Can You Freeze Gumbo at Home? – Best Tips To Freeze and Thaw Gumbo – Shelf Life of Gumbo

by

Can you Freeze Gumbo?: Gumbo is a stew that is very popular over dinner and lunch. This stew is made up of several kinds of meat and seafood. The stew is very flavourful and full. You can always think of having gumbo for special occasions or simply on a lazy day. If you do not want to cook anything new for a lazy day, you can take out a frozen gumbo from the freezer and have it.

Check out the article to know if can you freeze gumbo or not, if yes look at the complete process of freezing gumbo at home and cook a delicious stew on a lazy Sunday evening.

Can You Freeze Gumbo

Can you Freeze Gumbo? How Long Can You Freeze Gumbo?

Yes, it is possible to freeze gumbo at home all on your own. You can freeze gumbo for three months without any sort of preservatives added to it.  It is important to make sure that the stew does not extend the time period of 3 months. The extension will cause freezer burn issues, and the texture of the soft ingredients in the recipe will change. Therefore, it is great to get the freshness of the stew and use it within the time frame.

You can also follow the tips below along with the process for better outcomes.

How to Freeze Gumbo?

It is important to keep in mind that the gumbo you will be preparing for the freezing process is fresh and hot. But it does not mean that you can freeze the stew hot. Therefore, the process includes bringing the cooked gumbo to room temperature. Check out the complete process.

  • Before you decide anything on freezing the gumbo stew, arrange the containers. Once the containers are in place, make sure you put the stew halfway through the container because once the gumbo freezes, the amount of stew will rise up.
  • It is very important to cool down the stew before you put it in the freezer. Even if you put the slightly warm gumbo in the containers, make sure you keep the lid off for some time so that the gumbo comes to room temperature.
  • It is very important to seal the containers well because if there is any extra air passing inside the container, there are chances of bacterial growth. To avoid any bacterial growth, make sure the lid is tightly set.
  • Now, in the end, label the containers. It is significant to label the containers to understand the due date of the gumbo.

These are the few steps that are simple and straightforward for you to follow for freezing gumbo at home. In the following section, let us also check out a few tips that will help in freezing the stew well.

Tips to Freeze Gumbo At Home

Freezing gumbo is not rocket science. You can easily freeze gumbo all by yourself. Just in case you want to take note of tips that can deliver better results, check out the below section.

  • Do not extend the preservation time: There will be soft ingredients in the gumbo, so it is important for how long you are preserving the gumbo in the freezer. Make sure you keep it in the freezer for three months and not more than that. Why? Because soft ingredients like prawns will suffer freezer burn.
  • Seat the lid really well: Sealing the lid has a lot to do with keeping the frozen gumbo secured. If there is any bacterial growth in the stew, then it may turn harmful for eating. Therefore, do not let any air pass through once the gumbo gets into the container and then into the freezer.
  • Avoid putting strong herbs: Make sure you do not add any strong herbs to the gumbo. Why? Because the strong smell of the herbs in the stew, when frozen, will not taste well. Moreover, the other items in the freezer might take the smell as well.

What are the Benefits of Freezing Gumbo?

Freezing gumbo comes with a lot of benefits. The most significant benefit of having frozen gumbo is getting to eat ingredients that are off-season. Here let us discuss the prime advantages of freezing gumbo.

  • If you freeze gumbo, you can have some of the off-season ingredients mixed in the gumbo. This is one such benefit that you cannot avoid. For instance- in case you do not find any prawns on a single day you want to cook gumbo, you can choose to defrost the frozen one and enjoy your meal.
  • Freezing gumbo allows you to quickly cook the stew and have the rice of your choice on a lazy weekend. It saves you the time and energy of cooking the stew right from the beginning.
  • When you buy frozen gumbo from supermarkets, it will cost you more due to the taxes included as well as the packaging charges. Therefore, freezing gumbo at home is easy and less costly.
  • Frozen gumbo at home also helps you to cook a stew during a busy day and friends and family get together. You can spend the time with friends and family that you require for cooking the gumbo from the beginning.
  • Frozen gumbo preserves the taste and texture of your favorite ingredients for three months. Adding preservatives often changes the taste of the food items that are frozen. The smell of preservatives gets added to the food items.
  • When you freeze gumbo at home, it is fresh and free from all preservatives used in the ones you buy from the supermarket. Frozen items do not require any sort of preservatives to keep the taste and texture intact for months.

These benefits of frozen gumbo are interesting to consider. Now let us check on the time period of freezing gumbo.

Related Articles:

How Can You Defrost Frozen Gumbo?

Like freezing gumbo, defrosting is also easy and simple to follow. If you want to defrost frozen gumbo, the best process to follow is to pull off the lid of the container and then place it in the microwave. You can place the frozen gumbo for a few seconds initially in the microwave and then reheat it until it turns smoking hot as if fresh for serving.

If you do not have a microwave to defrost the stew, you can keep the container in the fridge from the freezer overnight. Once the stew is thawed, you can heat up the gumbo in a pan and have your meal.

Is it Okay to Refreeze Thawed Gumbo?

Well, refreezing of gumbo entirely depends upon the ingredients you use for making the dish. If you have used all the meat, then yes, you can technically refreeze the stew. However, if you have used soft and moisture-rich ingredients like herbs and fish, try to avoid the refreezing process.

If you refreeze the soft and moisture-filled ingredients, the stew will lose its freshness, and there are chances of having harmful bacterial growth. Moreover, the structure of the ingredients in the stew will change as well.

FAQs on Freezing Gumbo

1. How long does gumbo last in a refrigerator?

A gumbo will last for around two to three days in the fridge when you pack it in airtight bags. You have to use up all the stew within three days, or else this will spoil.

2. Is it okay to overcook gumbo for freezing?

No, please avoid overcooking gumbo, which you will be freezing for months. If you overcook the gumbo, the frozen ones will not be able to retain the structure when thawed and reheated for eating.

3. Can you freeze seafood gumbo?

Yes, of course! You can cook a large portion of seafood gumbo and freeze it for months and eat it whenever you feel like it. This process is good to go.

4. Does seafood in gumbo cause freezer burn?

At times, especially when you extend the time period of usage for the seafood gumbo, there are chances of causing freezer burn issues.

Key Takeaways

If you were concerned about to know about can you freeze gumbo, your concerns are over now. This article completely holds the precise guide for freezing gumbo. Please follow the tips mentioned above to get the best results in freezing the stew. Gumbo is great for any day meal, and you can always customize your own ingredients in the recipe.

For more information regarding the freezing and preservation of food articles like can you freeze prime rib, can you freeze kielbasa, and many more, refer to our canyoupreserve.com website.

 

Leave a Comment