A homemade pot of freshly baked beans brings comforting goodness and satisfying flavor. But while eating from a pot of baked beans, there are usually some leftovers or should we say tons of leftover beans. Now, are you wondering how you can save your pot of baked beans from going bad? Can you freeze baked beans? If yes, you are not alone. I wonder about freezing my baked beans as I hate throwing away perfectly good food.
With less time available at hand nowadays, all of us look forward to cooking ahead so that on a busy weekday we can just pull out food from the freezer without wasting any time on preparing a full meal. Therefore, knowing whether you can freeze a particular dish is important as you do not want your family to fall sick or eat terribly tasting food.
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Can You Freeze Baked Beans
Well, the simplest answer to your question, “Whether you can freeze baked beans or not?” is a yes. You can actually freeze any food. However, the question here is whether freezing baked beans make sense or not? If you choose to follow the freezing process in the right way, the results would be great. So if you ever see a sale or indulge in baking a large pot of beans, you can always freeze some baked beans and use them later on.
Why Should You Freeze Baked Beans?
When preparing delicious meals, it is not uncommon to have some leftovers and as with everything else in life, nothing should be wasted. The heartiness of baked beans and their low cost makes it a popular side as well as main dish. It is also a good source of phosphorus, fiber, calcium, and folate. Therefore, whenever you have cooked a pot full of beans, make sure to freeze the leftover instead of throwing it away.
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Method of Freezing (Tips and Guides)
Rather than eating store bought baked beans, you can enjoy homemade baked beans. But if you have some leftovers, you can freeze them to maintain their great taste and to avoid them from going bad.
Follow these points carefully to freeze homemade baked beans.
Freeze them the same day
The day you have prepared the baked beans is the right time to freeze them. However, allow them to cool down and reach ambient temperature. This step will help in maintaining their freshness and avoid growth of bacteria.
Hot beans can cause the container to expand therefore the chances of the container developing a crack increases. The shock of cold air to hot food may cause beans to burst open, resulting in a mush when thawed. Therefore, we recommend you to cook your beans at the lowest possible temperature.
Storage option
The baked beans must be put in the right container before placing them in the freezer. Make sure to use freezer-safe containers as these are made from durable material and do not crack under pressure.
The material can be high-quality glass, tough plastic or a mix of both.
- BPA-free containers
You can get your hands on BPA-free containers that can easily go into the freezer, microwave or dishwasher. These are available in a pack of 10 and can easily be labeled with the content. Moreover, these containers stack that helps you keep the freezer organized. - Clear material container
You can also choose clear material containers that make it easy to see what’s inside. With 16 ounce capacity, these containers will easily hold enough beans that will make up for a meal of 4 persons.
Moreover, if you are using frozen beans in some recipe, these containers will easily hold up the required quantity. However, while filling up these containers, make sure to leave some space on the top to account for the expansion of the broth when the baked beans freeze. This will also make sure that the container does not burst or the lid does not pop off.
Expel out the excess air
If you plan to go in with zip lock plastic bags instead of BPA-free containers, make sure to remove excess air after placing baked beans in the bag. Squeeze the package while simultaneously zipping the bag. This should be done to remove excess air that may carry microorganisms that lead to spoilage of the food.
Label the containers
Unless you want to play the guessing game, it is always a good idea to label the containers or the plastic bags. Get your hands on special freezer food labels that give you enough space to write a date and name of the contents.
Baked beans can last up to 6 months, therefore once you have frozen a batch, you can always rotate the older food while freezing a new batch of baked beans (First In First Out). The labels can also be used to guide you with meal planning so that nothing goes waste. A permanent marker in dark color should be used to write on the labels.
Freeze Leftover Canned Baked Beans
Follow these steps carefully to freeze leftover canned baked beans. Canned baked beans can also be frozen to be used at a later date.
From Can to Container
After opening the can, the frozen canned beans have a lifespan of approximately 3 months; therefore, it is important to freeze them properly. Never choose to freeze them in the original packaging, rather pick up a nice tough freezer container and place them in the freezer.
Labeling is Important
It is important to label the content with the freezing dates. This will help you avoid confusion and you will never end up eating bad food. Write the date of first freezing for each jar and this will help you document how long the beans have been frozen for.
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Does the Taste of Freshly Cooked Beans and Canned Beans Differ?
Well, the answer is no, the taste of canned beans and freshly cooked beans do not differ. While you should prefer preparing fresh beans, if you are short on time, you can any day opt for canned beans. You can always freeze leftover, but make sure you do not freeze unopened cans of baked beans because they already have preservatives in them.
The Thawing Process or Defrosting
When you want to use the frozen beans on a later date, you need to follow certain steps to make sure you get the best results. By following the proper steps, you can be sure that you will get the dish that tastes the same as the day it was cooked on.
- There are different ways to choose from when thawing and reheating. However, the best way to thaw the frozen beans is to leave them in the fridge (chiller section) overnight and reheat them later on.
- When microwaving frozen baked beans, make sure you choose the defrost function. Once it is defrosted, you can proceed further to reheat it at low temperature.
- If you want to thaw the frozen beans in a pot, use the lowest setting on your stove. Once thawed, consume all portions in a day as freezing the dish again is not recommended.
Recipes In Which Frozen Baked Beans Can be Used
Baked beans are a type of delicious and filling dish. While you have the option to eat it as it is, there are some other recipes in which you can use frozen baked beans. Consider making the following recipes when you have tons of baked beans leftover.
Chili
A versatile and delicious dish, Chili recipes tastes even better when baked beans are added to it. You can use some of your frozen baked beans to make the dish even better. However, make sure you have followed the proper thawing and reheating steps to make your stomach happy.
Chicken recipes
Chicken and beans form an amazing combination. You can include string beans or yellow beans and serve them with cooked green beans. Moreover, while preparing recipes with chicken, try adding some baked beans to the mix to use up your frozen beans.
As toppings
Frozen beans can also be used as toppings in various dishes and snacks. You can top your nachos with salsa and baked beans to enjoy a flavorful side dish.
Notes
- Airtight containers must be used when freezing the beans
- Freeze the beans immediately after they cool
- Label the containers with date and contents
- Baked beans can be frozen up to six months
- Thaw well to maintain the baked beans quality
- Heat and prepare immediately, after thawing
I hope this article gives you an answer to your question, “can you freeze baked beans?” Also remember that properly cooked beans will freeze better, however, overcooked beans will become soft and mushy.
We thought of a few interesting posts might be suitable for your reading. Click on to know more on whether you can freeze ricotta cheese or can you freeze potato salad. Also, learn more about combination cooking methods to cook great dishes. Moreover, if you make a lot of food dressings like for the steak, 9 Best Thickening Agents post might be of interest to you.
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