We’ve all been there … too much Christmas and party food.
Sometimes it’s just too many ingredients. You buy enough custard for five puddings, let alone one.
So which foods can you happily freeze this festive season to save for another party day?
Here’s our guide.
Ham
We love a bit of hamuary at our house. We had one that lasted so long we gave it a name – it was the Magic Pudding, because it never seemed to end – but you probably shouldn’t leave it that long.
The good news is ham freezes very well.
To freeze ham, make sure it is totally cooled (if it’s a baked ham) and then wrap it in plastic or pop it into a freezer bag.
My tip, cut it up first. Defrosting a decent size ham could take ages and you probably only want a little bit anyway. It will also take up less room in the freezer.
Better Homes and Gardens recommends the following for how long ham can be frozen:
- fresh, uncured, uncooked ham: 6 months
- fresh, uncured, cooked ham: 3 to 4 months
- Cured, cook-before-eating ham (sliced or whole): 3 to 4 months
- fully-cooked, unopened ham: 1 to 2 months
- cooked, whole ham: 1 to 2 months
- cooked slices, half, or spiral ham: 1 to 2 months
- cooked country ham: 1 month
- canned, shelf-stable, opened (don’t freeze unopened canned ham): 1 to 2 months
- prosciutto, Parma or Serrano ham, dry Italian or Spanish type ham, sliced: 1 month.
Cream
Cream is eminently suitable for freezing, but remember, because of its high water content it will expand. So either decant it into ice cube trays and then when frozen transfer it to a freezer bag, expelling the air as you go, or leave a decent gap at the top of the container.
High-fat content cream will separate a bit when defrosted, but a quick beat with a whisk should restore it.
Custard
As a subset of cream, you can freeze custard using the same method as freezing cream, but the process of defrosting it so it doesn’t split is so onerous it’s probably just as easy to make ice cream out of it and be done.
Here are some tips to defrosting custard. Good luck, I couldn’t even make it to the end.
Plum pudding
Another great one for the freezer. Once again, it’s probably more convenient to cut it up before freezing. Wrap each piece in cling wrap.
The experts differ on how long it lasts in the freezer, but it’s generally agreed to be a year. But it would be odd bringing out last year’s pud just in time for next year.
Seafood
You can freeze seafood. Place it in a freezer bag or plastic bag and remove as much air as possible.
Prawns should be placed in a sealable container, covered with water and then frozen.
You should never refreeze seafood. If you have leftover seafood you have to get rid of but don’t want to waste it, bury it in your garden, it’s great fertiliser.
Most prawns sold in Australia have been frozen, regardless of what state they are sold in.
Be aware that seafood is prone to freezer burn so often the quality will have degraded and some taste will be lost once it is defrosted.
Bread
We always buy fancy bread from the local French bakery for Christmas and there is never any left over, but if there was, bread freezes extremely well.
For best results, wrap it in two layers of plastic or freezer bags. Just use the bag it came in if you can’t be bothered.
How long it lasts depends on the bread, but it should last up to six months.
Do you use your freezer a lot? What are your most popular frozen leftovers? Why not share your tips in the comments section below?
Also read: How to remove red wine and other Christmas spillages
