Freeze Strawberries are a pure delight to eat. But, fresh strawberries have limited seasonal availability, and you might prefer storing them for a long duration. Besides, you could most likely search about the best ways of whether can you refreeze strawberries?
You can refreeze strawberries for as long as their taste and texture are safe in the freezer. You can eat refrozen strawberries on their own, or you can use them in smoothies and jams. But you should know that refreezing strawberries might mess up their cell structure, thus making them soft and syrupy.
Refreezing Strawberries is a smooth process, and you can enjoy eating them even after their season is over. Additionally, it would be helpful to follow proper refreezing steps to ensure the frozen strawberries remain in their healthy texture for a better taste.
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Can You Safely Refreeze Strawberries?
Refreezing previously thawed and frozen strawberries is entirely safe. It might reduce the quality of strawberries, but it won’t make them unsafe for consumption. If you’ve thawed strawberries at a temperature less than 40°F, you can safely refreeze them.
Because the strawberries have thawed for too long, it won’t be a good idea to refreeze them as prolonged exposure to air will promote bacterial growth.
You should know that the more you thaw and refreeze, the more quality degradation takes place.
It’s better to refreeze strawberries in small portions instead of putting them all together in one bag. It ensures that you only take out the amount you need to use.
Also, when packed together, strawberries might turn out to have a syrupy texture, so instead of eating them on their own, you can make jams, marmalade, smoothies out of them.
Moreover, it’s best preferable to flash-freeze each strawberry for a few (1-2) hours to avoid the frozen strawberries getting soft and squishy. So, they would remain safe from any ice crystal formation and would not get intact with each other inside its packaging.
How to Safely Refreeze Strawberries?
Here is a list of steps that need to be followed so you can refreeze strawberries in their safest and preferable manner;
- First of all, make sure not to thaw frozen strawberries for too long before refreezing, as this will only increase the risk of contamination.
- Before proceeding, you should avoid washing thawed strawberries. Even if you have washed them, it’s best to dry them out properly before putting them in the freezer.
- Optional step: You can flash-freeze strawberries and spread each on a baking sheet until they become frozen solid.
- Next, ensure to make a small batch of strawberries you want to refreeze and put them inside Ziploc bags so that when you want to consume them again, you don’t take out more than you need.
- After you are done making small portions, put all the strawberries inside another airtight or freezer-safe bag. Doing so will reduce the risk of strawberries going bad.
- Additionally, to take note of frozen strawberries best before date, put a label on top of the packaging.
- Once done, you can safely place strawberries inside the freezer section for refreezing.
After you’ve put the strawberries inside the freezer, make sure you don’t place anything heavy on top of them, as this will only cause the strawberries to deform even more.
How Long Can You Safely Refreeze Strawberries?
The time length for refreezing strawberries depends on the condition of strawberries before freezing. And also, how well you prepared the strawberries before putting them in the freezer.
Another factor to consider before refreezing strawberries is how long you let the strawberries thaw. Even if you have accidentally thawed fresh strawberries for too long, the chances of them spoiling in the freezer are very high.
Suppose you immediately put fresh strawberries into the freezer. In that case, your strawberries will last for about four to six months in the freezer.
It would be best if you always consumed the frozen strawberries as soon as possible. However, if you feel like the taste and texture have greatly been affected, it’s always wise to discard the strawberries even if the time limit has not been crossed.
Conclusion
Refreezing fruits like strawberries is an option if you love them to the extent you want to consume them all year long.
Also, thawing strawberries over the counter or at room temperature isn’t a good idea, so always try and thaw them in the refrigerator. Doing so will reduce the risk of bacterial growth and will keep the strawberries well for longer.
Just make sure you are not thawing and refreezing the strawberries again and again. It is not safe to refreeze fresh strawberries more than once.
Refreezing the strawberries after cooking is also an option if you feel like the raw strawberries will spoil. As long as you follow all the safest refreezing steps mentioned in this guide, the frozen strawberries won’t cause you any harm.
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