Can you freeze it? Common foods at a glance
Whether everyday foods freeze well, and the trick to each one. Most things freeze better than people expect; a few high-water foods are the exceptions.
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| Food | Freeze? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bread | Yes | Freezes brilliantly; toast straight from frozen |
| Milk | Yes | Leave space to expand; shake well after thawing |
| Butter | Yes | Keeps up to a year, well wrapped |
| Hard cheese | Yes | Goes crumbly, so best for cooking after |
| Soft cheese | Not really | Texture turns grainy and watery |
| Eggs (in shell) | Not really | Shells crack; freeze beaten out of the shell instead |
| Eggs (beaten) | Yes | Freeze in a tub and label how many |
| Cooked rice | Yes | Cool quickly, freeze, and reheat until piping hot |
| Cooked pasta | Yes | Slightly softer; undercook a touch before freezing |
| Raw potatoes | Not really | Go watery and grainy; mashed, roasted or chipped potatoes freeze well |
| Mashed potato | Yes | Freezes well in portions |
| Soup and stew | Yes | Leave headspace and freeze flat in bags; cream and potato can split, so add those after thawing |
| Raw meat and poultry | Yes | Do not refreeze once fully thawed |
| Cooked meat and mince | Yes | Freeze the day it is cooked; best flavour within 2 to 3 months |
| Bananas | Yes | Peel first; ideal for baking and smoothies |
| Berries | Yes | Freeze on a tray first, then bag so they stay loose |
| Grapes | Yes | Freeze whole for a cool snack |
| Tomatoes | Yes | Freeze whole; skins slip off for cooking |
| Lettuce and salad leaves | Not really | Leafy salads simply do not survive freezing; they go limp and watery once thawed |
| Cucumber | Not really | Too much water; turns mushy |
| Mushrooms | Yes | Better sauteed first |
| Onions (chopped) | Yes | For cooking; use straight from frozen |
| Fresh herbs | Yes | Chop into ice cube trays with oil or water |
| Avocado | With care | Mash with lemon juice; it browns and softens |
| Yoghurt | With care | Splits and grains; fine for smoothies, cooking or frozen yoghurt, not great eaten plain after thawing |
| Cream | Yes | Double or heavy cream freezes; single cream splits |
| Cakes and biscuits | Yes | Wrap well; thaw at room temperature |
| Cooked Chicken | Yes | Slice or shred first for faster, even reheating |
| Cake | Yes | Buttercream freezes well; fresh-cream fillings don't |
| Hummus | Yes | It separates on thawing |
| Sour Cream | Not really | If you must, use the thawed result in a cooked sauce where the split will not show |
| Garlic | Yes | Do NOT store garlic in oil in the fridge |
| Ginger | Yes | Frozen ginger grates more easily than fresh, so this is one of the few foods freezing improves |
| Stock / Broth | Yes | Leave headroom |
| Fish (raw) | Yes | Freezer burn is the enemy |
| Prawns | Yes | Most supermarket prawns were frozen and thawed for sale |
| Bacon | Yes | The salt and fat make it go rancid faster than other meat, so it is a short freeze |
| Pizza | Yes | Never microwave it from frozen unless you want the base to go to cloth |
| Pastry | Yes | Shortcrust and puff both freeze well |
| Cookie Dough | Yes | One of the best things to freeze |
| Gravy | With care | It often splits on thawing |
| Coconut Milk | Yes | It separates hard |
| Cabbage | With care | Unblanched it goes limp and bitter |
| Spinach | Yes | The squeezing is the whole job |
| Wine | Yes | It will not be drinkable, the texture and aroma go |
How to freeze food well
Cool food completely first, then pack it airtight with as little trapped air as possible to avoid freezer burn. Portion it so you only thaw what you need, freeze liquids with a little headspace because they expand, and label everything with the date. Freezing flat in bags saves space and thaws faster.
Frequently asked questions
How long can you keep food in the freezer?
For best quality, use most cooked dishes and raw meat within 2 to 3 months, and bread, butter and fruit within about 6. Frozen food kept at 0°F (-18°C) stays safe almost indefinitely, but flavour and texture slowly fade.
Can you refreeze food once it is thawed?
As a rule, do not refreeze raw food that has fully thawed. You can refreeze food that was thawed in the fridge and then cooked, because the cooking makes it safe again. Never refreeze anything that has been left warm.
What foods do not freeze well?
High-water foods like lettuce, cucumber and raw potato go limp or grainy, soft cheeses and plain yogurt split, and eggs in the shell crack. The table above flags these so you can plan around them.
How do you freeze food properly?
Cool food fully first, portion it, and pack it airtight with as little air as possible to avoid freezer burn. Label everything with the date, freeze flat in bags to save space, and leave a little headspace in liquids because they expand.