Can Freeze Tamales? – How Do You Freeze and Reheat Tamales?

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Can Freeze Tamales: Tamale is nothing but a Latin dish, with a wide variety of fillings, like pork and shrimp. And also this dish is very popular around the world. Most people who are in Mexico, Columbia, and Guatemala prefer to eat this dish.

This dish is made of cornflour, tomato sauce, green chili peppers, and with stewed onions. Also, cooking this dish takes many hours, so most people look for preserving methods to store tamales to save time.

Freezing is the best preserving method to freeze tamales but people often worry about freezing because of their fillings. So check out this article, to clear all your queries, and also know the perfect freezing, defrosting, and reheating process with many tips provided. Let’s get started!!!

Can freeze tamales

Can You Freeze Tamales? How Long Can you Freeze Tamales?

Yes, you can freeze tamales in the freezer for upto 6 months. And by freezing it properly, tamales freeze so well in the freezer. May there will be a little change in texture and flavor. When you think of freezing tamales you need to cook the dish prior to freezing. And always freezing cooked tamales is best, raw tamales which are uncooked may increase the risk of flavor or texture changes. In the below sections, you can see the freezing process step by step.

How To Freeze Tamales?

As we already mentioned above, when you think of freezing tamales to preserve you need to prepare them and cool them, and immediately you need to freeze tamales. So, we will see the step-by-step process below on how we can freeze tamales after cooking.

  • Firstly, cook the tamales or if there are any leftovers you can freeze them without wasting them. Anyways, it may be cooked or leftover, you should cool them completely before freezing.
  • To cool the cooked tamales you can leave the cooked dish on a cooling rack for an hour or two.
  • Once the tamales are cooled completely, then take the air-tight containers or freezing bags.
  • Before placing them in containers or freezer bags, it is better to wrap the tamales with aluminum foil or baking paper by closing all the sides completely without entering the air.
  • Otherwise, place the tamales inside the freezer bags or containers by setting them flat so that they retain their shape until they are defrosted.
  • Freezing them in portions will be a good idea as there will be no waste.
  • Once they are packed, seal them tightly with the lid for containers, squeeze the air completely and seal them in case of freezer bags.
  • Label the bags or containers with the name and storage date.
  • Finally, put them in a freezer.

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Does Freezing Affect Tamales?

No, freezing will not affect tamales, by their texture, flavor, and taste. However, you may see some little changes, when you thaw and reheat them as tamales are sensitive to heat. To avoid these changes better to double-wrap your tamales and use freezer-safe bags. And also be sure by label the package of tamales.

How to Defrost and Reheat Frozen Tamales?

Here we are going to provide you with different types of defrosting methods along with the reheating process.

Defrosting in the Fridge & Reheating Process

To defrost the frozen tamales, just take out the tamales from the freezer and then transfer the frozen tamales into the fridge. And leave it and thaw the tamales overnight and use it in the morning. You can reheat the tamales by using a steamer, and you can reheat them by microwave, oven, stovetop, and by all the below methods.

Defrosting and Reheating using Crockpot

To defrost the tamales you can use the crockpot if you want them moist, By defrosting and cooking in the crockpot they taste as good as the day you cooked them. Dont remove the wrap after taking it out of the freezer.

Defrosting and Reheating in the Oven

Take out your tamales from the freezer and then unwrap the foil or plastic wrap. remove the corn husk casing and rewrap the tamales in tin foil or baking paper. Preheat the oven to 430 F. Keep your tamales in a tin with a two-inch gap between each and cook for 22 minutes, flip it and cook again for 11 minutes.

Defrosting and Reheating in the Stovetop

Grab the tamales from the freezer, unwrap them and allow them to settle at room temperature. Just add a small amount of olive oil and add the tamales that you want and fry them. Fry them by flipping them.

Can You Refreeze Tamales?

No, refreezing tamales is not recommended. As the tamales become soft after it has been thawed. Freezing them again for the second time will change in texture and taste. To avoid these tamales, you need to divide the tamales into portions and defrost the number of tamales that you need.

FAQs on Can Freeze Tamales

1. Can You freeze uncooked tamales?

Yes, you can freeze uncooked tamales. Tamales are made of soft dough called masa, which is highly perishable. By using the right technique you can freeze the uncooked tamales.

2. Can you freeze tamales in foil?

Yes, you can freeze tamales in foil. So that tamales will last in the freezer for a long time. You need to wrap the tamales with aluminum wrap and keep them in air-tight containers or freezer bags.

3. How do various fillings affect freezing?

When you use different kinds of fillings that can affect the freezing process. When you want to freeze tamales you need to take fillings into consideration. For example, if you freeze the tamales with vegetable fillings, they will not freze well as the vegetables become mushy and watery.

In a Nutshell

Making tamales is a very satisfying process but you may not always have the time, so freezing the tamales is the best process to preserve them. Hope that the information, we have provided above about can freeze tamales is useful and beneficial for you. Still, if you have any suggestions about the article or if you have any doubts regarding this article, you can just comment to us in the comment section. Bookmark our site for more latest updates.

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