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| Foods | Usual use | Condition after thawing |
|---|---|---|
| Raw cabbage*, celery, watercress, cucumbers, endive, lettuce, radishes | As raw salad | Limp, water-logged, quickly develops oxidized color, aroma, and flavor |
| Cooked cream vegetables | Side dish | Loses flavor rapidly. Store only a few weeks for best quality |
| Irish potatoes, baked or boiled | In soups, salads or with butter | Soft, crumbly, water-logged, mealy |
| Watermelon | As raw fruit | Soggy/watery |
| Egg whites, cooked | In salads, creamed foods, sandwiches, sauces, gravy or dessert | Soft, tough, rubbery, spongy |
| Icings made from egg whites | Cakes, cookies | Frothy, weepy |
| Cream or custard fillings | Pies, baked goods |
Separates, watery, lumpy, soaks into the crust |
| Milk sauces and gravies | For casseroles or gravies |
May curdle or separate. Best to thicken with waxy starch (Clear-Jel)... less likely to separate |
| Sour cream | As topping, in salads | Separates, watery |
| Cheese or crumb toppings | On casseroles | Soggy |
| Cooked macaroni, spaghetti or rice | When frozen alone for later use | Mushy, tasted warmed over |
| Mayonnaise or salad dressing | On sandwiches (not in salads) | Separates |
| Fried foods | All except French fried potatoes and onion rings | Lose crispness, become soggy |
| Potato salad, macaroni salad | Salad | Becomes watery and tough, mushy |
| Unbaked biscuits | Baked products | Smaller and less tender |
| Unbaked muffins | Baked product | Poor texture |
| Gelatin | In salads or desserts | Weeps |
| Fruit jelly | Sandwiches | May soak bread, weeps |
| Chocolate-covered cherries | Candy | Expands during freezing causing them to break |
*Cucumbers and cabbage can be frozen as marinated products such as “freezer slaw” or “freezer pickles.” These do not have the same texture as regular slaw or pickles.
Effect of freezing on spices and seasonings
- Pepper, cloves, garlic, green pepper, imitation vanilla and some herbs tend to get strong and bitter.
- Onion and paprika change flavor during freezing.
- Celery seasonings become stronger.
- Curry develops a musty off-flavor.
- Salt loses flavor and has the tendency to increase rancidity added to foods that contain fat.
- When using seasonings and spices, season lightly before freezing, and add additional seasonings when reheating or serving.
Adapted from: “So Easy to Preserve", 6th ed. 2014. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.
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Source: OSU Master Food Preserver Program
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