Does freezing food change taste/texture?

It changes the texture for sure.

Soups freeze well, and I think tastes better.
I make large batches of steel cut oatmeal, and freeze it in individual containers. I find no difference in taste.
I make eggs in muffin tins and freeze. They taste a little different and the texture can change a bit.

depends on the food. I never freeze potatoes, they change horribly after defrosting. Meat freezes well, pasta and pasta type foods also freeze well. I don't freeze cooked veggies but i suspect carrots would be alright, broccoli not as much.

In my experience:
- You can freeze almost anything.
- What change the texture are the frozen water crystals that destroy the cell walls/structure of the food (frozen water takes up more space than in liquid form). Anything with a high water content (e.g. cucumbers, tomatoes) will get mushy after defrosting. If you use it in something cooked (e.g. tomato sauce), that might not even be a problem, but you definitely can't eat it raw anymore.

- Meat / fish freezes very well uncooked. I often freeze it in a plastic bag with the marinade, it will marinate while defrosting in the fridge. I usually don't freeze cooked meat, except if it's in a soup or stew, as others mentioned it tends to get really dry.
- Vegetables freeze well both raw and cooked, just remember the water content. "Delicate" things like salad leaves also disintegrate after defrosting. Cooked dishes like pasta sauces (without cream), chilis, stews, soups, etc freeze all very well, I wouldn't freeze grilled/backed vegetables that should stay crispy.
- Grainy stuff (pasta, rice, etc.) freezes well cooked, but re-heating it will be like cooking it for a bit longer, so it will be softer in the end.
- Dough / bread can be frozen before or after baking, never had any problems.

- The only thing I wouldn't recommend to freeze are dairy products, it tends to split into solid and liquid parts, and no matter how much you stir it, it won't come together anymore.

It depends on the food. I would freeze chili but I wouldn't freeze chicken and vegetables for example.

The textures def change, just like canned beans have a different texture than fresh beans. Shredded chicken will be fine, just make sure you add more sauce when you heat it up because it'll dry out a bit.

Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »

I'm wondering about this too moreso with chicken. I've never froze chicken before but I'm going to buy a big pack of chicken breast for slow cooked all purpose shredded chicken. Wondering if they will freeze ok also???

@Kimblesnbits13

I slow cook chicken and slice/shred it and let it cool to room temperature. Then, I put portions in snack size/quart size baggies and squeeze out as much air as I can.

I usually uses the chicken with a pasta dish - I'll dump in frozen chicken when I put in the noodles. Reheats pretty well that way!

Cooked bean dishes freeze well, and I do breakfast burritos also.

~Lyssa

If vegetables are cooked before freezing most don't change a lot. But freezing fresh vegetables definitely changes the texture.

Jax2120 wrote: »

I used to food prep every few days. But my schedule has been so crazy lately that it would make more sense time wise for me to make larger batches of meals. But of course I don't want them to go bad either. So for those of you who freeze your prepped meals do you find that it changes the taste or texture of your food?

I find that the texture tends to soften but the taste only changes if it is not wrapped/contained properly or left too long. I usually freeze things like soups and stews where the texture is not nearly as critical as a meat and vegetable dish would be.