1. Thawed meat
If you choose to defrost frozen meat in the fridge overnight, this is going to be absolutely fine. However, you need to be careful about how you store it, and it can be a breeding ground for bacteria, particularly when kept in the kitchen at room temperature.
2. Re-frozen fish
Much like when it comes to meat, eating defrosted fish when cooked, provided it has thawed properly, is fine. But one of the biggest no-nos is to thaw out the frozen fish, and then try to re-freeze after the fact. This can lead to food poisoning, and many other problems.
3. Rice
Eating leftover rice can be problematic because of the dangers linked to the kinds of spores that can be produced. Freezing cooked rice and then defrosting it can be a little risky as well, but thoroughly reheating the rice correctly plays a huge role in helping you with this.
4. Coffee
Why would you choose to freeze coffee beans anyway? Well, you most likely wouldn’t, but if you were going to freeze it, and you keep taking it in and out every day, this is going to cause condensation to occur, which is going to ruin the coffee.
5. Cheese
Cheese does NOT belong in the freezer. Soft cheeses will separate after thawing, which changes the texture and flavor of the cheese. Whilst hard cheeses will freeze better, it is still better to make sure you keep the cheese in the fridge, not the freezer.
6. Beer
Popping beer into the freezer for a short time to get it colder faster is a good idea, especially with new, room temperature beer. However, it is important not to keep it in there for too long, because this accelerates the aging of the beer. You so run the risk of the beer cans or bottles exploding.
7. Cucumber
Watery vegetables like cucumber is a great choice for freezing, and this is certainly an option for you. However, the problems can come when the cucumber is thawing and defrosting, and it will leave you with a limp, soggy mess. Keep them in the refrigerator!
8. Cooked pasta
Cooked pasta is one of the best staple foods you can enjoy, and, though freezing it is usually fine, it tends to depend on the pasta. Freezing something like tagliatelle or spaghetti can result in it becoming a squishy, mushy mess once it is defrosted.
9. Yogurt
Much like a lot of dairy products, creamy yogurt can separate and become lumpy when it’s frozen. Lumpy and stodgy yogurt is disgusting, so you need to try to ensure that you don’t buy too many yogurts, and that you keep them in the fridge for maximum freshness.
10. Fried food
Fried food is delicious, and in some cases it is fine to consume it. However, when fried food is frozen and then defrosted, it can turn into a soggy mess, and the crunchy and crispy nature that makes fried food so delicious pretty much disappears.
11. Milk
Whilst you can freeze milk, it’s probably something that you need to try to avoid. A fresh, cold, chilled glass of milk is delicious, but defrosted milk is another matter. The problem with freezing milk is that once it has defrosted it can go all lumpy and gross.
12. Whole eggs
Eggs are a great option for a delicious breakfast, or as an additional ingredient when you are baking. But, you need to beware about freezing eggs, which is not recommended because the insides of raw eggs will expand in the freezer, leading to them cracking. What’s more, the risk of bacterial growth is going to be high too.
13. Avocado
Avocado is delicious and healthy, and you should not even think about putting it in the freezer if you want to be able to gain the benefits and nutrients that it produces. Not only that, it will also lose its original texture when defrosted, making it viable only for smoothies.
14. Fresh herbs
Fresh herbs are an amazing addition to any dish and dinner, but they only really work if you use them when they are fresh. The issue with freezing fresh herbs is that they are going to go soggy when they are defrosted, as well as turning brown.
15. Marshmallows
Marshmallows are delicious, soft, fluffy, and delectable, and the perfect treat, but they don’t really work when you put them in the freezer. Due to the gelatin present in marshmallows, it actually makes them very difficult to freeze, and once they do freeze they turn rock hard.
16. Potatoes
Freezing potatoes is also a bad idea when you are trying to get the most out of them. When you stick your potatoes in the freezer, you leave them with the risk of becoming gritty and grain. In fact, even storing your potatoes in the fridge can reduce the quality of them, and that’s why room temperature is best.
17. Ketchup
The great thing about tomato ketchup is that it is the perfect condiment; tasty, tangy, versatile, and affordable. But, one of the age-old debates has always been about whether ketchup should be kept in the cupboard or fridge. Where it absolutely should NOT be kept is in the freezer, because it will lose its flavor and consistency.
18. Gravy
Gravy is one of the best additions to a British roast dinner or a Thanksgiving feast, and any leftovers should be stored in the fridge and not the freezer. If you have thickened your gravy in a number of ways, it’s likely to separate, so keep this in mind.
19. Mayo
Mayo is one of those things that you either love or hate, but you should never, ever store it in the freezer. The eggs, oil, and vinegar will separate when you defrost your mayonnaise, and this can leave you with a disgusting and chunky jar of mayo. Yuck!
20. Crumb topping
Freezing pre-made casseroles and pies is a great way of meal planning, and getting healthy, nutritious, and filling food is really great. However, one of the things that you need to consider is to leave off the crumb topping before putting it in the freezer in order to avoid it going watery and soggy when being defrosted.
