How to Freeze Just About Everything

Yes, you can freeze dairy products, including milk, cream, cream cheese, sour cream and yogurt. There’s one caveat: They may lose their emulsification and turn slightly grainy or lumpy when thawed. But you can smooth them out in a blender. (That’s true of milk and cream, too.) Or use them, lumps and all, in baking or cooking.

Of all the dairy products, heavy cream freezes the best. It will even still whip up after thawing, though maybe not quite as fluffily. Cream cheese will not be as silky smooth upon thawing, but can still be used for cheesecakes, cookies, Danish fillings and other baking projects.

Hard and semifirm cheeses like Cheddar shouldn’t be frozen as they lose flavor and turn crumbly and dry when thawed. The exception is grated cheese, which can be frozen and used for cooking. I keep my grated Parmesan in the freezer, and it works well, especially in baked dishes like lasagna.

Eggs freeze well if you crack them out of their shells first. (Don’t freeze whole eggs, or the shells will crack as their insides expand.)

After shelling them, store eggs whole, or separated into yolks and whites, for up to 12 months. Once separated, yolks do best when whisked with a pinch of salt before freezing. Otherwise, they’ll thicken and turn into a gel when thawed. You can freeze eggs in ice cube trays, using one egg (or white or yolk) per cube, so you can pop each one out as needed. After freezing, you can transfer the cubes from ice cube tray to freezer bags for longer storage.

The good news is that you can freeze any fruit, and it will keep its flavor. The bad news is that most fruit, other than cranberries, will completely lose their texture, turning soggy and soft when they thaw. But frozen fruit is perfectly fine for smoothies and for cooking.

If you’re freezing fresh fruit and you don’t want the pieces to clump together, lay them out on a plate or pan, separated so they don’t touch, and freeze until solid. Then you can slide them into a freezer bag for longer storage.

source: nytimes.com