How to Flash Freeze Summer’s Peak Produce So You Can Enjoy It Year Round

The freezer is a home cook’s best friend. It’s a storage spot for future meals and, obviously, a safe repository for the all-important post-dinner ice cream. But it’s also a place to bank in-season produce, store meal prep components like meatballs and pasta sauce, and stash portioned-out chocolate chip cookie dough. 

But freezing isn’t always as simple as packing food up and throwing it in. There’s a preliminary step, called flash freezing, that can make a big difference in terms of food quality and ease of use down the road. 

To learn more about the hows and whys of flash freezing, I spoke with Holly Capelle, the author of the new book Preserving the Seasons: A Guide to Canned, Jammed, Frozen, Dehydrated, Freeze-Dried, Quick-Pickled, and Infused Produce, Herbs, and Flowers. Capelle is a huge fan of freezing in general. “It’s a simple, inexpensive, easily accessible, option for preserving a wide variety of food,” she says. And here she schools us on how flash freezing can make all the difference.

How to Flash Freeze Food

In the commercial world, flash freezing is called IQF, or “individually quick frozen.” It’s why the chicken nuggets or bag of strawberries you buy aren’t all frozen into a single block. Each food piece is first frozen separately and then combined into one package. 

“Similarly, flash freezing food at home, also known as pre-freezing or quick freezing, is the process of allowing small amounts of food to freeze individually for several hours before placing it into packaging for long-term freezer storage,” says Capelle. 

The process is simple. “Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper (to prevent sticking). Spread the food out, making sure pieces aren’t touching, and place the baking sheet in the freezer for one to four hours, or until the food is frozen solid,” says Capelle. Then you can store everything together in freezer-safe containers. 

Liquids like soups, juice, and sauces are fair game too, says Capelle. “Pre-freeze them in ice cube trays and then transfer them to resealable freezer-safe containers.”

Benefits of Flash Freezing

There are a few, including reduced food waste. “Flash freezing foods like strawberries and blueberries before packaging in resealable freezer-safe containers keeps the berries separated instead of becoming a frozen clump of berries. This allows you to access only what you need for each recipe,” says Capelle.

By flash-freezing sliced bread before it gets stale, you’ll have individual slices at the ready for toasting. Sure, you could just put all of the slices in a zip-top bag before freezing, but it’s no fun trying to pry apart frozen slices with your nails or a knife (speaking from experience here).

Since freezing individual foods allows for quick and even freezing, the practice can also lead to longer, high-quality storage, says Capelle. “The faster the freeze, the smaller the ice crystals, the longer the storage. Large ice crystals, which are a result of a slow freeze or poor packaging, can cause freezer burn, which shortens storage life and results in foods having an off taste.”

Produce That Benefits From Flash Freezing

Any food in individual or cut pieces can benefit from a quick freeze before longer-term storing, says Capelle. And, it’s especially useful for fruits and veggies. Most fruits, including berries, banana slices, peach slices, and mango chunks for smoothies can go into the freezer raw. Some veggies, like corn and peas, also do well raw. But many other vegetables freeze better when blanched first, such as green beans, beets, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts.

Blanch leafy greens before freezing also. “Pre-freezing pureed spinach in ice trays makes adding the bright green goodness to future soups, smoothies, and stews a cinch,” says Capelle.

Other Foods That Benefit From Flash Freezing

Quick-freezing isn’t only for produce. Basically, anything that can be frozen individually probably should. “Hamburger patties, cookie dough balls, baked cookies, and dinner rolls will keep their shape and allow for grab-and-go portion control during storage,” says Capelle. As mentioned earlier, I also flash freeze sliced bread, muffins, scones, and other baked goods. 

If I’m meal prepping, I’ll flash freeze formed but raw meatballs and breaded, uncooked chicken or fish fillets. When I’m in a pinch for dinner, these items can be cooked directly from frozen.