Freezing helps reduce food waste and suits many items including bread, meat, cheese, milk, mushrooms and cooked rice. Some foods lose quality when frozen, becoming watery, limp or unpleasant. Fried and oily foods become soggy because moisture and oil redistribute; store-bought frozen versions are often formulated to withstand freezing, while homemade fried items lose crispness. Hard‑boiled egg whites turn tough, rubbery and watery after thawing, though yolks can be frozen if mixed with a little salt or sugar to prevent a gelled texture. High‑water vegetables such as cucumber and lettuce become mushy and are only suitable for soups, smoothies or dips after freezing.
While it's a handy way to store a large range of products, certain foods will be spoiled if they get too cold. 'Some foods can't cope with being frozen without the quality being affected,' a team from Which? said. 'They might become watery, limp and unpleasant to eat.' Popular foods that can be frozen include bread, meat, cheese, milk, mushrooms and cooked rice.
If you've made too much fried chicken, or have some leftover tempura-battered prawns, it might be tempting to pop them in the freezer. However, freezing fried food will likely result in a soggy mess upon defrosting due to the moisture and oil distribution. While frozen store-bought items like French fries are often designed to handle freezing, any homemade versions will lose their original crisp texture.
While they're useful for making sandwiches, it's best not to hard-boil too many eggs in advance as they can't be frozen, experts say. Putting them in the freezer will make the egg whites go tough, rubbery and watery when thawed. However, you can freeze hard-boiled egg yolks for later use, as long as a small amount of salt or sugar is mixed in to prevent a gel-like texture.
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