Put your favorites on ice
By NICKI LEFEVER for Smart
The guests have gone home, leaving in their wake a Leaning Tower of Pisa-sized pile of dirty dishes and enough plastic containers of leftovers to do the holidays over again.
Before you heat up the garbage disposal or over-indulge the dog, think about wrapping it all up and feeding your freezer.
From appetizers to cheese, almost any food that is wrapped properly will be safe to eat if thawed and cooked correctly the second time.
Chef Ben Strausbaugh of Artistic Foods Catering in York said that, after the corporate functions, banquet dinners and holiday parties, he wraps up a lot of leftovers such as finger foods, cheese trays, turkey, ham and shrimp for party hosts and hostesses. They prepare it for the refrigerator but will wrap for the freezer upon request.
“You can freeze all that stuff,” Strausbaugh said. “Some of that stuff you don’t want to smash, you can just lay it on a tray, wrap it up and freeze it.”
Just eat up the potatoes first.
“Mashed potatoes, red skin potatoes, potato salad — it all gets full of moisture when you thaw it out,” he said.
Strausbaugh’s best tip is to cool the food in the refrigerator before wrapping and freezing and to defrost the food in the refrigerator before reheating.
“You have to put it in at the proper temperature,” he said. “Don’t put it in the freezer hot.”
Tips & tricks
• Your freezer temperature should be 0 degrees.
• Pack food compactly into the container to reduce air. Allow headroom for expansion as food freezes. Use moisture- and vapor-proof wraps or containers. Use only freezer-grade foil, plastic wrap or bags, or use freezer paper or freezer containers. Use freezer tape to make sure the paper is airtight. Label all foods with the date, type of food and weight or number of servings.
• Freezer burn, grayish-brown leathery spots, does not make food unsafe but does make dry spots. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food.
• Once food is thawed in the refrigerator, it’s safe to refreeze it without cooking. If previously cooked foods are thawed in the refrigerator, you may refreeze the unused portion.
Time to toss
Here’s a breakdown on how long food stays fresh in the freezer:
• Cheesecake: One month
• Frosted baked cakes: One month
• Sandwiches: One month (remove produce and use minimal dressing)
• Luncheon meat/bologna: One to two months
• Pumpkin pies: One to two months
• Soft cheese, such as a cheese ball: One month (freezing changes the texture of cheese. Use soon after thawing.)
• Macaroni and pasta salads: Two months
• Sliced, cooked ham: Two to three months
• Sweet potatoes: Three months
• Candy: Three to six months (chocolate may discolor)
• Pork: Three months
• Warm pasta dishes: Four to six months
• Cooked turkey: Four to six months
• Baked fruit pies: Six to eight months
• Salted party nuts: Six to eight months
• Baked cookies: Six to 12 months
• Angel or fruit cakes: Six to 12 months
• Cheese: Six to eight months
• Sauerkraut: One year
What not to freeze• Unbaked biscuits and unbaked muffins
• Custards and cream pies
• Meringue pies
• Milk sauces
• Gravy
• Cooked, creamed vegetables
• Lettuce, other greens and raw tomatoes
Sources: www.usda.gov, University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension, The Clemson University Cooperative Extension
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