The freezer is a convenient and practical appliance that allows you to preserve food for a long time if used correctly. Not all foods are suitable for storage in a freezer, such as those composed mainly of water and fat, which, once defrosted, can change in consistency and flavor, decreasing in quality.
Among the appliances we can hardly do without is the freezer: it's hard to imagine what it would be like to live without it. Whether small or large, with a single compartment or multiple drawers, the freezer allows you to preserve food much longer than the refrigerator, even up to 12 months. The advantage is that it can accommodate a wide variety of foods, both raw and cooked, from fish to cheese, vegetables and meat. Of course, there are exceptions: since freezer space is limited, it's a good idea to be selective at the entrance, to avoid achieving the opposite result, ruining certain foods instead of preserving them over time.
What Happens to Food in The Freezer?
When we store food in the freezer at home, we are freezing it. What does this mean? That the food, over a fairly long period of time (about 24 hours), reaches a temperature of around -0.4°F/-18°C, which is the temperature usually set on the appliance. During this period, large ice crystals form within the cellular structure of the food, which is broken and, consequently, modified compared to the original. Precisely for this reason, some foods lend themselves better to freezing, while others, however, suffer from it, especially those products rich in water and fat, because after being thawed they will have a yielding, soft, less compact consistency, becoming unusable or only partially usable. Freezing is not synonymous with deep-freezing: the frozen foods we find in the supermarket, in fact, undergo a different – faster – process that allows (almost) all of their properties to be preserved. Foods are brought to very low temperatures (from -0.4°F/-18°C to -40°F/-40°C) very quickly, by law no longer than 4 hours: in this way, only microcrystals develop, which do not cause damage. This preservation method is not possible at home: therefore, although most foods can be frozen, it is important to be careful when choosing, also to avoid taking up useful space and creating waste.
Let's start by considering those foods that would be best never frozen because their quality would drastically reduce: it's better to consume them immediately, or preserve them in different ways.
READ MORE
10 foods that you must never store in the freezer
1. Cured Meats, Sausages and Hams
Ham, mortadella, and salami are processed meats characterized by a good amount of fat, which can lose consistency and develop oxidized notes. Depending on the type and condition (already sliced, whole, etc.), the refrigerator or cellar are best, with vacuum packing often being an excellent ally for preserving them longer.
2. Fresh Cheeses
Soft and stretched-curd cheeses like stracchino, crescenza, ricotta, and mozzarella change their consistency. Once thawed, the watery and fatty components tend to separate, with the risk of whey leaking out, resulting in a grainy, crumbly texture that no longer feels creamy.
3. Green Leafy Vegetables
