The current lockdown has created a sort of panic among people who are stocking up their kitchens for rainy days. Although, kitchen essentials are easily available, paranoia is riding far and wide among most of the people. We also hear people freezing their foods for future use since many foods have a short shelf life. While it is fine to freeze your dry fruits, ice creams and peas, there are many foods that are good before going in the freezer and not so good after coming out.
Here's a list of foods that you must not put in the freezer if you want to maintain their integrity.
7 Foods You Should Not Store In Freezer During Covid-19 Lockdown:
1. Dairy Products
Milk is the first thing we want to stock up but don't pay heed to everyone's suggestion to freeze cartons of milk. When you'll take it out and thaw it, it may curdle. Likewise, cheese will turn out to be crumbly and not so cheesy after all.
(Also Read: Basic Kitchen Essentials One Must Have During The Lockdown Days)
2. Fried Foods
We like our fries, pakodas and nuggets for their crunchiness. But these fried foods are sure to lose it if they are frozen. So, eat these snacks all to your heart's content rather than saving it for later. You won't mind doing it. Right?
3. Noodles
Want to make noodles during lockdown? Cooked or uncooked, noodles and pasta won't stay well in the freezer. They will turn mushy after defrosting them. Buy only those many packs that you are going to use soon.
4. Cucumber
Use frozen cucumber slices for your eyes only, not for your mouth. Cucumber, after thawing will be soggy and will taste different.
5. Fruits
Only dried fruits or dry fruits are safe to store in freezer, not fresh fruits. Freezing them will change their structure, taste and bring down their nutritional value.
6. Coffee
Open coffee beans or ground coffee will catch that weird freezer smell and your coffee wont taste the same. However, unopened coffee bags can still be stored in freezer for a couple of weeks.
(Also Read: How To Eat Healthy While Working From Home)
7. Tomato Sauce
We all love to pair our sandwiches, chips, snacks with ketchup. If you fear that your local grocery store will run out of it and, hence, you're planning to stock it in your freezer, please don't. After defrosting it, you'll see a mess with tomato paste, water and vinegar, all separated.
Freezing these foods will negatively impact their consistency, texture and taste. So choose wisely the foods that you would want to put in your freezer.
(This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.)
About Neha GroverLove for reading roused her writing instincts. Neha is guilty of having a deep-set fixation with anything caffeinated. When she is not pouring out her nest of thoughts onto the screen, you can see her reading while sipping on coffee.