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I'm a huge fan of the freezer, but recently discovered cheese does not defrost well..
To avoid wasting more money later, does anybody have an tips on what items freeze well, don't freeze well or any other tips?
Thanks!
-carly
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I tried bananas once. Big mistake! They don't work well at all. Avoid them completely.
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Plain cakes from the ordinary box mixes freeze well once you've baked and cooled them. Those are very handy when you feel like something sweet and can't be bothered making a dessert. Thaw and ice it and it's ready.
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I'm a huge fan of the freezer, but recently discovered cheese does not defrost well..
Was it hard cheese? Apparently ricotta's okay for lasagne after freezing though cottage cheese and cream cheese don't freeze well, and chicken toughens after a few months in the freezer. I didn't know that.
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=138369
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Milk freezes well, as does bread and rolls. Yellow crookneck squash can be frozen. The quality isn't as good when defrosted as fresh is, but it's still fine.
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Some veg needs blanched before you can freeze it. I think tomatoes is one and it's the softer fruits and veg you have to do that with more. I wasn't sure and got hold of a guide instead. This pdf from the University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension is good. Page 14-22 gives a chart for different fruit and veg and whether you need to blanch it or not.
The link's the PDF. You can Right Click and Save Link As... for reading later on.
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/pepin/flp/documents/FreezingFruitsandVegetab...
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Some veg needs blanched before you can freeze it. I think tomatoes is one and it's the softer fruits and veg you have to do that with more. I wasn't sure and got hold of a guide instead. This pdf from the University of Wisconsin-Extension Cooperative Extension is good. Page 14-22 gives a chart for different fruit and veg and whether you need to blanch it or not.
The link's the PDF. You can Right Click and Save Link As... for reading later on.
http://www.uwex.edu/ces/cty/pepin/flp/documents/FreezingFruitsandVegetab...
Great link! Thanks bringmeroses. :) I never know what works and what doesn't and throw out more than I need to probably.
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Thanks for all the tips and helpful links :D
Oh, and yes Savannah, it was cream cheese...
What can i say? I'm a sucker for those 10 for 10 dollar sales, and figured our family would use it all eventually.
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Thanks for all the tips and helpful links :D
Oh, and yes Savannah, it was cream cheese...
What can i say? I'm a sucker for those 10 for 10 dollar sales, and figured our family would use it all eventually.
When you have surplus cream cheese, think cheesecake and you'll not have to worry about freezing it. :) I love cream cheese on an onion bagel with smoked ham.
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Don't freeze strawberries. I made that mistake and unless I did it wrong, it doesn't work. Thanks CheepNCheerful for the milk-freezing idea!
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Don't freeze strawberries. I made that mistake and unless I did it wrong, it doesn't work. Thanks CheepNCheerful for the milk-freezing idea!
I did that too GeeZee and they were rubbish when I defrosted them. I don't know why because you can buy bags of frozen ones. Beats me.
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I have just started freezing milk,,when it goes on sale we like to stock up onit.Hubby is a big milk drinker.I heard you can freeze eggs,,crack them and place in a baggie with out the shells,,but they will mix with each other.If you are wanting to freeze eggs indivually then crack one egg in ice cube tray,then when it freezes hard you can pop out and place in a baggies with other frozen ones.Im in the market as we speak looking for a small chest freezer,just hubby and I so it would suit us fine.
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I have just started freezing milk,,when it goes on sale we like to stock up onit.Hubby is a big milk drinker.I heard you can freeze eggs,,crack them and place in a baggie with out the shells,,but they will mix with each other.If you are wanting to freeze eggs indivually then crack one egg in ice cube tray,then when it freezes hard you can pop out and place in a baggies with other frozen ones.Im in the market as we speak looking for a small chest freezer,just hubby and I so it would suit us fine.
Donna, have you tried freecycle? You might get lucky there and find a free one locally. I was asking about that group in another thread. Carly's had a good experience with them.
http://billeater.com/content/any-experiences-freecycleorg
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Don't freeze strawberries. I made that mistake and unless I did it wrong, it doesn't work. Thanks CheepNCheerful for the milk-freezing idea!
I did that too GeeZee and they were rubbish when I defrosted them. I don't know why because you can buy bags of frozen ones. Beats me.
I was thinking that was weird too. I buy the frozen ones in the tub with syrup for strawberry shortcake. Apparently freezing them with a syrup pack is the way to do it.
http://www.gardenguides.com/how-to/tipstechniques/fruitnuts/freezingstra...
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Yeah, but have you tried those frozen berries? They are horrendous! I guess the syrup ones might be better, but no thanks. Somethings are just better fresh.
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Hey Carly_Kitty, Carly?, Kitty?, CT?,
I've always thought that this was a pretty good start it you are looking for freeze/don't freeze connections. Click on the link that I have provided below for the other side of the coin.;-)
Foods that do not freeze well
Emulsions such as cream, mayonnaise and milk do not freeze well, as they are often damaged by the freezing process and may result in curdling or the separation of the two liquids.
Other items that do not freeze well are foods that contain cream or custard such as cream or custard cakes, trifles and tarts. However, heavy creams that contain over 40% fat do freeze well.
Likewise, many fruits and vegetables with a high water content do not freeze well, and the change in their texture is extremely noticeable on thawing. Examples include lettuce, celery, radishes, strawberries, melon, cucumber and cabbage, and these foods are not usually frozen at all.
http://www.helpwithcooking.com/food-storage/foods-freeze-well.html