How to Freeze Tamales

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Things You'll Need

  • Cooked tamales

  • Aluminum foil

  • Freezer bags

  • Glass containers with lid

  • Masking tape

  • Marker

Image Credit: Jack Hollingsworth/Photodisc/Getty Images

Tamales, a latin dish, often are cooked during times of celebrations and family gatherings. Tamales contain a wide variety of fillings, such as pork or shrimp. The shells of tamales often differ, but wrappings made from corn have become the standard. Since the tamales serve a large number of people, often times leftovers occur. You can safely freeze any leftover tamales to use later. Keep the tamales safe in the freezer by ensuring that air does not come into contact causing unsightly freezer burn.

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Step 1

Cook the tamales according to your recipe. You must always cook tamales before freezing them to prevent food borne illnesses and the threat of harmful bacteria.

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Step 2

Allow the tamales to cool completely. Do not allow them to set out for two hours at room temperature, but wait for them to cool off before preparing the tamales for the freezer.

Step 3

Wrap each tamale in two layers of aluminum foil. Close off all sides of the foil to make sure that no air can reach the tamale.

Step 4

Place the foil wrapped tamales in a zippered freezer bag or freezer safe container. Squeeze out an excess air from the freezer bags.

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Step 5

Add a piece of masking tape to the bag or container. Write the date and contents with a marker to ensure that you consume the tamales within a year.

Tip

If you do not have aluminum foil, try placing a single layer of tamales in a glass container, and placing a piece of wax paper over each layer of tamales. This will make it easier to separate the tamales when you only need to cook a small amount.

Reheat the tamales by placing them in the microwave or cooking them in a skillet.

Freeze the tamales as quickly as possible at their peak of freshness to ensure that the frozen tamales do not lose their taste.

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