Your refrigerator is a handy kitchen appliance that stores and keeps your food fresh and healthy for an extended period of time. It can help you preserve your meals and minimise food waste. With all its functions and innovative features, you might think that your refrigerator is limitless. However, no matter how versatile your fridge is, it will still come with a variety of limitations. This includes the food that you can store inside your freezer.
High temperatures help keep food fresh for a longer time. The purpose of freezing is to slow the activities of bacteria that cause food to spoil. Freezing your food is an excellent way to make it safe for later consumption. This is helpful if you love to plan ahead and do advanced shopping. This way, you will have your meat and other frozen goods ready instead of running to the grocery store every time you need your supplies.
However, although freezing is helpful for many kinds of food supplies, there are some items that you shouldn’t put in the freezer.
These are Some Food that You Can’t Put in the Freezer
Sauces and Gravy
Sauces and gravies that are thickened using starch should never go inside the freezer. This is because the process of freezing may weaken the bond of the starch and result in a thin and watery appearance. If you don’t want an awkward and separated look for your sauce and gravy, don’t store them inside your refrigerator freezer. This also goes for your ketchup and creamy sauces.
Leafy Green Veggies
Our favourite lettuce and other leafy green vegetables should not be frozen. Freezing comes with extra moisture, which affects the form and texture of leafy greens. If you plan to serve your green leafy vegetables in fresh salads, having them frozen might not be the best way to go. These belong in the crisper drawer.
Cream-Based Soups
When frozen, foods with dairy ingredients tend to separate and curdle upon defrosting, thus losing their creaminess. So whether it is a homemade soup or a canned one, a cream-based soup should not end up in your freezer.
Other dairy products like milk, yoghurt, custard, and soft cheeses like cream cheese will also change their texture and consistency once frozen. We advise you to put these items in the refrigerator instead.
Rice and Pasta
It’ll be such a waste to simply throw away leftover cooked rice and pasta. However, putting them in the freezer is also not a great idea. This is because they can become mushy when frozen. To still enjoy your pasta, store it inside an airtight container and put it in the fridge but not the freezer.
Mayo and Egg-Based Dressings
Like dairy products, egg-based and mayonnaise dressings also don’t belong in the freezer. This is because they can become very clumpy when frozen. If you want to preserve a pre-made salad dressing for a big gathering, the best way is to mix other ingredients and mix the mayo later on. So, ultimately, your mayo belongs in the refrigerator but not the freezer.
Some Fresh Fruits and Veggies
Some fresh fruits and vegetables also don’t retain their firm texture when frozen. So the next time you want to make a fresh salad, keep your leafy greens, fresh vegetables, and mayo dressing out of the freezer.
Potatoes
Storing some potatoes in your fridge can be a bit different for both fresh and cooked varieties. Fresh, raw potatoes should not go inside your freezer, as they can get too soft and grainy. However, storing cooked potatoes inside a secured fridge container in your freezer is okay.
Fried Foods
Fried foods can become really soggy when frozen. The moisture from freezing your fried foods can take away their crispness. So, if you don’t want a mushy and soggy mess after thawing your food, never put your fried dishes inside the refrigerator freezer.
Canned Foods and Drinks
It can be very tempting to store your canned drinks inside the freezer for quick cooling. But doing this can add some pressure to your container, causing it to expand and potentially explode. Next time you want to cool your drinks, simply chill your soda can inside the fridge compartment but not in the freezer, where the temperature is lower.
How to Properly Store Foods in the Freezer
Make Sure that Your Temperature is Correct
It’s crucial to maintain the temperature of your freezer when storing food. So, when defrosting or deep cleaning your fridge, make sure to check your appliance’s temperature based on the manufacturer’s suggestion.
Never Freeze Hot Food
If you want to preserve your freshly cooked food, think twice before putting it straight in your refrigerator. Like opening the doors when using an air conditioner, putting hot food inside the refrigerator will increase the temperature and affect other stored items. So, make sure to let your food cool down before storing it inside the fridge.
Choose High-Quality Sealed Refrigerator Containers
Your fridge containers can make a big difference in storing and preserving your food. When keeping your food inside the refrigerator freezer, make sure that everything is secured in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn or dehydrating your food.
Label All Your Containers
When using your refrigerators, make sure to add some labels containing the dates to ensure everyone’s safety during consumption. When in doubt, take the food out of the fridge to avoid contamination.
Conclusion
The best refrigerators in Singapore are revolutionary appliances that change the way you store and preserve food. There aren't an infinite number of things you can keep in your fridge, but there are plenty. To effectively freeze and store your food in the fridge or freezer, you must first understand the right way to store items and know what foods you should not keep inside your appliance. With the help of this quick list, we hope that you’ll approach your next freezer storage project with more confidence.