The way we underrate freezers is alarming, meanwhile, the availability of freezers has helped us revolutionize how we relate with food. We would have been unable to store meat, vegetables, fresh fruits, and some other ingredients irrespective of seasons if not for freezers. Thanks to freezers, some of the favorite foods we eat became practically possible. The innovation has changed our process of eating.
You can freeze almost anything, but that is not a license to freeze everything. The thing is that there are rules regarding the freezing of different foods and ingredients that we have around. Freezing is a wonderful thing to do, but there could always be side effects attached to it that it will have on food.
The topic we want to consider in this article is to find out if ranch dressing can be placed into the freezer to freeze it. You should not freeze your ranch dressing because it contains buttermilk. Freezing ranch dressing will leave you with an outcome that will be potentially bitter, flavorless, and clumpy when you thaw it. Continue reading if you want to find out in detail.
Rules For Freezing Food
It is not a complicated process to freeze food, check below for some of the rules to be followed to ensure you appropriately use your freezer. These rules contain those things you are allowed to put inside the freezer and those items you must not.
- Freezing food will not improve the taste: This rule is very basic when it comes to freezing food, if your food or ingredient did not have a good taste before you place them into a freezer, the taste is not expected to improve after you thaw them.
- The outcome is likely to be worse: You are likely to get an outcome that is worse because the process of freezing alters the physical characteristics of the food effectively with the texture being most likely to suffer the highest.
- Moist food should be taken with care: You are not recommended to freeze raw ingredients such as fruits and vegetables most especially if the plan is to eat them raw when you thaw. The moisture content which is already high will be affected by the freezer.
- Moisture will help vegetables to keep their structural integrity and form: This is what is seen in cases such as lettuce where high content of moisture takes responsibility for the crisp texture.
- Creamy Food should not be frozen: There will be a major problem if you freeze creamy foods such as dairy. The problem will be noticed after they are removed, they will fall apart. The curds will separate with the dish virtually turning unrecognizable.
You should be reminded that what we are considering is still only about freezing individual foods. These same rules apply for cooked food, but you need to consider more factors because more ingredients would have been involved. Once you don’t forget the basic rules, you won’t have a problem to decide the food to freeze or not to.
Ranch Dressing Overview
A lot of possibilities are offered by salad dressings. They are very popular to the extent that they can take an entire section of a supermarket. Ingredients can be combined in different ways to give different results. You are likely to be regarded as hard-pressed if you find any that is as common as ranch dressings.
Ranch dressing is one of the best versatile dressings you will find out there because almost everyone has it in their house. You can use it as a dip or traditional salad dressing, you can even incorporate it into a sandwich. Both kids and adults enjoy using it to make different ideas of palatable vegetables to have an enjoyable experience.
Apart from its versatility and availability, it is loved by almost every family and home chefs because it is very easy to prepare or make at home, it is not time-consuming. All that is needed to be done is to pack the ingredients and place them inside your blender to mix until they are all consistent.
Because there are several things you can use it for makes it appealing to buy in bulk to be frozen until later when you need them. Unfortunately, that would be a plan that makes sense on paper rather than in practice or real life.
Why is Freezing Ranch Dressing A Bad Idea?
We have stated earlier that there are some foods that you can freeze to help prolong the shelf-life. However, other foods are better not to be frozen. Typically, dairy products have a shorter life span and it wouldn’t still be a good idea to freeze them. Ranch dressing generally doesn’t freeze well and this is very apparent when thawing begins and the ingredients separate.
If you try to mix them back together, most times, the result will not be ideal and will only waste your time. Don’t forget that ranch is a combination of emulsifying dairy products, oils, mayonnaise, and spices. The major problem lies here which is the fact that the ingredients contained do not make it conducive for freezing.
Mayonnaise, buttermilk, and sour cream are all the major ingredients that are used for the base of ranch dressing and these ingredients should not be frozen. It is not surprising if you find out that ranch dressing does not do well inside the freezer.
Also, apart from its base, you need to know the effects freezing has on the spices and herbs mixed with the ranch dressing. Always remember that freezing will not improve the taste but instead will potentially worsen it. The taste becomes worse when the needed moisture level is taken away. For example, spices such as pepper and parsley lose their flavor intensity after they are frozen.
Furthermore, cloves and garlic become bitter after freezing. Even salt usually loses some of its flavors when it is frozen and don’t forget that salt is the most basic and most essential ingredient of seasonings. All of these are contained in the ingredients’ makeup of ranch dressing.
Let’s make it simpler, the process of freezing is likely to drastically change the flavor of the ranch dressing. You are free to proceed to freeze ranch dressing, however, you need to know it will turn different immediately it thaws. The salad dressing will end up being curdled and lumpy which is totally different from the desired taste you will like to find in your dressing.
Proper Storage Tips for Ranch Dressing
You now know that you should not freeze your ranch dressing, the next thing to find out is what the proper storage method will be. According to experience, you will always find a proper method to prolong your food’s shelf-life. Check below for some of those methods you can use:
Freezing is not an ideal option but if we say ranch dressing does not need to be refrigerated, then we have misled you. Ranch dressing will go rancid when placed to stay at room temperature for too long. Storage conditions usually have a significant and direct impact on how long the ranch dressing will stay which is multiplied and enhanced once you have broken the seal.
That being said, irrespective of if the bottle has been opened or not, you need to store your ranch dressings inside the refrigerator. You should also remember to always tightly close the ranch dressing bottle after use, this way, you can improve the shelf-life. Ranch dressings could notably sometimes last up to 6 – 9 months if refrigerated and stored properly.
However, the actual period may vary. This is a reason why you should check out the labels for the needed instructions. In case you made the ranch dressing, you need to importantly pick the perfect container to ensure it is well kept. There are numerous options you have available to select from.
A sturdy glass or plastic food container is the very first one to consider, ensure you select one that has an airtight seal. An alternative means is to get a glass jar or bottle that can be tightly sealed to help ensure freshness. Just like other foods you have stored inside the refrigerator, monitor the ranch dressing closely. If you notice any sign of discoloration, off-flavors, weird odors, or any other spoilage, just throw it away, don’t think twice.
In summary, whether you want to use a store-bought ranch dressing or homemade ranch, don’t forget you should not freeze your ranch dressing. If you freeze it, you are likely to ruin the versatile and delectable salad dressing. The ingredients used in the dressing will turn out horrible when you thaw them, it is better not to try it.
If you can store your ranch dressing properly, you will not find it scarce in your house. All you need to do is to store it properly as mentioned above and you will be enjoying ranch dressing all year long. Don’t forget that properly storing your food items is the safest way to have them for yourself later.
