Hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs are a delicious and tasty treat, which someone can indulge in for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It also helps that it is an easy food to cook and prepare for yourself, you friends and/or your family. It also should be noted that eggs are very healthy and important to a person’s daily or weekly diet. High in its protein content and relatively low in its fat content, eggs make for a great snack before and after you go to exercise and work out.
In addition to being served on their own, you can add your eggs to make an egg salad with, or to put on your sandwich with some lettuce and tomato. If you see a big sale in your local supermarket on a couple dozen of regular eggs, and you know that you’re not going to use them all right away, what should you do? For long-term storage, can you freeze eggs?
Can You Freeze Hard Boiled Eggs?
The answer to this question of whether or not to freeze your hard-boiled eggs is both a yes and a no. When you freeze hard-boiled eggs, you run the risk of their texture becoming rubbery and lacking flavor after the freezing and thawing processes. There are other ways to freeze hard-boiled eggs to be used as a garnish rather than a whole egg. It may also be best to not freeze them whole and already cooked through, but to freeze them as raw eggs to help preserve the original texture and taste. The method of freezing depends on the owner but you may get better results with freezing raw eggs that haven’t been boiled yet.
The Freezing Process
If you go ahead with freezing hard-boiled eggs, you will have to decide if you’re just going to freeze both the egg whites and the yellow colored egg yolk, or just the egg yolk by itself. Freezing the egg whites alone is not advisable because the whites will likely become hard and rubbery after becoming frozen, which would not be good for consumption.
If you would like to freeze just the egg yolk, simply hard-boil the number of eggs beforehand and then prepare them for freezing. It’s not recommended to chop up and slice the egg yolk and whites into smaller pieces before freezing either. To get the best results from freezing your hard-boiled eggs, it’s important to adhere to the following steps:
- Put your regular eggs in a pot with water, and heat it up after covering the eggs with a lid.
- Bring the water up in temperature until it starts boiling, and let the eggs soak in the water for up to ten minutes before you remove them from the pot.
- Remove the yellow egg yolk from the egg whites, which may involve separating the contents with a knife or other utensil.
- Use the egg whites for your salad, sandwich, or another kind of food immediately, or refrigerate the product for best usage between 24 to 48 hours. You may freeze the egg whites if you are going to store them for the long-term but they must be frozen separately from the actual egg yolk.
- For the hard-boiled egg whites or egg yolks, put them in a single or double layer in a freezer-friendly container or individual freezer bags.
- Remove as much excess air as possible from the container or from these freezer bags before sealing them tightly. The quicker you seal the bags/container, the less the egg whites and egg yolks will be exposed to outside bacteria and other elements.
- Label with a permanent marker. Write the date of first freezing the hard-boiled egg whites and egg yolks on their freezer-safe containers and freezer bags.
- Lastly, you may place these separate egg whites and egg yolks into the freezer to begin the freezing process. Frozen yolks and egg whites can be stored in the freezer for up to a year. If you want to mash up the egg whites or the yolks to be used as a topping for an ingredient, then you can do so by laying them flat in the freezer bag or container.
The Thawing Process
For thawing out the hard-boiled eggs, you can remove the egg whites, the egg yolk or both from the freezer at any time and place the contents directly into the refrigerator to defrost overnight or for six or more hours. Instead of a refrigerator, the egg yolk specifically can be thawed out by running the product over very cold water for a couple of minutes to defrost after removing the contents from the freezer bag.
Thawed eggs, the whites and the yolks should be eaten immediately after the thawing process has concluded for the best tasting results. The taste and texture will be the best after being de-frosted rather than waiting five days to taste the thawed eggs. Mash and crumble up the hard-boiled egg whites or yolks if you want to add it to a salad or a sandwich.
You should never re-freeze hard boiled eggs that have already been frozen. If you do not plan on eating the egg whites or yolks after thawing, it is recommended to throw them out after 24 to 48 hours before they go bad. Please do a personal check for changes to the taste and texture of the hard-boiled egg whites and yolks to ensure best results.
