These are the foods that you should not freeze if you want them to maintain their properties, flavor and texture

The freezer is the appliance par excellence for storing food for a long period of time. Although it does not kill them, the cold of the freezer stops the growth of bacteria and germs, which significantly extends the shelf life of foods and ingredients in already cooked dishes.

But this does not mean that foods continue to maintain all their organoleptic properties and continue to be pleasant to the palate. Although it may seem that we can freeze all types of foods, the truth is that there are some products that are better not to subject to so much cold. Some products, due to their chemical composition and how freezing affects their consistency or flavor, do not tolerate this process.

Foods that are best not to put in the freezer

Freezing food seems like a good alternative to reduce waste. But we must take into account what happens during this process. When we freeze, the water that a food may have is transformed from a liquid to a solid state, which means that the water cells expand and the structure of the food is permanently altered. Some support this mechanism quite well, but others degrade noticeably and lose quality. What are some of these foods most sensitive to freezing?

Raw eggs in shell

Raw eggs in the shell do not do well in the freezer, as at these temperatures, the interior expands and causes the shell to crack. The slimy interior of whole raw eggs expands when we freeze them, causing cracks and leaks in the freezer, not to mention the possibility of bacteria growth. On the other hand, eggs cooked in stews can be frozen.

Could we freeze the tortilla? If we make it with potatoes, we should not freeze it because the starch breaks down in the freezing process, the potato loses flavor and adopts an unappetizing floury texture.

Sauces like mayonnaise

Sauces like mayonnaise, like ketchup, can form clumps when frozen. Mayonnaise is an emulsion made of oil, egg yolks, vinegar or lemon. As it thaws, that emulsion breaks down, leaving us with the liquid, acidic ingredients and oil floating on the base of the yolk. The result, therefore, is a lumpy disaster, which is why it is not a good idea to store salads that contain mayonnaise, such as tuna or chicken, in the freezer. What we can do is freeze the ingredients without the sauce and add it when they are thawed and ready to serve.

fried foods

Freezing fried foods is also not a good idea, since the crunchy bits accumulate moisture when frozen and, when defrosting, the result is a soggy product that causes us to lose the crispy crust that we have when it is fresh from the pan (and that we will not recover not even when reheating).

Vegetables such as lettuce and other foods with a lot of water

Celery, endives, parsley or radishes remain limp, soaked in water, when we defrost them. Cucumbers, as well as watermelon or tomatoes, are also a clear example of vegetables with a high water content that spoil easily once frozen.

Frozen cucumbers have practically nothing to do with their fresh, crunchy version because the moisture that keeps the food crispy and intact does not behave in the same way after thawing.

What happens when we freeze them is that the water they contain expands and bursts the cell walls that maintain the structure of the leaf, which results in an unappetizing food—unless we want to prepare soups or smoothies, which for this purpose This consistency works for us—because they will be soft, wilted and soggy, nothing like the fresh and crunchy version that we like so much.

Plus, they will lose a lot of flavor in the process. It is best not to take risks and store them in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator, although we must also be cautious, because if we leave lettuce in the refrigerator for too long, more or less the same thing will happen to us.

If we want to freeze vegetables, it is best to blanch or cook them first, since this way they tolerate the freezing process better, but not before making sure that they are well drained.

Cooked rice, potatoes and pasta

If we freeze this type of food, which tends to ‘drink’ water, when we defrost it what will happen is that its consistency will not be very pleasant, since the water it has absorbed during cooking freezes and, when defrosted, it will have a texture that It’s not appealing at all. The potatoesfor example, adopt a soft, crumbly and floury state when we defrost them. And in pasta, what had previously been a bowl of noodles, after freezing, can end up becoming a soft puddle.

An exception would be pre-cooked lasagna, which can be stored well in the freezer and baked just before serving.

canned drinks

Surely it has happened to more than one of you: putting a can in the freezer so that the drink cools down faster, but we forget about it and it ends up exploding. This happens because the liquid inside canned foods and drinks, when frozen, expands, which puts too much pressure on the container and ends up exploding. All this without taking into account the extra cleaning work that this oversight entails.

Milk products

We are talking here about products such as cream, yogurt, cream and soft cheeses, which become inedible once frozen. The problem with freezing with this type of food is that the curds separate from the whey, which completely changes the texture and consistency once they have been thawed.

Milk, for example, separates and forms a watery, lumpy mass, while yogurt becomes grainy, curdles, and also separates when thawed. Yes, we can cook with thawed milk, as long as we let it rest in the refrigerator for at least a day before using it.

Yogurt can also separate and become watery and grainy when defrosted. But, in addition to the consistency, it can also acquire an acidic taste and some live and beneficial bacteria contained in yogurt can be destroyed by the freezing process.

What happens with cheeses? Although they can be frozen, we must be cautious with this because there are some, such as creamy, fresh, curd, and highly cured ones that do not tolerate freezing very well. Hard cheese can be frozen, doing so is more of a texture problem than a food safety problem.

When defrosting it, it may happen that it falls apart when we go to cut it and also that it loses some of its particularities. Therefore, it is better that in this case we put it in the refrigerator, where it will last for several weeks if we wrap it well.

Spices and condiments

Freezing has an undesirable effect on spices. For example, in the case of pepper, garlic, red pepper or artificial vanilla, these become strong and bitter. Curry often develops an unpleasant musty taste and salt loses flavor and tends to increase the stale taste of any food it accompanies that contains fat. It is better, therefore, to add the condiments when heating and serving the food.