How to Freeze Food

The freezer is a busy family's best friend. It turns one big Sunday batch of chili into three weeknight dinners, rescues the bananas before they turn black and saves you from throwing out half a loaf of bread.

It's also where food goes to be forgotten, under a frosty mystery package that might be pork chops. Or might be pie crust. Nobody knows. Nobody labeled it in 2024.

Freezing food right keeps it tasting good, keeps it safe and keeps your freezer from turning into an archaeological dig. Here's how to freeze food so it comes out as good as it went in, plus how to thaw it without giving everyone a stomachache.

Set Your Freezer to 0°F

Keep your freezer at 0°F (-18°C) or below. At that temperature, food stays safe indefinitely. Bacteria can't grow, though they don't die either. They just wait. The storage times you see for frozen food are about quality, not safety. Food frozen for too long gets dry, icy and bland.

Don't trust the 1-to-5 dial. An inexpensive freezer thermometer tells you the real temperature. For how long specific foods keep their best quality in the freezer, see my food shelf life guide.

How to Wrap Food for the Freezer

Freezer burn happens when air gets to food and pulls the moisture out of it, leaving dry, grayish-brown, leathery patches. It's safe to eat (cut the burned spots off), but it tastes like the inside of the freezer. The fix is good wrapping. Air is the enemy.

• Use freezer bags, not regular storage bags. They're thicker and keep out more air.
• Squeeze out the air. Close the bag almost all the way, then press the air out from the bottom up before sealing it. Or dip the bag in a bowl of water up to the zipper. The water pushes the air out.
• Wrap meat twice. For anything you're keeping longer than a couple of months, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or freezer paper, then put it in a freezer bag. Supermarket packaging is fine for a few weeks, but it's thin and lets air in over time, so overwrap it for longer storage.
• Glass is fine if it's freezer-safe. Leave an inch of headspace at the top, because liquids expand as they freeze. A full jar can crack.
• Plastic containers work for soups and sauces, with a half inch of headspace.
• A vacuum sealer is worth it if you freeze a lot of meat or buy in bulk. It's the best protection against freezer burn.

Freezer Tricks That Save Time (and Space)

Freeze Flat

Pour soup, chili, sauce or ground meat into freezer bags, squeeze out the air and lay them flat on a baking sheet to freeze. Once they're solid, stand them up like files in a filing cabinet. They take up half the space, stack neatly and thaw in a fraction of the time.

Flash-Freeze Fruit and Small Items

Spread berries, banana slices, meatballs, cookie dough balls or chicken pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet and freeze until solid, about 2 hours. Then transfer them to a freezer bag. They won't freeze into one giant clump, so you can grab exactly what you need.

Blanch Vegetables First

Most raw vegetables turn mushy and lose their color in the freezer unless you blanch them. Drop them into boiling water for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on the vegetable), then plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain, dry well and freeze. Or just buy frozen vegetables, which are blanched and frozen at the peak of freshness.

Portion Before You Freeze

Freeze food in the amounts you'll actually use: one pound of ground beef, four chicken breasts, a family-size portion of soup. Thawing a 5-pound block of ground beef to make tacos for four is nobody's idea of a good time.

Cool It Down First

Cool cooked food quickly in the fridge in shallow containers, then move it to the freezer. Putting a big pot of hot soup straight into the freezer warms up everything around it.

Label Everything

Write what it is and the date on every bag and container with a permanent marker. You think you'll remember what's in there. You won't. Masking tape works for containers.

Keep a list on the freezer door of what's inside, and cross things off as you use them. Put the newest food in the back and move the oldest to the front, so it gets eaten first. That way, you'll never buy a fourth bag of frozen peas because you couldn't find the other three.

Don't Overload the Freezer

A full freezer runs more efficiently than an empty one, but don't add too much unfrozen food at once. Freeze no more than 2 to 3 pounds of food per cubic foot of freezer space in a day. More than that and it freezes too slowly, which hurts the texture. Leave space around new packages until they're frozen solid, then stack them.

