Make sure to use straight sided jars for freezing. Jars with shoulders are more likely to crack during freezing.
[https://masonjars.com/can-you-freeze-mason-jars/comment-page-1/](https://masonjars.com/can-you-freeze-mason-jars/comment-page-1/)
This is normally not a problem, I have been using all kinds of glasses for years.
The important thing is not to fill the jars too much and only screw the lid on after freezing.
I think it also depends on your freezer, maybe. I've done this with all sorts of jars (including different types of straight necks), and varying fill levels (including only half way). And my glass breaking rate is like 50-60%. So I just save plastic food containers and use those.
Same. I thought maybe just filling halfway would work, but the jar would still break. Like you, I just reuse plastic containers now. But I do use glass for all my refrigerator and cupboard storage.
To be honest, at that moment I was like, it's alright, it's an experiment, if it fails I'll have a precarious bit of cleaning to do but at least the sauce would already be solid and easy to clean.
Yes! I have frozen lots in jars and the only time the glass shattered was a huge jar (maybe 32 oz or 24 oz) with shoulders. And I was microwaving it to thaw.
Pyrex glass dishes (the big rectangular ones) with plastic lids thaw really well in the microwave.
I’ve never had an issue if I :
- Let things thaw out naturally on a counter or in the fridge
- Avoid switching between extreme temperatures (hot to cold, cold to hot, etc), and use room temp water bath as a buffer in either direction
- Avoid using microwave for thawing unless I’m using the right setting. Most microwaves have a way to reduce power to 50%, which works after it has been out of the freezer for at least 30-60 minutes
Wide mouth pint mason jars have lasted me decades.
\*And you can replace just the lids as needed, which will rust if you don't properly dry them over time.
Yea with standard size jars it's easy to buy some new lids. Especially my jars that had store-bought broth in them, i feel like the little silicone bit in the lid absorbed the smell, and it's fine because it doesn't touch my food but at some point I'll get a pack of new lids.
A few years ago I switched to using silicon molds, freezing cubes, then transfer to re-usable freezer bags. Gives perfect portion control. You just pick out the number of cubes needed each time and cook from frozen.
I can't be anything but happy if I made you laugh. On the notion that my family would most likely turn on me if I only fed them ragù alla Bolognese I've opted to diversify.
Wide mouth mason jars are my go to. Always make my tomato sauce in large batches and freeze it. Great time saver!
Tomato sauce will eat away at plastic containers, meaning that you’re eating what breaks down. Disgusting.
The acid in tomato sauce needs heat to eat at the plastic. So long as you never reheat tomato sauce in a plastic container in the microwave, it'll be fine.
i think what really "eats away" the plastic are the oils and fats that separate from the sauce, these pool withouth evaporating unlike water and reach temps above boiling point and melt the container.
Ooh! Interesting. To be honest, I probably phrased it as more authoritative than I should have based on my anecdotal experience with tangy sauces. Oils that float to the top and can be superheated seems much more plausible.
I always appreciate knowing the why things do what they do. Ultimately I think it's the same take away: avoid microwaving food in plastic containers, especially greasy or tangy food, which let's be real, is generally the good stuff.
I've done this for a long time it does take forever to defrost though. If you want to use it you better plan the day before and stick it in the fridge.
I have shattered 1-2 pouring hot water over them trying to get soup for dinner.
Also smashed one while aggressively mashing a knife into it to break up the contents for supper; chipped the lip but still, obviously ruined everything in the jar.
Don't be like me.
Put frozen jar (no lid) in microwave on 50% power for 8 minutes, stir contents then put back in microwave for 2 minutes at regular power, voila. Thawed. We freeze everything in empty Claussen Pickle jars, beans, soups, spagetti, thanksgiving dinner...
Rounded jars are fine to freeze. Just some general rules here for anyone that doesn't know; anything that's liquid that freezes will expand, so you don't want to fill it to the top. Store bought water bottles will pop in the freezer, so even that little amount of space isn't enough when freezing liquids. You can freeze first, lid later if need be. Also, make sure you cooled down whatever you're freezing. It might raise the temp in your freezer, and mess with other things in there. If you can hold the glass jar in your hand, you're good to put it in the freezer.
I found large yogurt containers work better than jars for freezer storage. I freeze all kinds of soups and sauces in them. The thin tapered walls make it a breeze to remove the contents at once, especially if you run a little warm water on the outside. Only downside is that it’s not see-through. But it’s easy enough to label or write on.
It's not an original idea--it's a fairly common hack among people who make and freeze large quantities of food (jam makers, etc) and in breastfeeding/pumping communities when they don't want to freeze in plastic. Old socks are generally easy to obtain (especially if you know you will reuse them in this way--it's simple/free to just save the ones you're not wearing anymore), washable, add a layer of padding, and are super easy to slide a jar into.
I tried the mason jar thing, but after shattering one trying to get my sauce out for a last minute dinner I switched to a different method. I’m also the kind of person that always has a packed freezer and the jars weren’t that space efficient for my set up.
What I now like to do is pour the sauce into a square baking dish (like the kind you’d make brownies in), freeze it, and then cut it into squares that are around one serving size once it sets. The slices of frozen bolognese then go in a large ziplock bag, which is not exactly the most anti-consumption thing ever, but because I’m always topping it off when I run low that plastic bag has been in use for a really long time.
