Rising grocery costs make freezing food an obvious money-saver. Raw meat, extra herbs, even leftover wine — into the freezer they go. But here’s the catch: Not everything survives the deep freeze. Some foods require special preparation first, and others will emerge as disappointing, inedible versions of themselves.
A recent CNET survey found that the average US adult wastes about $1,500 in spoiled groceries per year, but the freezer can’t bail you out of every
Before you waste money on groceries that turn to mush, learn which 11 common foods should never see the inside of your freezer.
1. Milk and cream
Keep your dairy out of the freezer or it will separate and curdle.
Most dairy products can’t be frozen and will become inedible if they are. Milk, cream, yogurt and sour cream tend to separate when frozen. Once they do, there’s no returning them to their former state, and the thawed result will be grainy, watery or even curdled. Nut milk, on the other hand, can be frozen more successfully.
Ice cream is a known exception to the dairy rule because its high sugar content lowers the freezing point and keeps the product soft and palatable.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes shouldn’t even be refrigerated, never mind frozen.
America’s favorite carb turns mushy and grainy when thawed, a physical state that is no bueno for use in anything from mashed potatoes to french fries. This is because the water separates from the tuber’s starch, resulting in a gag-inducing texture that not even trash-foraging critters like raccoons can stomach.
Freezing cooked or partially cooked potatoes (typically parboiled) is OK, as much of the water is extracted during cooking. Bagged potato products from the freezer section of your local grocery store are treated with chemicals, preservatives or other specialized preparation methods to ensure flavor and texture are preserved when frozen.
3. Cheese
There are ways to store all types of cheese that will keep them fresh for longer, but the freezer isn’t one of them.
Pesky ice crystals form in frozen cheese, which completely changes its flavor and texture profile. This primarily applies to soft and moldy cheeses, though some hard varieties such as cheddar and jack can withstand the consistent blast of cold air if grated first and laid flat in a plastic storage bag.
Read more: Store Cheese Properly and You’ll Extend Its Life by Days, Even Weeks. Here’s How
4. Fried food
Unfortunetly, that leftover friend chicken can’t be frozen for later.
The best part of fried food is, of course, its crunchy breading. When placed in a freezer, this batter or crumb absorbs the appliance’s moisture and makes the food soggy. Additionally, fried food is chock-full of — you guessed it — oil, which doesn’t freeze completely and can spoil before the meat or vegetable it has been cooked into. This can lead to foul-tasting meals and a potentially dangerous bout of food poisoning.
5. Eggs
Eggs have a reasonably long shelf life in the fridge so you shouldn’t need to freeze them.
If you want rubbery scrambled eggs, go ahead and stick them in the freezer before preparation. This is due to a process called “gelation,” where the yolk’s protein molecules clump and make the liquid harder. Egg content also expands when frozen, which causes whole eggs to crack and leak. Avoiding eggs in the freezer means preventing egg-based condiments, such as mayonnaise, which gets lumpy and unspreadable.
6. Delicate salad greens
The lighter in color the salad green, the less likely it is to survive being frozen.
While some greens including kale, spinach and collard greens handle the freezer fine, more delicate and water-dense varieties will fall apart. Keep mixed and mesclun greens, romaine and iceburg in the vegetable crisper and away from the freezer.
7. Water-dense vegetables
Tomatoes, cucumbers and other water-dense vegetables don’t make good candidates for freezing.
If it’s a fruit or vegetable and can go into a typical salad, it won’t hold up in the freezer. This includes produce with high water content such as tomatoes, cucumbers and celery.
8. Avocado
Frozen avocado can’t be revived to use in salads or for guacamole, though it can be dropped into a healthy smoothie or shake.
The beloved avocado will also not fare well in extremely low temperatures. As it thaws, it will immediately begin to brown. Nobody wants to dip their way through brown guacamole. While you can’t revive frozen avocado to spread over toast or make dip for taco night, you can use it as an ingredient in smoothies.
9. Whole citrus
Your best option with an excess of citrus is to juice the fruit and freeze the juice for recipes and cocktails later.
Some dense fruits, such as berries and mango, do well in the freezer, but citrus won’t hold form so well. Whole citrus fruit will become mealy after thawing. If you have an abundance of lemons, limes or oranges, your best bet is to juice them and freeze the juice for later.
10. Cooked pasta and rice
Leftover cooked rice and pasta can be frozen safely but will lose much of its structure and toothsomeness upon reheating.
You can freeze cooked pasta and rice, but that doesn’t mean you should. The water content causes the cells in noodles and grains to burst, resulting in pasty, gloopy leftovers that can’t be salvaged with even the most delicious sauces.
Pasta is almost certainly going to emerge from the freezer in rough shape. Rice is a little more durable but consider vacuum-sealing it to keep moisture out before popping it in the freezer for preservation.
11. Bottled or canned beverages
We’ve all tried to quick-chill a beer or soda in the freezer.
Who hasn’t tried to cheat time by chilling a lukewarm beer can or bottle in the freezer, only to forget about it and return to find a frozen, bubbling disaster? If you use the freezer to chill canned or bottled beverages, you’d be wise to set a timer for 10 minutes so they don’t freeze solid and explode.
