometimes it even breaks completely. Finding broken glass in frozen food is bad. These messes must be safely thrown away. Cleanup is also necessary.

If you want to use glass jars for other reasons, that’s okay. Make sure it clearly says ‘Freezer Safe Glass Containers’. These are made to handle cold temperatures. Always leave room at the top of the container. Especially if you are freezing liquids. That way the food has room to grow when it is frozen.

6. **Cooked pasta dishes**: Maybe you’ve cooked a lot of pasta or other pasta and you don’t want to waste the leftovers. But cooked pasta tends to spoil if you freeze it and then thaw it.

The main big problem is that the texture changes; those nicely shaped noodles or strands of pasta become slimy and it turns into a dense lump. The texture can also become like a powder.

7. **Cured meats**: Foods such as bacon and salami are preserved by curing, usually using salt and special methods to stop bacterial growth. This allows them to keep for a long time, usually several months. Therefore there is usually no need to freeze cured meats, and low temperatures can even make cured meats less tasty.

Freezing and then thawing can affect the texture and feel. The meat may become soft and lose its chewiness. The curing methods have been known to be safe for a long enough period of time, so there is nothing to worry about. Just store them properly in the fridge to keep them cold.

8. **Thawed frozen meat**: This rule is very important for food safety. Never put thawed meat back in the freezer.

The bacteria in frozen meat are just sleeping. After the meat is thawed, especially in a warm environment, the bacteria begin to grow. Refreezing it again just puts them to sleep, not death. So if bacteria thrive when thawing, it is not safe to freeze again. Freezing twice, thawing and refreezing hurts the meat even more. The meat will lose its juices, become tough or dry, and the flavour will fade.

Treat thawed meat by placing it in the refrigerator and using it quickly within a few days. You can use vacuum bags to keep the meat fresh. Meat-specific containers also work well. This will keep it fresh and keep the flavour in the fridge.

Now you have an understanding of which foods are suitable for freezing and using containers that are suitable for freezing. You can really get to grips with freezing food and unlock its full potential for easy stockpiling.

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