Foods You Should Never Freeze

Simply because you don't have the time to make a brand new meal every night, your freezer should not be a dumping ground for everything. Just make sure you're using it to its full potential by storing the right foods in it. Finding shows that women store all sorts in their freezer just because they need to preserve their foods. These are some of the foods found in some women's freezers that should not be there.

1. Eggs in the Shell

Although it may seem appealing to just pop a couple of eggs in the freezer for later, it's a recipe for cracked leaky shells and a bacteria-laden mess.
When liquids freeze, they expand. And when liquids in a thin shell freeze and expand, putting pressure on said shell, well...

Separated egg whites, however, freeze wonderfully! Place them in a freezer-safe bowl with a tight lid (labeled with the number of egg whites inside) and set them off to the side for the next time you're ready to whip up a soufflé. The best part? They can stay frozen for up to a year.

2. Fresh Produce (That You Plan to eat Raw Later)

Fresh produce is just that: fresh. Store any unused fruits or veggies in the fridge or pantry until the next time you use them, and don't try to just deposit them straight from the store into a freezer bag. Blanched vegetables might fare okay when frozen if you plan on cooking them later, but if you plan on serving them merely reheated, you're looking at a bunch of wilty greens and soggy broccoli.

The only way to freeze veggies: blanch them, put them in a plastic bag, and thaw later for cooking!

3. Soft Cheese

The best part about a soft cheese is its fluffy and delicate composition. So when you stick it in the freezer, you get a crystallized and brittle mess. Or, you know, a separated lump of disgusting. Neither is ideal. Same goes for most dairy products too: get ready for a bowl of watery unmixed curds and whey.

4. Ketchup

Thawed ketchup might sound like a great name, but is actually something you'll want nowhere near your French fries. You've seen how ketchup can separate a bit when just left in the bottle--after it's been defrosted, the mess is even worse if stored in the freezer.

I am also guilty of storing all sorts in my freezer. Common friend, lets make it fun. What unusual food do you freeze?