[justamotherof4]

I was wondering if anyone has had any luck with freezing yogurts, butter, etc. and other dairy products, and how they hold up after they've been dethawed.
I would appreciate any and all of your tips, tricks and ideas for storing.
Thanks ahead of time.

[phil4v7]

Butter freezes great and I find that it's actually good for it, even if you're not freezing it to beat the expiration date. It just picks up fewer flavors in the freezer than in the fridge, so it tastes fresher.

Yogurt is one of those hit and miss things. I've tried freezing Yoplait and Dannon fruit-on-the-bottom and they came out fine. My guess would be that you'll have the best luck with yogurts with very little air in the original packaging. The texture does change a bit, but not so much that it changes my enjoyment of it. It's also good if you only thaw it a little and then eat it mostly frozen.

Cheeses vary widely based on the source of the cheese, hardness of the cheese, etc. I've had good success freezing the common shredded cheeses (cheddar, moz, jack, etc.) but the block cheeses can change some in texture after freezing. If you're using it in a recipe, it probably won't bother you if it's more crumbly, but if you're counting on the texture, you may want to do additional research before freezing.

I think that pretty much covers the dairy products I have experience with. I have heard that you can freeze milk, but haven't tested it myself.

[andinic_83]

I also freeze butter on a regular basis. I have never tried yogurt--we don't eat very much of that. I also freeze cheese when I can buy it at a good price. Like the previous poster stated, it is better if you plan on using it in a recipe, like a caserole, because it does change texture a bit. I've only frozen grated cheese--not blocks or slices. I also have heard that you can freeze milk, but I have never tried it either. Hope this helps!

[Moggy]

Butter, shredded cheese, the cheaper block cheeses like Kraft (I never freeze the really good gourmet cheeses).

Mom used to keep an emergency back up milk in the freezer, you have to shake it up really good because it seperates a little. I don't drink milk so I couldn't tell you how it tastes ~ to me its always gross

[CELMA11]

Cream cheese does not freeze well. learn the hard way.

[smhammons]

I love my freezer! I freeze Meat (of course) shredded cheese, breads and of course the regular freezer stuff like ice cream and frozen foods. I have heard that you can freeze milk. My husband doesn't like this idea so I don't. Personally, I wouldn't freeze yogurt. I think it has to di with it's consistancey.

[Templej]

Once, I was given a commercial sized can of tomato paste...there was no way I could use all of it at one time, so I used freezer bags to divide it up into usable portions and it lasted over a year!

[Moggy]

Originally Posted by CELMA11

Cream cheese does not freeze well. learn the hard way.

I freeze it all the time, but I use it in recipes - not spread on toast.

[justamotherof4]

Has any tried the pillsbury grands in the freezer? , Ricotta cheese, sour cream??

[mom2gabenkatie]

I have good luck freezing cream cheese in the freezer - but I only use it in recipes, I don't actually just eat it plain.

I have frozen ricotta cheese with no problem. It separates some so you would have to use it IN something baked, but I just stir it up and use it no problem.

Sour cream does not freeze well.

If you freeze yogurt you kill the living bacteria. It still tastes okay I guess (my kids eat if frozen as popsicles) but you don't get the good bacteria benefit.

I've heard others say they freeze the grands. Don't personally eat them so I don't know.

I have tried freezing milk with mixed results. Sometimes it's fine, other times it picks up a funny taste or separates and I cannot get it to "mix" well. Have a gallon in the fridge with that problem right now.

Recently I've been freezing my own cookie dough! I make a double batch and bake half and freeze the other half in individual cookie balls. We've found that we like them even better like that! Just take out the frozen balls, cook, and eat. No thawing necessary. They are super delicious!!

[sj081995]

If you freeze things.... example milk, lunch meat... How long is it good for once it is thawed? I froze some lunch meat before but wasn't sure how long it was good for so I wound up wasting most of it....

[Kristina Hughes]

I have frozen cheese (block, shredded and slices), butter, bread, lunch meats, and sour cream. All were fine except the sour cream, I couldn't get it to mix again. Oh, also raw potatoes. My husband froze a bag once by accident. They thaw out as mush, yuck!

As for how long, it depends on the product and how well it was packaged. I bought some lunch meat from HT before and it lasted a few months and was as good as the day I bought it.

Here are some links that might help.

http://www.ag.ndsu.edu/pubs/yf/foods/fn403.pdf

National Center for Home Food Preservation | How Do I? Freeze

THE CHILL FACTOR / The guide to what freezes, what doesn't and why

Hope these help some.

[justamotherof4]

My husband has had incredible luck freezing meats in the vacu. pack machine. I took left over mashed potatoes, gravy, and turkey, spagetti. Vacuum packed them. They lasted forever. When we were ready to eat it, I would boil the bag in water. The mashed potatoes tasted better than the day we ate them! I have also vac. packed deli meat that came out awesome too.
What we have really loved over the past year, were the Reynolds Handi-vac (vacuum freezer bags). Our Food lion quit carrying them. They come in Quarts, Gallons, etc. But we found they are only a one time use. But worth it.