Does freezing food change taste/texture?

Gaygirl2120
Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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?

Replies

  • JB035
    JB035 Posts: 336 Member
    It changes the texture for sure.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,191 Member
    It can vary depending on the food, I find. Some things stand up better to freezing than other.
  • Gaygirl2120
    Gaygirl2120 Posts: 541 Member
    I mostly do chicken or turkey with veggies
  • gothchiq
    gothchiq Posts: 4,590 Member
    starchy vegetables freeze poorly and get mealy. Stuff like green beans do fine. Meats, pasta, bread do fine.
  • 3rdof7sisters
    3rdof7sisters Posts: 486 Member
    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.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    Jax2120 wrote: »
    I mostly do chicken or turkey with veggies

    I wouldn't do that unless you were going to eat it cold. Reheating would likely make it blah... Dry, overcooked. Stuff like stew/soup I find ok but not plain meat and vegies.
  • jennypapage
    jennypapage Posts: 489 Member
    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.
  • Kimblesnbits13
    Kimblesnbits13 Posts: 369 Member
    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???
  • mari142435
    mari142435 Posts: 5 Member
    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.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited March 2017
    Kimblesnbits13 wrote: »
    I'm wondering about this too more so 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???

    It will be fine, but can be a little dry. Cook chicken in broth or salsa for added moisture. I place servings in zip-lock bags and thaw (as needed) in the fridge until lunch time. Cold chicken on a cold salad is great. Reheating will toughen it up a bit. Thawed chicken will need a minimum amount of re-heating.

    I do pre-cooked egg patties the same way......thaw first to minimize heating time.

    Re: freezing high water content items. I store (over ripe) bananas in the freezer with the skin on. Great for smoothies and baked goods. Frozen dairy works well in baked goods.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    It depends on the food. I would freeze chili but I wouldn't freeze chicken and vegetables for example.
  • extra_medium
    extra_medium Posts: 1,525 Member
    edited March 2017
    Cooked food lasts a long time.. depending on how big your batches are and how long you plan to store them, the fridge might be just as good.
  • RachelElser
    RachelElser Posts: 1,049 Member
    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.
  • conniehgtv
    conniehgtv Posts: 309 Member
    meat ok, fish and veg YUCK! after freezing. Fruit tastes ok but defrosted the texture is way different.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    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
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    I just froze 2 batches of, red roasted potatoes so hopefully they'll be; edible!
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    If vegetables are cooked before freezing most don't change a lot. But freezing fresh vegetables definitely changes the texture.
  • JohnnyPenso
    JohnnyPenso Posts: 412 Member
    I learned how to can a long time ago and now I make larger batches of soups/stews/chili and can it for later consumption. I still freeze the odd thing like batches of butternut squash I buy in season but mostly I can.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    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.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    Jax2120 wrote: »
    I mostly do chicken or turkey with veggies

    The meat does fine. One thing you might want to consider is to purchase bags of frozen veggies and portion them out without defrosting or cooking. Let the experts with their flash freezing machinery do the work for you. They will taste better and have better texture than things you might freeze yourself.
  • cmtigger
    cmtigger Posts: 1,450 Member
    Another thing to consider- a self defrosting freezer (the kind on most refrigerators) will change the texture more than a non self defrosting freezer (like most chest freezers).
  • shaybee377
    shaybee377 Posts: 42 Member
    0/10 will never freeze spaghetti squash again. DON'T DO IT
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    shaybee377 wrote: »
    0/10 will never freeze spaghetti squash again. DON'T DO IT

    LOL. Rule of thumb: the more water a food has the larger the likelihood it will thaw into mush.
  • Theo166
    Theo166 Posts: 2,564 Member
    edited March 2017
    When I get a whole roasted chicken, I eat some fresh and save the rest for adding to a dish. Taste is fine when I've stored it in the freezer until use.

    What I like to do is make the sauce, be it spaghetti or curry and then freeze into several three cup containers. When I thaw it, one container is enough for several meals and I'll combine it with fresh or steamed veggies. So I'm trying to say, try add most of the veggies when you are reheating the dish.
  • lolo_bunny
    lolo_bunny Posts: 56 Member
    You could invest in a food saver, depending on your budget. We do this when we need to meal prep more in advance- seals it in a plastic bag airtight and I find the texture/taste to be enjoyable once thawed or reheated. It's not necessary but might be something to look into if interested.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    Potatoes onions and eggs change texture unforgivably.

    I found a way to freeze cheese. I pre-cut it. It crumbles after frozen but if it is pre-cut, who cares?
  • DeficitDuchess
    DeficitDuchess Posts: 3,099 Member
    edited March 2017
    DeficitDuchess wrote: »
    I just froze 2 batches of, red roasted potatoes so hopefully they'll be; edible!

    My potatoes taste great, too great; going to get a 2nd helping!

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