Few dipping sauces taste as great as Salsa, and for people who love it, it would be a very good idea to be able to make or buy a big batch of it and store it in portions later. You have likely asked yourself at one point in time: can you freeze salsa? Due to the fact that there are a lot of opinions regarding the practicality or otherwise of freezing salsa on the internet, things can get pretty confusing. The short answer is yes, you can freeze salsa, whether you made it at home or bought it in a store. As with most other things though, it’s not quite as straightforward as that.
Why you Might Want to Freeze Salsa?
Cost
This is likely to be a very important consideration for most people. When you make a large batch of salsa, say, a quantity that will be sufficient for a month, the economies of scale automatically come into play and reduce the actual cost of each batch that you eventually divide it into. This applies whether you are making the salsa yourself or buying it from a store, especially if you come across a very good sale that you simply cannot pass up.
Time
Even if you are someone that enjoys the time you spend cooking your favorite foods, it is very likely that you are facing some time constraints or the other. It could be work or any other thing, but it is very unlikely that you would not benefit from being able to shave off some of the preparation time you would have spent in making the salsa from scratch.
Convenience
This depends on the particular type of salsa that you are making but generally, you will be able to cut off some of the preparation steps when you freeze salsa, meaning that you will have less to do when you decide to take portions out and cook them afresh.
How to Freeze Salsa?
When you have made the decision to freeze your salsa, there are a number of ways that you can go about it, depending on your particular situation:
Keep Salsa in an Original Jar
The first option that is open to you is to freeze the salsa in the jar it came in originally. This method works best when the jar of salsa has not been opened at all or when only a small amount has been used. When doing it this way, you must be very conscious of the amount of air in the jar when you are putting it in the freezer. There has to be a small amount of air, but if there is too much air in the jar, it will result in freezer burn, which you definitely do not want.
Place Salsa in an Airtight Container
Another way to go about it is to store the salsa in any container or jar that will be airtight. This method works very well if you are trying to freeze salsa that was left-over from a jar or if you made your own salsa. Be very careful when choosing the container in which you will keep the salsa and ensure that it seals well and will prevent air from getting in. Here, you also need to keep the air requirement in mind and make sure that while there is some air in the container, it is not in excess.
Divide Salsa into Small Portions
You can divide the salsa into as many small portions as you need and store them like that, using either of the methods above. As with most other foods, freezing and thawing; then freezing salsa again would not be very good for its texture or flavor. In order to avoid having to do that, you could simply calculate the portion sizes that you are likely to need and then freeze the salsa in those quantities.
Apart from helping to retain the flavor and texture of the salsa, doing it this way also makes defrosting much easier, as well as reducing the amount of waste that is likely to occur.
Pour Salsa into the Ice Cube Tray
When it comes to freezing the salsa in portions, one trick you can use to make things much more convenient is to make use of an ice cube tray. By pouring the salsa into the individual sections of the tray, you will be able to freeze them easily. Thereafter, remove them from the tray and seal them into heavy duty freezer bags in order to prevent freezer burns. You must also keep it at the back of your mind that you need to get as much air as possible out of the bags.
Tips for Freezing Salsa
- One very important thing to keep in mind is that if you are freezing a fruit salsa, you must add some lemon or lime juice before you freeze it so that the fruit does not discolor and turn brown.
- The reason for leaving a small amount of air in the salsa containers when freezing is so as to allow for the natural expansion that occurs with freezing.
- No matter how well it is done, freezing salsa will have some effect on its texture, so you should first try it with a small quantity in order to be sure that you are comfortable with how it tastes after having been frozen.
- You should not freeze salsa for lengths of time beyond a month or two. The salsa might not go bad but it would be likely to begin losing its original flavor.
How to Thaw Salsa?
If you want to defrost salsa, simply remove it from the freezer and place in the refrigerator for a few hours or until thawed completely. Thawed salsa may not have the same texture as fresh salsa. Additionally, you may need to drain it a little before serving it. If used within a couple months of freezing, the salsa should not have lost any of it’s colors or flavor. Many prefer to use thawed salsa in recipes rather than as a condiment because its consistency is thinner and it’s less crisp.
References:
http://ths.gardenweb.com/discussions/2456703/can-you-freeze-homemade-salsa
http://www.pepperscale.com/can-you-freeze-salsa/
http://dereeze.com/food-and-cooking/can-you-freeze-salsa/
http://www.canyoufreezethis.com/can-you-freeze-salsa/
