Yes, You Can Freeze Butter! Here's How to Do It the Right Way (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to freeze butter? ›

Yes, you can freeze cubed butter, and it works well as long as you wrap the butter tightly to avoid freezer burn. Here's how to do it: Line up the cubed butter on a piece of plastic wrap and wrap it up. Store the wrapped butter in an airtight container, like a tightly closed bag, and transfer it to the freezer.

Properly stored butter can be frozen for up to four months if frozen prior to the USE BY date on the package. Butter may begin to lose its fresh butter taste and pick up flavors and odors from the freezer if stored for longer than four months. Once the butter is removed from the freezer, use it within 30 days.

Depending on the recipe, you can use butter while it's still frozen. If your recipe calls for melted butter, take it straight from the freezer to the pan or microwave to melt it. You can also grate frozen butter. Simply grate the amount needed over a piece of waxed paper or a cutting board.

But storing it in a cold fridge or icy freezer will put that spoilage off. In the freezer, well-wrapped butter can last up to a year, after which its flavor and quality will be compromised. It may also develop freezer burn. In the refrigerator, well-wrapped salted butter can last up to five months without spoiling.

To store butter in the freezer, it can be wrapped in plastic freezer wrap or foil to maintain freshness. You can also keep butter in its original carton and seal inside a plastic freezer bag before freezing.

If your recipe calls for melted butter, there's no need to thaw — just melt it from its frozen state in the microwave or on the stove. But what if you need cold or softened butter for your pie crust or cookies? Easily thaw it by transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the night before you plan to use it.

Spoiled butter will have a sour, bitter taste, and may also change in color and give off a subtle, unpleasant odor. It may also taste like the other foods in your refrigerator, as it quickly absorbs the flavors of any strong-smelling ingredients in its vicinity.

According to Land O'Lakes, freezing butter will not affect its taste or texture, which is good news if you're planning to bake up a batch of your famous chocolate chip cookies.

Freezing butter is a great way to make it last even longer. Butter has a pretty long shelf life in the fridge already (about 4 months for unsalted and 6 months for salted) but you can extend that time even further by freezing your sticks of butter when you get home from the grocery store!

According to the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), you can freeze eggs for up to one year. When you're ready to use frozen eggs, thaw them overnight in the refrigerator or under running cold water. Use egg yolks or whole eggs as soon as they're thawed.

Can you freeze milk? ›

Freezing milk is easy, helps avoid waste, allows a backup supply, and saves money. Thawed milk will be most nutritious if people freeze it at its freshest. However, as long as freezing happens on or before the best before date, it is fine to freeze milk and thaw it for later use.

Refrigerated butter should last up to a month past the printed date if it's unopened. If the butter has been opened, it can last up to two weeks past that printed date. If you're storing the butter longer term, unopened butter stored in the freezer can last anywhere from nine months to a year past the date.

Butter can stay safe for consumption inside the freezer for up to 6 to 12 months. The product must be properly sealed in an airtight container to exclude external factors. While butter's shelf-life can be extended by freezing, its quality may degrade the longer it stays in the freezer.

Yes, you can freeze cheese but not all types of cheese freeze well. The best cheeses to freeze are hard and semi-hard cheeses.To freeze, store it in a freezer bag, expel air and label. If you plan on using it grated, it's best to grate before freezing. Lay a bag of grated cheese out flat and don't pack it too tightly.

Make a Hot Water Bath

Pour hot water into a ceramic or glass cup or bowl (something that can fit over your butter). After a few minutes, dump the water out of the vessel and quickly cover your butter. The heat from the cup will soften your butter in just a few minutes.

4. Butter. It's always good to keep butter on hand for an emergency batch of Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies, and you should keep it in the freezer to extend its shelf life. For an extra protective layer against freezer off-flavors, you can vacuum seal your butter.

Wrapping individual boxes or sticks in heavy-duty aluminum foil works great, but multiple layers of plastic wrap will do in a pinch. For extra insurance, pop the wrapped butter in a heavy-duty freezer storage bag and press out excess air; if you have one, I imagine a vacuum sealer would be even better.