Can Cooked Food Be Frozen Without Spoiling?

Fruits maintain their quality if frozen under the proper conditions.

Freezing cooked foods prevents spoilage by halting bacterial growth and inactivating any microbes they may contain. Any cooked food can be frozen; however, some foods facilitate freezing better than others. Hearty foods, such as cooked proteins, respond well to freezing; but others, such as boiled vegetables, do not. Frozen foods can be stored almost indefinitely if the temperature remains below 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but after one year their quality diminishes considerably.

Considerations

Only store cooked food in freezers that operate at 0 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Maintain a freezer thermometer in the freezer at all times if it is not equipped with one. If you are using a freezer and refrigerator combination, only store a food item for one to two weeks. Leave enough space in storage containers to allow the food to expand, and ensure every closure is airtight to prevent freezer burn. In the event the freezer loses power for an extended period of time, only refreeze a thawed item if its temperature has not risen above 40 degrees Fahrenheit or if it still has ice crystals in its packaging. Only freeze two to three pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer space at any one time. Overcrowding the freezer with unfrozen food causes the total freezing time to increase, and puts strain on the compressor. Food introduced to the freezer must freeze within 24 hours.

Protein

Freeze prepared fish, poultry, ground meats and deli meats within two days. Freeze other proteins, such as veal, beef, lamb and pork, within three to five days. If you are storing meat in its original, unopened package, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Poultry stuffing should be frozen separately from poultry.

Fruit and Vegetables

When using fruits for hot preparation, steam them prior to freezing them to prevent browning. Before freezing vegetables, blanch them in rolling, boiling water for one minute and immediately place them in an ice bath comprised of 50 percent water and 50 percent ice to cool. Blanching cleans the vegetables' surface, retards nutritional loss and brightens their color. The ice bath halts the cooking process and prevents an excessive loss of nutrients.

Packaging

All freezer bags and freezer-storage containers should have organoleptically neutral properties -- they should contribute no flavor or aroma elements to the food. Use only storage bags intended for freezer use. Freezer bags should be vapor- and moisture-resistant, airtight and easily labeled or marked to identify their contents. Heavy duty aluminum foil is suitable for freezing, but only for initial wrapping -- foils tear easily and can allow air to come in contact with the food. When wrapping with foil, overwrap it with a suitable plastic wrap. If using containers, only use those with rigid walls and airtight seals. Acceptable storage container materials include glass, plastic, tin and heavily waxed cardboard.

References

• National Center for Home Freezer Preservation: Freezing Frequently Asked Questions
• U.S. Department of Agriculture: Safe Food Handling
• "The Professional Chef 8th Edition"; The Culinary Institute of America; 2006