10 Foods You Should Never Put in the Freezer

The freezer is the kitchen's great procrastination device. Made too much chili? Freeze it. Bought the family-size pack? Freeze it. Sick of eating leftovers? Freeze them.

But freezing food doesn't always preserve it in the condition you were hoping to find later. Freezing can change the texture and quality of certain foods, leaving them watery, separated, soggy, or strangely rubbery once they thaw.

Here are 10 foods you should never freeze if you'd like them to resemble their former selves when they come back out.

1. Sour Cream

That half-container of sour cream may look like an excellent candidate for freezer storage, but its texture will have other plans.

Sour cream usually separates and becomes watery after freezing and thawing. It may still have uses in cooked dishes, but, if you're envisioning a beautiful dollop on taco night, the refrigerator is a better home.

2. Mayonnaise

Mayonnaise is an emulsion, meaning it’s a blend of ingredients that don't like to stay mixed together, but they’ve been persuaded to cooperate.

The freezer will end that peace treaty. Once frozen and thawed, mayonnaise will separate, which won’t be what you had in mind for tomorrow's sandwich.

3. Cream and Custard Fillings

Plain baked goods may freeze beautifully. But the creamy middle is where things get complicated.

Cream and custard fillings can separate after freezing, leaving them watery and lumpy when they thaw. So that gorgeous cream-filled dessert may be better enjoyed now. What a burden.

4. Cooked Rice

Making an enormous pot of rice with plans to save half for later sounds perfectly reasonable. But cooked rice frozen by itself can become mushy and develop a warmed-over taste.

That doesn't mean every prepared meal containing rice should be banished from the freezer. We're just talking about preserving the quality of plain cooked rice on its own.

5. Cooked Egg Whites

Raw egg whites can freeze well. Cooked ones are a different story.

Cooked egg whites tend to become soft, tough, rubbery, or spongy after freezing and thawing. And none of those adjectives make for a particularly appealing breakfast.

6. Meringue

Meringue's lovely texture depends on a delicate structure of whipped egg whites. Unfortunately, that won’t survive a trip through the freezer.

After thawing, meringue tends to become soft, tough, rubbery, or spongy. If you went to all the trouble of creating those beautiful little peaks, this is a dessert worth enjoying while it’s fresh.

7. Gelatin

Gelatin looks sturdy enough to handle just about anything. The freezer disagrees.

Gelatin desserts can "weep" after thawing, releasing water and losing the texture that made them fun in the first place. Your beautifully molded dessert deserves a less dramatic ending.

8. Milk-Based Sauces

If you've made too much creamy sauce, freezing the leftovers may seem like an easy food storage solution.

But milk-based sauces can curdle or separate after freezing. That doesn't mean they'll become unsafe. This list is mostly about quality, and a sauce that’s separated won’t be very appealing when it returns.

9. Cheese or Crumb Toppings

That crispy topping on your casserole has one important assignment: to stay crispy. Freezing can make cheese or crumb toppings become soggy.

So, if you're preparing a dish ahead of time, it may be better to freeze the base and then add certain toppings closer to baking time, depending on the recipe. Tiny breadcrumbs shouldn't have to spend weeks slowly surrendering their crunch.

10. Egg-White Icing

We already know cooked egg whites and meringue aren't thrilled about freezing, so perhaps this one won’t be too surprising.

Icings made with egg whites can become frothy and release moisture after thawing. While that carefully decorated cake may technically survive its stay in the freezer, the frosting will look considerably less festive on round two.

Some Foods Are Better Left Out of the Freezer

Most of these foods that don't freeze well aren't on the list because freezing makes them dangerous. The main problem is quality.

Freezing preserves food, but it doesn't improve its texture or flavor. How something is prepared, packaged, frozen, and eventually thawed will affect what you get back. Good food storage isn't always about finding a way to make something last another six months.

Sometimes the best solution for leftover sour cream or a cream-filled dessert is simpler. Put it on tomorrow night's menu.

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