Can You Freeze Scrambled Eggs
Scrambled eggs are a popular snack and a lot of people enjoy eating this dish. It’s affordable, delicious, and easy to prepare. In addition, you can make a large quantity of the food, which can satisfy your cravings for up to a week. However, while this is all great news, some folks may be wondering, can you freeze scrambled eggs? Because they want to know whether or not they can make a batch of this food for a week without it spoiling or the texture becoming rubbery. The answer to this question is an unequivocal yes. While egg whites would become rubbery and tasteless after the freezing process, scrambled eggs are better for freezing and can be re-heated after the thawing process.
Uses of Scrambled Eggs
Since freezing scrambled eggs is a safe and healthy process, you might want to indulge by buying them in bulk quantities. To prevent losing out on money through higher prices, buying multiple cartons of eggs, scrambling and cooking them, and then freezing them in bags and containers for up to a year. That is a great deal when you are a consumer who wants to save money and eat healthy. Eggs are often known as the “poor man’s protein” for good reasons. In addition to being a great breakfast food along with meat, toast, and coffee, scrambled eggs are a perfect snack for the whole family too. It can also be used as a filling for a sandwich or a bagel. Compared to hard-boiled, soft-boiled, eggs over easy, scrambled eggs freeze the best and last the longest.
The Freezing Process
In order to achieve the best results and best taste for your scrambled eggs, remember to follow these next steps:
- Don’t overcook or overheat the eggs. The scrambled eggs should be a bit runny and soft in their overall texture. If you have a recipe for how to cook scrambled eggs, make sure to follow it.
- After the cooking process is complete, remember to cool the scrambled eggs completely before beginning the freezing process.
- The scrambled eggs should then be frozen in individual serving sizes that fill about the size of a cup or muffin tin each.
- Place the individual cups of scrambled eggs in the freezer for about twenty minutes total.
- After twenty minutes, make sure to remove the individual cups of the scrambled eggs. You will then want to wrap each individual serving in a double layer of plastic, wrapping after emptying the cups. This is a necessary step in order to avoid the scrambled eggs having freezer burn.
- After placing each individual serving of scrambled eggs that are wrapped up into these freezer bags, make sure to squeeze out any excess air and seal the bags tightly.
- Label the number of each individual bag and also the date of when the eggs first became frozen for long-term preservation.
The Thawing Process
Frozen scrambled eggs can be eaten for up to a year after the initial freezing process. However, it would be best for the eggs to be consumed between three to six months if possible. If you need to freeze the scrambled eggs, but would prefer a safe container to freezer bags, this is also possible too. A large freezer-safe container would be acceptable to hold multiple servings of scrambled eggs in one place, compared to the many freezer bags holding individual servings of the food. A layer of plastic wrap is also necessary to put over this safe container to prevent freezer burn from occurring.
When thawing the scrambled eggs after freezing, make sure to remove the scrambled eggs from the freezer the night before, and then thaw it at room temperature overnight. The next morning, you can heat up the scrambled eggs in either the microwave or in the frying pan. You can also re-heat your scrambled eggs right after the freezing process but it should be done in the microwave at a low heat. After freezing, it’s also important to stir the scrambled eggs around to avoid losing the texture or consistency of the food. After thawing, the scrambled eggs should be eaten immediately and must never be re-frozen.
Conclusion
Now that you know that you can freeze your eggs and scrambled eggs can last for up to six months or even a year after being stored and frozen properly, the average consumer can rest knowing that their bulk purchases will not be in vain. Compared to boiled and raw eggs, scrambled eggs are simply the best and safest for being frozen. Knowing this important information about this vital source of protein will save you some money at the supermarket register. Scrambled eggs are to be enjoyed with a few friends at a party or with your family members at the dinner table. Just remember to follow these recommended steps above and voila, bon appetit!
