Sour cream freezing tricks? How to freeze: For store-bought bread, you can store in the original packaging. For homemade or bread purchased in the bakery, make sure it’s cooled completely, cover in plastic wrap and then wrap it in foil. This double wrap will ensure it keeps its freshness. Storing: Store-bought can be stored up to 3 months and homemade bread up to 6 months. Any longer, and your bread may suffer from freezer burn. Whether it’s soup, a casserole or cooked meat, pre-made meals and leftovers are great to freeze and enjoy later. How to freeze: Make sure food has completely cooled on the counter (no more than two hours) or in the refrigerator and place it in a freezer-safe container or bag and seal tightly. Putting hot food directly in the freezer can bring down the temperature of your freezer and partially defrost whatever else you have in there.
Sign, seal and deliver (to the freezer): Jot down the item name and date on every meal-prep item you freeze. Depending on what’s inside, I like to scribble other details as well, to help me out when I pull meals from the freezer. You might want to make a note of the recipe name, freeze date, number of servings or portions and reheating/cooking directions. Use good quality freezer bags to freeze soups, beans and sauces. They save space because you can lay them flat to freeze. Once frozen, you can stack them up on top of each other or keep them in bins upright.
Yogurt – Yogurt tubes are great to freeze and they keep the same consistency! Yogurt bites are great to freeze for teething babies and toddlers. However, if you freeze it in the container, it can sometimes change consistency. We like to use it in our smoothies and add it to our smoothie packs for easy mornings! Milk – Yep, you read that right! We recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray if you’ll just need a few tablespoons at a time to cook with. You can also freeze in 1-cup increments in a freezer baggie if you have recipes that call for that amount. You can even freeze it by the gallon! Just thaw it slowly and shake it up a lot while it’s thawing. Heavy Cream – This lasts for a long time in the fridge, but you can also freeze it! Freeze it the same way you do milk. See additional info at Can You Freeze Ricotta Cheese.
After freezing and thawing, some foods are exactly the same as they’d been fresh. For example, meats and fish return to their fresh state, as well as hard cheeses and sliced bread, according to East Lansing–based Felicia Wu, PhD, a professor in food safety, toxicology, and risk assessment at Michigan State University. But softer cheeses often change texture, she says, such as goat cheese, Brie, or Camembert. Many fruits and vegetables also tend to undergo a texture transformation that makes them great for smoothies, soups, and casseroles but not as ideal for eating fresh.