It’s so great to have a freezer full of tasty, ready-to-eat homemade meals. But have you ever experienced freezer let down? This is when something you’ve stashed in the freezer comes out mediocre…or worse. It’s not your fault! And there are simple solutions.
Step one: Freeze smart.
Some foods just don’t freeze well, so they come out of the freezer mushy or off-tasting. How can you tell which ones? Start by getting my list of To Freeze or Not to Freeze foods right here:
Many years ago, I spent a long day filling containers with homemade lasagna and vegetarian chili to put in the freezer, preparing for the chaotic first few months after the birth of my son. All good. But when I reheated said chili and lasagna a few weeks later, the lasagna was pasty and the chili tasted like it was filled with chewy, watery sponges instead of peppers, carrots and celery. What a disappointment!
The reason behind this minor disaster, it turns out, is simple and scientific: Water molecules crystallize in the freezer and those crystals then stab foods’ cell walls. Most foods have a high water content, and so get essentially destroyed in the freezer. Some of the worst offenders are cooked pasta, carrots, potatoes and peppers.
So step one is simple enough: don’t freeze those foods, or anything else on my Not to Freeze list.
There’s good news, though: Lots of foods freeze really well! Whole grains, pesto, and all kinds of sauces and meat dishes can all sit snugly in your freezer until you need them, and taste just as delicious and fresh months after you made them.
Step two: Pack smart.
Without proper packaging, frost and freezer burn build up around food and taint its flavours. Those adorable containers I packed with lasagna and chili let too much air come in contact with the food, which made its flavours muted and off.
So step two is to make sure you have the right containers for freezing before cooking up a big batch of meat sauce! There are lots of simple ways to package your food so frost and freezer burn can’t touch them (no fancy vacuum sealers required). My favourite is zip-top freezer bags. You can easily get most of the air out of the bags, and then freeze them flat so they take up less space and thaw more quickly.
Step three: Use it or lose it.
My students’ most common question is “how long does such-and-such food last in the freezer?” Depending on the food, it’s good for anywhere from 6 weeks to 8 months, but nothing is meant to be frozen indefinitely (get my list of freezer shelf life here). If there is meat or prepared food in your freezer that’s older than 6 months, it’s time to say goodbye (I know it’s sad!)
So if you’ve ever suffered from freezer let down, or even if you simply think freezer food is unappetizing, it might be because you’re freezing the wrong things, and there are easy solutions.
These days I spend one Sunday afternoon every three months cooking up a storm of freezer-friendly dishes and building blocks, tucking them into family-sized portions and freezing them.
Having a freezer stash turns my freezer into a giant “easy” button for dinners, and it’s saved me on so many of our family’s busy evenings: I can just reach into the freezer and pull out a package of chicken parmesan burgers, parsley pesto or spiced beef koftas and dinner is this close to done. It’s never chili or lasagna, but I’m ok with that!
Learn all my freezer tips, plus my four all-time favourite freeable recipes in my “Favours to Your Future Self” Masterclass here. Harrowsmith readers get a discount! Use code HS10 at checkout right here:
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Claire Tansey is Canada’s Master of Mealtime. She is the author of national bestsellers Dinner, Uncomplicated and Uncomplicated. She’s been in the food business for over 20 years; along the way she sang lead in a rock band, got a master’s degree and was Food Director of Chatelaine. Claire is a guest expert on Cityline and CBC Radio and she runs a virtual cooking school where she inspires home cooks with easy, delicious recipes.
Originally from Montreal, Claire lives in Toronto with her partner, Michael, who eats everything and their son, Thomas, who does not.