What Not to Freeze

• Eggs in the shell: They expand and crack. Beat them first, then freeze.
• Mayonnaise and mayo-based salads: They separate into an oily mess.
• Lettuce, cucumbers, celery and radishes: They turn limp and watery.
• Raw potatoes: They turn mushy and dark. (Mashed potatoes and fries freeze fine.)
• Sour cream, cream cheese and soft cheese: They turn grainy. They're fine for cooking but not for eating plain.
• Fried foods: They lose their crunch. (Reheat them in the oven or air fryer to bring some of it back.)
• Cream sauces and custards: They tend to separate.
• Canned food in the can: Transfer it to a freezer container first.
• Soda and other carbonated drinks: They expand and explode. Ask anyone who's put a can in the freezer to chill it "for just 20 minutes." Yes, I've done it.

How to Thaw Frozen Food Safely

Never thaw meat, poultry or seafood on the counter. The outside warms up into the bacteria danger zone (40°F to 140°F) while the middle is still frozen. Use one of these four methods instead:

1. In the refrigerator: The safest method. Most food thaws overnight. Big roasts take longer, and a turkey needs about a day for every 4 to 5 pounds. Set it on a plate on the bottom shelf to catch drips.
2. In cold water: Seal the food in a leak-proof bag and submerge it in a bowl or sink of cold water. Change the water every 30 minutes. A pound of meat thaws in about an hour. Cook it right away.
3. In the microwave: Use the defrost setting, then cook it immediately, since parts of the food may start to cook.
4. Cook it frozen: Perfectly safe. Plan on about 50 percent more cooking time.

Frozen soup, stew or chili: No need to thaw. Run the container under warm water for a few seconds to loosen it, pop the frozen block into a saucepan with 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water, cover and heat over medium, stirring as it melts. Bring it to a boil before serving.

Can You Refreeze Thawed Food?

• Thawed in the fridge: Yes, you can refreeze it uncooked, within the fridge storage time (1 to 2 days for raw chicken and ground meat, 3 to 5 days for steaks and roasts). It may lose some quality.
• Thawed in cold water or the microwave: Cook it before refreezing.
• Cooked food made from frozen raw ingredients: Yes. Freeze the cooked dish.
• Left out on the counter for more than 2 hours: No. Throw it out.

What to Do When the Power Goes Out

Keep the freezer door closed. A full freezer holds its temperature for about 48 hours, a half-full one for about 24. When the power comes back, food that still has ice crystals or is at 40°F or below can be refrozen. Throw out anything that's been above 40°F for more than 2 hours.

Defrost and Clean Your Freezer

Most freezers defrost themselves. If yours doesn't, defrost it when the frost gets about a quarter inch thick. Thick frost makes the freezer work harder and leaves less room for food.

Move the food to a cooler, unplug the freezer, let the ice melt (put towels down), then wipe it out with a tablespoon of baking soda in a quart of warm water. Dry it and plug it back in. While it's empty, toss anything freezer-burned, unlabeled or older than you'd like to admit.

How to Freeze Food: Quick Answers

What temperature should a freezer be?

0°F (-18°C) or below. At that temperature, frozen food stays safe indefinitely, though quality slowly declines over time.

Is freezer-burned food safe to eat?

Yes. Freezer burn is dried-out food from exposure to air. It's safe but tastes dry and bland. Cut off the burned spots before or after cooking.

Can you refreeze meat after it's thawed?

Yes, if it was thawed in the refrigerator and hasn't been there longer than its fridge storage time. Meat thawed in cold water or the microwave should be cooked before refreezing.

How do you keep food from getting freezer burn?

Keep air away from it. Use freezer bags or freezer-safe containers, squeeze out as much air as you can, double-wrap meat for long storage and keep the freezer at 0°F.

Can you freeze food in glass containers?

Yes, in freezer-safe glass. Leave about an inch of headspace so liquids have room to expand.

Keep Going

Keep your food fresh and your kitchen running smoothly with these related guides:

• Food Shelf Life Guide: How long food really lasts in the fridge, freezer and pantry.
• How to Store Food in the Fridge: What goes on every shelf, and why.
• Food Safety at Home: Safe cooking temperatures, thawing and leftovers.
• Deciphering a Food Label: What "best by," "use by" and "sell by" really mean.
• Kitchen Food Storage Tips: Organize the pantry so you can see what you have.
• The Pre-Thanksgiving Fridge Purge: Make room for the turkey.
• The Holiday Baking Cleanup Guide: Flour, sprinkles and sticky sheet pans.
• How to Clean a Kitchen: Seven steps and the germiest spots.