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Just how long can you freeze it? To start with, all foods should be frozen before their expiration dates, so to preserve the flavor and freshness remains.
Bread:
Whole or sliced bread freezes well, but should be tightly wrapped in plastic wrap before freezing to preserve moisture. However, these fresh and homemade loaves often have a short shelf life because they have little or no preservatives added.
If you leave your bread on the counter or pantry in its original packaging, it can go stale in a few days, eventually growing mold if you’re not careful. This is due to exposure to air and moisture.
Commercially produced, store-bought breads tend to have preservatives and keep longer at room temperature.
You can preserve freshness by wrapping bread in aluminum foil or plastic wrap and storing it in your breadbox or bread bag. However, you may find that the crust will lose some of its crunchiness.
Freezing bread is one of the best ways to keep bread fresh. It allows you to keep bread for a longer time while preserving its quality and texture.
In fact, you may find that frozen bread that’s been thawed tastes similar to fresh bread.
Wrap bread tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap.
Place in an airtight freezer bag.
Seal tightly. Label with date.
Store in freezer.
If you are freezing homemade bread, make sure it has cooled completely before freezing it.
If you want another layer of protection against freezer burn, wrap bread in plastic wrap then wrap in aluminum foil
To thaw your bread, simply remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter for 1 to 3 hours. You can also store your frozen bread in the refrigerator overnight to thaw it slowly. Keep it in its packaging while thawing.
If you want to warm the bread to freshen it up after thawing, heat it in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Butter:
It is very easy to freeze., and especially convenient if you’ve found yourself with extra butter on hand or don’t use it very quickly and want to avoid spoilage.
Stick and bulk butters with at least 80% fat can be frozen without compromising their quality and texture.
Although butter can be refrigerated for up to 6 months, there are notable changes in its freshness and quality after 3 months in the refrigerator. For instance, bulk butters keep longer than stick butters, and wax paper packaging rapidly decreases butter’s quality whether it’s refrigerated or frozen.
ADDITIONALLY;
Freeze when fresh. For the best quality, you should freeze butter when it’s fresh rather than when it’s almost expired.
Cut before freezing. If you plan on using small amounts of butter at a time, slicing it before freezing it makes things much simpler.
Use parchment paper. This type of wrapping uses a different coating than wax paper and has been shown to maintain the quality and shelf life of frozen butter
Try foil. Compared with parchment paper, foil retains more flavor
Polyethylene packaging is another great option. Cling wrap and bags made from polyethylene (a common type of plastic) have also been shown to retain frozen butter’s quality, providing the best protection against spoilage and supporting thawing
Keep butter in its original packaging. You can also keep sticks of butter in their original wrap paper or boxes. Optionally, you can reinforce them by wrapping them in foil or plastic wrap.
Avoid odorous foods. Freeze butter away from foods like onions and meat, as it may absorb the flavor and odor of surrounding food.
Cheese:
· Cheese will keep for 6-7 months in the freezer, but should be used within 5-7 days after thawing.
· Cheeses with a higher water content freeze at higher temperatures than those with a lower water content. For example, cottage cheese freezes at 29.8℉ (-1.2℃), but cheddar freezes at 8.8℉ (-12.9℃)
· Though freezing doesn’t destroy the nutrients in cheese, it affects its texture and quality
· When cheese is frozen, small ice crystals form on the inside, disrupting the internal structure of the cheese. When it’s thawed, water is released, causing the product to dry out, become crumbly, and potentially develop a mealy texture
Frozen cheese should be thawed in the refrigerator at 32–34 °F (0–1°C) for 7–8 hours per 1 pound (500 grams) of cheese. Shredded cheese for pizza toppings or cooking can be added straight out of the bag without thawing.
The quality can be improved by tempering the cheese in the refrigerator after thawing. This means leaving it in the refrigerator for a few days to several weeks, depending on the type, to let it ripen a little.
Keep in mind that like any food, cheese that has been frozen and thawed ‘should not be re-frozen’.
Eggs:
· Eggs are a staple ingredient in many households. First things first, eggs are easy to freeze, but they cannot be frozen in the shell, since they will expand as they freeze. Additionally, freezing raw, shelled eggs can negatively affect the texture, as the egg yolks become thick and gel-like. This can make them difficult to use in cooking or baking after thawing.
It’s also not recommended to freeze hard- or soft-boiled eggs, as egg whites can become rubbery and watery when thawed.
However, the following types of eggs can be frozen safely with good results
raw egg whites
raw egg yolks
raw whole eggs that have been removed from the shell and whisked
cooked mixed egg dishes like breakfast casseroles.
· Raw eggs can be frozen for up to 12 months, while cooked egg dishes should be thawed and reheated within 2–3 months
· Whole eggs
To freeze whole eggs, start by cracking each egg into a mixing bowl, then gently whisk until the yolks and whites are fully combined. Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container. For thawing and cooking, it’s easiest to freeze each egg individually. For food safety and convenience purposes, label each container with the date and number of whole eggs it contains before freezing.
· Egg whites
Start by cracking and separating the eggs. Place the yolks in a bowl and pour each individual egg white into an ice cube tray or another type of small freezer-safe container. Label the container with the date and number of whites added.
· Egg yolks
To freeze egg yolks, start by cracking and separating the eggs, placing the egg whites in one container and the yolks in a small bowl. Gently whisk the yolks until they’re fully combined and liquid. For every 4 egg yolks, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt or 1/2–1 teaspoon of granulated sugar to the whisked yolks. Mix well to combine. Pour the mixture into a freezer-safe container and label it with the date and number of yolks used, noting whether salt or sugar was added.
· Cooked egg dishes
To freeze cooked egg dishes like casseroles or quiches, start by cooling the cooked dish to room temperature. To prevent bacterial growth, it’s important to cool the cooked dish to 40°F (approximately 5°C) within 2 hours.
Milk:
· There are many types of milk to suit nearly all dietary needs, such as cow’s milk, goat’s milk, and plant-based milk alternatives like soy and almond milk. It should be airtight and, in a freezer, safe bag or container.
Thaw milk in the refrigerator or directly into the pan for cooking. Keep in mind that many milks may separate during freezing. You can safely store frozen milk in your freezer for up to 6 months, but it’s best if you can use it within 1 month of freezing.
Milk should be defrosted in the fridge as opposed to at room temperature to decrease the risk of bacterial growth.
This is because the longer milk sits at room temperature, the more likely it is that any existing traces of harmful bacteria proliferate, potentially causing the bacterial count to become high enough to cause illness from drinking the milk.
