Kitchen

[feline groovy]

*cherry or grape tomatoes

*oranges/other citrus

*fresh salsa

*fresh guacamole

*packaged hard cheeses (like cheddar)

*packaged light cream cheese

*packaged Canadian bacon or Taylor ham/pork roll

I know these are unusual to be asking about, but I thought maybe some of you would know. And possibly have some tips, please.

TIA

[CalminHeart]

Many of them can be frozen. Just wrap them well, perhaps double bag and squeeze out as much air as you can. I freeze all kinds of things....including hard cheese, butter/margarine, salsa, packaged canadian bacon or ham/pork roll. I don't know about the fruit, tomatoes or guacamole though. I would not leave hard cheese in the freezer long term and let it thaw in the frig.

[brandiwine]

Citrus NO. Tomatoes will be mushy. Hard cheese is fine. For the best information check out the USDA website. They have a section on freezing foods. Gives you directions as to what you need to do and how long to leave things frozen. Another resource is your local Extension service.

[Carmie]

I freeze whole tomatoes at the end of each growing season in zip lock bags. Once they are frozen, they are only good for recipes. You can't thaw and slice them anymore.

I just take them out of the freezer, run under water and the skin peels right off. I use them for vegetable soup and other recipes that call for canned tomatoes.

Bacon can be frozen. Cream cheese didn't freeze well for me.

[feline groovy]

Thank you for the advice; really appreciate it. 8)

[WenGirl42]

I buy the individual cups of organic guacamole at Costco and freeze to extend the life. They freeze beautifully, but that's probably because they are well sealed. I would try freezing fresh guac by putting it in a plastic bag and squeezing all the air out.

[feline groovy]

Thanks again.

[Mominohio]

My personal opinion is that freezing cheese will result in a crumbly and dry product. But if vacuum sealed, it can last for 6 months or more in the fridge.

Fresh salsa yes. May be more watery when it thaws, and compromise the tomato texture.

Citrus no.

Tomatoes, only if you will be using them in cooking, as they will be mush.

Any kind of meat yes.

Cream cheese, I've never tried, but would think the consistency would be compromised.

And while you can freeze so many things, it is really (to me) a waste of time and money to do so without vacuum sealing. There are no bags or wraps or containers (even Lock and Lock) that will protect the food. It will begin to freezer burn within a few days. So if you are talking about freezing some of this stuff for a week, then you might be ok. If you plan to keep it longer, I'd highly recommend a Food Saver. I have had mine for years (actually I'm on my second one) and I love the results I get.