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If food is frozen properly, it can be kept for a good few months or even years. Water makes up the bulk of food and when it freezes, it crystalises ‑ fast freezing is preferable to slow freezing as it allows for smaller crystal formation which means less damage to cell walls. Delicate goods like meringues should be frozen in containers but sturdier goods can be frozen in heavy-duty freezing bags. For more tips on how to freeze ‘baked goods’, read on.

Freezing goods before they are baked

Un-baked pastries (including raw flaky pastry, puff pastry and shortcrust pastry), quiches, pizzas and pies do well in the freezer. Pastries can be rolled out to size and shape and they can also be filled if you wish.

To freeze pastry, put it in the freezer and when it is firm, pack it in a strong plastic bag or in a firm container. The ready-shaped pastry can be baked as soon as it comes out of the freezer.

Rolled pastry can be stacked in layers as long as wax paper is used between each layer. The batch of pastry layers can then be wrapped together and frozen. The pastry can later be defrosted and pressed into a pie dish before it is baked.

Freezing goods after they are baked

Baked breads, pizzas, pastries, biscuits, scones and cakes freeze well. To freeze baked pastry shells, fill the shells with crushed paper towels – once frozen, stack the shells in a sturdy container that has a lid. The tops of pastries and pies can be protected with aluminium pie plates. Pancakes and cookies can be separated by wax paper.

Fruit cakes, creamed cakes and bread can be frozen before they are baked, but then they are better frozen after baking due to the potential loss of the raising agent’s potency.

To freeze a cake or a filled pastry, place it on a metal baking tray and freeze it uncovered. Then lift it off the tray once it is firmly frozen and wrap it in plastic with as little air as possible.

Tip: All frozen goods benefit from fast freezing in air tight containers or wrappings – use a good marking pen to label and date each item.

Tags: food storage