Can you freeze cabbage to preserve it for later use? Yes. How about gravy? Maybe. Wine? Not if you plan on drinking it. The chefs at Stack Exchange let you know what's good to store and what you must consume fresh.


Photo by Sean Gallagher.


Freezing has a significant effect on the texture of avocados. Freezing a whole avocado or chunks will result in a mushy avocado on refreezing. Freezing a whole avocado is not recommended.


To properly freeze an avocado, it should be washed, pureed (not just mashed) and frozen with a bit of lemon juice (or other applicable acid) to prevent browning.

Will avocado stay fresh longer if stored in the refrigerator?

Answered by rfusca)


Yes, you can freeze parmesan cheese. Even without freezing, Parmesan is very durable since the low water and high salt content prevents mold from growing. The younger varieties may be more prone to mold growth (having a higher water content), but I've kept ripe Parmesan (30-36 months) for at least a year in the fridge without problems (and it would probably have stayed good much longer).



Just remember to keep it wrapped in paper and not in a sealed plastic container to prevent a buildup of condensed water.

Answered by Tor-Einar Jarnbjo)


I have a whole freezer full of jalapenos—so yes, you definitely can.


They definitely retain their heat just fine.

Jalapenos keep their texture best if you do 2 things:

- Use a vacuum sealer and take out all the air—to reduce freezer burn.



- Blanche them for 2-3 minutes in boiling water and then drop them in freezing water. From what I've read, this destroys a particular enzyme, preventing the pepper from decomposing.

Jalapenos should be good for a little over a year in a vacuum sealed bag—as far as the texture goes. They should never go bad otherwise.

Answered by rfusca


Yes. You can just freeze it in the original bottle.


The flavors are somewhat muted compared to the same wine unfrozen. Not recommended for drinking the wine, but it is acceptable for cooking purposes.

Also, beware of freezing a bottle more than half full, as the glass may break as the water expands during freezing.


Does cooking wine go bad like regular wine?

Answered by Rick G


Depending on what you're going to cook, there are a few ways you can freeze apples.


For most uses, I find the simplest method is just to peel, core, and slice them. First, you want to keep the slices from browning using one of the following methods:

- Dip them in lemon juice.

- Dip in a salt water dip (2 tbsp salt to 1 gallon water)



- Quickly steam/blanch (1-2 minutes) to stop the enzymes that cause browning

- Pack them in a sugar syrup (usually used when you plan to serve the apples as-is after defrosting, see link referenced below). A good ratio is 2 cups sugar to 3 cups of water, plus 1/2 tsp of ascorbic acid to prevent browning. You'll want to make about 1 cup syrup per quart of apples.

Personally, I prefer the lemon juice method.


Freeze apple slices on a single layer on a cookie sheet (in the bottom of the freezer) then transfer to a Ziploc bag when solid. The sheet method allows apples to freeze as fast as possible in the typical home freezer, and prevents them from sticking together so you can portion them as you need them. If you're going to be storing for a long time, wrap them in plastic wrap and then foil before putting in the bag.

Some people just wash and freeze them whole, though I prefer to do the prep before freezing so I can just pull them out of the freezer and use them. They will freeze well whole, however I find that the ruptured cell walls cause them to be harder to peel/core after defrosting using this method.

If you're going to make a pie, you can also freeze your apples with sugars and spices etc (prepared just as you would make a pie filling) in a pie pan. You can then take them out of the freezer, drop the prepared, shaped mixture right into a pie crust, and bake your pie with a slight increase in baking time.



As far as how long you're frozen apples will last, they'll be safe indefinitely, but will lose flavor after a few months. I wouldn't recommend leaving apples in your freezer longer than 6 months. Stilltasty says 2-4 but I've pushed it further than that and there wasn't a ton of flavor loss. Might depend on variety of apple as well.

Answered by stephennmcdonald


Most cakes will freeze and keep fine if prepared properly - obviously they will not have the same "fresh baked" attributes that a freshly baked cake would bring to the party, but if done right, the cake should taste fine.



1. Wait for the cake to be completely cooled.

2. Use one of the following methods/materials to wrap the room temperature cake before placing in the freezer:



- Greaseproof paper (wax paper, for example), wrapped thoroughly around the cake and taped shut

- Aluminum foil with plastic wrap/greaseproof paper underneath it, thoroughly secured

- Vacuum seal bag (caution: too much pressure may cause the cake to loose it's shape)


3. To thaw: Unwrap the cake, place it on a wire rack in your kitchen and let it sit for about two hours (more/less time depending on size of the cake) at normal room temperature. It is important that you do not microwave or reheat a frozen cake in any way, or you will ruin it.

Answered by EmJ

Raw Eggs?

Yes, but not in shell (they explode, often spectacularly).



See here for some more information. In general, whites are better to freeze, although you can freeze yolks as well.

Answered by Adam Shiemke)


Yes, you can freeze mirepoix, but it'll be pretty soft once defrosted. Onions and celery do not freeze well, though carrots do okay.


All three vegetables, when whole, should be blanched for a few minutes before freezing. For vegetable-specific freezing instructions see the National Center for Home Food Preservation's Freezing Guide.

It's best to use fresh, but blanched for 1-2 minutes then frozen works okay. I do not blanch diced vegetables for more than 2 minutes.

Answered by JustRightMenus


Absolutely. We always buy twice as much as we need and freeze the extra.



Open the milk and pour out a couple cups to make sure it doesn't burst when it freezes. Then just leave it in the fridge for a day to thaw before you need it.

The milk may seem translucent/yellow when it is frozen, but once it's thawed it will be tough to tell it's ever been frozen.

Answered by Sobachatina


Depends on the type of cabbage, but I've had success with prepping as if I was about to boil, and then freeze on a dry cloth; Once frozen, transfer to an air tight freezer bag, and use as fast as is practical.


Answered by Rowland Shaw

What can you NOT Freeze?

A lot of dairy products become watery or start to separate if they've been frozen or defrosted: pastries with cream fillings, cream cheese, sour cream, in particular.


The USDA does not recommend that eggs or canned foods be stored frozen. Eggshells can crack easily, and even if the shells remain intact, the consistency of egg yolks makes them difficult to use for anything other than hard-boiling.

Canned foods that are frozen can pose health risks. The USDA recommends inspecting frozen cans to see if it has rusted or burst. If the can is swollen, thaw it and check to make sure it doesn't appear unsealed or smell before eating.


The FDA has a useful chart on which foods don't freeze well and how long you can freeze certain foods. (Note: recommended freeze limits indicate when the quality of the food will decrease - NOT when it will expire. You could theoretically freeze most foods indefinitely.)

The only other thing I would avoid freezing is any sort of raw green (lettuce, spinach, etc.). Greens wilt and turn brown when you freeze them. (If they're cooked, they should be fine to freeze and thaw.)

Also, some spices become bitter when frozen, including pepper, cloves, garlic, green pepper, imitation vanilla, and onions. Paprika and celery also taste different after being frozen.


Answered by Laura

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