Foods that Can't Take the Cold

You can adjust many of your favorite recipes to freezer fare through awareness of foods that won't freeze well and solutions to the problems they present. Use this chart to help you create a freezer full of the recipes your family already loves.

No-Freezer Foods:	Problem:	Solution:
Bread crumb toppings	soggy	reheat uncovered, to crisp up
Cooked egg white	tough, rubbery	freeze only uncooked egg white
Cottage cheese, commercial	separates, gritty, mushy	stir, but may still have funny texture
Cream cheese	watery, gritty	stir into recipes, don't use as spread
Crisp vegetables and fruit with high water content (celery, melons, lettuce, tomatoes	lose crispness	use in cooked dishes, not fresh
Custard, cream fillings, meringue	soggy, separates	no solution!
Egg white frostings (boiled frostings, cakes with cream fillings)	foams	use butter icing instead
Egg yolk	thick, syrupy, doesn't blend well	use for scrambled eggs
Fried foods	soggy, loses crispness	no solution
Instant rice	too mushy	freeze regular cooked rice instead
Mayonnaise	separates	use whipped salad dressing instead
Potatoes in soups, stews	darken, mushy	add to recipe after thawing or raw to recipe after cooling, before freezing
Sour cream	thin, watery, separates	stir; use for dips, spreads, not as topping

* DVO welcomes your kitchen hints and cooking or nutrition questions! Email us and we'll post your hints and Q/A's in upcoming newsletters! *