21. Icing
If you’re looking to decorate cakes you’ve baked, icing can be a tasty, sweet treat to add to the top of your cake. However, if you have some icing left over, you shouldn’t be freezing it, because this can damage the consistency of the icing, and make it weepy.
22. Gelatin
There are plenty of ways to use gelatin, though this is usually found in salads and desserts. If you want to store some gelatin, the fridge would be far preferable to the freezer. When you freeze your gelatin it weeps during the thawing stage, and this can ruin it.
23. Onions
Not that you would necessarily have cause to freeze onion, but it is not something that’s recommended. Whilst it’s typically fine to do this, it can change the flavor of the onion during the freezing experience. Instead, keep your onion in the fridge, or buy pre-frozen onions.
24. Curry
Freezing curry is a staple in many thrifty households, particularly when looking to save a portion for another meal. The problem with doing this is that curry can develop a musty off-flavor when it has been thawed, so it is best to store spare portions in the fridge instead.
25. Watermelon
Whilst watermelon is fine to freeze, and can actually be tastier frozen, when it’s like an ice lolly. This is the perfect refreshing snack for both kids and adults on a hot summer’s day, but the defrosting process is a nightmare, and this is going to cause a ton of mess as it purées.
26. Grapes
Freezing grapes to eat them frozen is a great idea, and they are actually more tasty frozen. However, what you need to try to avoid is freezing grapes and then defrosting them again to eat them. They don’t taste as good, and will be soggy and won’t hold their shape as well.
27. Green peppers
Green peppers are a very useful vegetable to be able to use in a lot of different dishes, and being able to freeze some to use for later is very useful. In order to thaw the peppers properly, you first need to blanch them, or they aren’t going to taste the same afterwards.
28. Celery
Celery is one of the eateries types of veg, and is a great thing to snack on if you want to be as healthy as possible. However, due to the nature of celery, it should not be going anywhere near the freezer, defrosting will result in it becoming limp and mushy. However, adding to whatever you’re cooking from frozen could work well.
29. Salad greens
Again, salad greens are not the best thing to be freezing, although there is nothing wrong with doing so. The only drawback to freezing them is that when you defrost, this will leave you with limp, watery and wilted leaves that will not taste anywhere near as good.
30. Canned goods
Much like the issue with freezing beer, when you put canned goods in the freezer, the liquid inside them expands. This then leads to the cans exploding, and creates a mess all over the inside of the freezer, which then freezes and is a nightmare to clean.
31. Spices
Spices can have a transformative effect on any meal or dish, and are absolutely essential for your cooking. However, they should not be frozen because once you stick them in the freezer, it changes the flavor profile of the spice, and it won’t be the same.
32. Meringue
Meringue is one of the tastiest dessert options out there, but it is a brave man or woman who freezes it. If you’re able to ensure your meringue doesn’t absorb any moisture during the freezing process you’ll be fine; if not then it’s going to become an unpleasant, mushy mess.
33. Edible flowers
Whilst there is no harm in freezing edible flowers, it is the thawing process you need to watch out for. One of the things you need to remember here is that they will go dark and limp when they thaw, and this is going to impact the flavor and texture of these flowers.
34. Juice concentrate
You might think you’re being clever by freezing juice concentrates to use at another time as a great way of saving money. But, the issue here is that fermentation is a big risk the longer you leave these products in the freezer for. Instead, consider storing in the fridge.
35. Sprinkles
Sprinkles are a great addition to the top of cakes and other baked items, but freezing spares is a sub optimal decision. One of the problems with sprinkles is that when they are frozen they’re more likely to become brittle and break, plus the color will run when they are defrosting.
36. Wine
Wine is absolutely fine to freeze if you’re planning to use it for cooking. However, if it is being saved for drinking, then you need to think twice! The flavor palette of wine can change considerably when it’s been frozen and thawed, so it may not taste very pleasant.
37. Popcorn kernels
The problem with freezing popcorn kernels is that it essentially renders them pointless. It reduces their moisture levels, which need to be high for them to pop properly, and when you thaw them out you can wind up with just a watery, bitty mess.
38. Jell-o
Jell-o is a favorite of kids (and some adults) all across the land, but trying to freeze it for later consumption may not work out the way you planned. This actually results in the jell-o losing its texture and consistency when it gets frozen, which essentially ruins it.
39. Champagne
Doing this in France would be tantamount to a crime! And, to be honest, freezing your champagne, wherever you are, is pretty much a no-no. It will lower the carbonation, and the chances of an exploding bottle are incredibly high – it’s not worth it.
40. Caramel
Caramel is an interesting one, because certain caramels can actually be frozen, due to the level of the crystallization, but some of them will simply never freeze. If this is the case, you should not try using them again, as the flavor and profile will have completely changed.