What Can Be Frozen?
Except for eggs in the shell, nearly all foods can be frozen raw, after blanching and/or cooking. So the real question here is what foods don’t take well to freezing. The following list includes the foods you generally cannot freeze:
• Cream sauces separate even when warmed completely after being frozen.
• Mayonnaise, cream cheese, and cottage cheese don’t hold up well, often losing textural quality.
• Milk seems to be a 50-50 proposition. While it can be frozen quite safely, it sometimes separates after being frozen. If remixed, this milk is an option for cooking and baking.
• Precooked meat can be frozen, but it doesn’t have as much moisture as raw and will often dry out further if left frozen more than four weeks.
• Cured meats don’t last long in the freezer and should be used in less than four weeks.
If you’re ever in doubt about how to best prepare an item for freezing (or even if you should), the National Center for Home Preserving (
The ideal temperature for keeping foods frozen for the longest time without losing textural or taste quality is 0°F (18°C). Before buying a freezer, check to see that it achieves that temperature, if not colder.