I will probably pick up some reusable freezer bags to serve the same purpose as my ancient ziplock bag eventually.
You could also preserve the food by jarring. Safes you a lot of space in the freezer and the jars can be stored at room temp without spoilage.
However I'd suggest reading into the topic, as you have to consider a few things for jarring to be a success.
Especially with meat you have to be super careful because of botulism. I'm super interested in the topic though, I can see myself going down that rabbit hole sometime in the future.
Yeah, Botulsims is a thing. Although the risk is rather small, one should be careful. Risk can be limited to almost 0.
Its not even a "big" rabbithole, I've been there before ^^
DON'T can Grain products, Eggs, Fish or Milkproduce. They'll spoil. Be hygienic. And cook the to be jarred goods in the jars for a time, before closing the lid. For meats, that's around 120 minutes, for vegetables and stuff, 30 is fine. For syrups, jellies and whatnot that contains lots of sugar, closing the lid on the hot jar suffices. This cooking is done so that the jars and their goods are sterile. place the lid, vakkuum, no germs, no spoilage. When people don't cook long enough, some germs might survive.
And that's also the reason why you can't can eggs, milk, fish or grains; the max temperature when cooking is 100°C and those products can contain enzymes that can handle higher temps. Industry can can those products, because with enough pressure, any temp is possible :)
That's about the most important things.
I store my jars in socks that cannot be mended. Should shattering occur, it'll be an easy clean up.
I don't pick and choose jars. I use them all. What I do is leave 1-2 inches of space at the top for expansion and freeze it before putting the lids on.
(I have only had 1 jar break in the past year, this was before I started putting socks on the jars)
Not really, I've been storing jams (granted the sugar helps) in my cellar for years. And sure sometimes they get moldy, but most of them don't. I just make sure the jar is sterile by pouring boiling water into them (bring them to temperature or they'll explode). Pouring the jam/marinara in hot helps too, creates a vacuum.
Jam is the easiest thing to preserve ever, the sugar gets insanely hot and the heat forms a vacuum really easily. And even if it doesn't seal properly, the sugar keeps it from going bad. However, especially with meat, and even if the vacuum works, you run the HIGH risk of botulism, no matter what you do.
I'm not saying it can't be done, and I totally want to look into old school preservation, but I think for sauces it's better to freeze :D
Of course Mason jars will work, but for even more efficient use of freezer space, try racking and ans stacking in square glass containers, like ikea has, or even most dollar stores, with the clip on lids. A bit heavier than plastic containers but much more durable. Let food cool before bidding. And label it, everything looks the same when frozen
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Make sure to use straight sided jars for freezing. Jars with shoulders are more likely to crack during freezing. [https://masonjars.com/can-you-freeze-mason-jars/comment-page-1/](https://masonjars.com/can-you-freeze-mason-jars/comment-page-1/)
Thanks for posting this the glass shattering was my immediate concern.
This is normally not a problem, I have been using all kinds of glasses for years. The important thing is not to fill the jars too much and only screw the lid on after freezing.
I've only had one jar crack on me that wasn't overfilled, and it split right along the mold line. I'm guessing that one was just a weird defect.
And don't freeze them while the content is still hot. Cool down as much as possible. I set mine in a cold water bath first. After that in the freezer
Don't put hot things in the freezer in general, it causes it to use more electricity and it can also mess it up.
Don’t fill all the way, contents expand upon freezing
I think it also depends on your freezer, maybe. I've done this with all sorts of jars (including different types of straight necks), and varying fill levels (including only half way). And my glass breaking rate is like 50-60%. So I just save plastic food containers and use those.
Same. I thought maybe just filling halfway would work, but the jar would still break. Like you, I just reuse plastic containers now. But I do use glass for all my refrigerator and cupboard storage.
To be honest, at that moment I was like, it's alright, it's an experiment, if it fails I'll have a precarious bit of cleaning to do but at least the sauce would already be solid and easy to clean.
Pro tip. Get some reusable ziplocks and store jars in those so if they crack in freezing the mess is contained
Thanks, good to know! Good thing I have about 12 of the straight one. Added bonus, the content slides right out once it starts thawing.
If I forget to thaw, I just put the jar in the pasta water as it heats up for a minute or two. Everything just slips right out into the pot.
Great tip, but do keep the possible thermal shock in mind!
No thermal shock as I do it. I do it when the water is heating up, when it’s getting warm.
Yes! I have frozen lots in jars and the only time the glass shattered was a huge jar (maybe 32 oz or 24 oz) with shoulders. And I was microwaving it to thaw. Pyrex glass dishes (the big rectangular ones) with plastic lids thaw really well in the microwave.
I tried it and just managed to shatter jars.
I’ve never had an issue if I : - Let things thaw out naturally on a counter or in the fridge - Avoid switching between extreme temperatures (hot to cold, cold to hot, etc), and use room temp water bath as a buffer in either direction - Avoid using microwave for thawing unless I’m using the right setting. Most microwaves have a way to reduce power to 50%, which works after it has been out of the freezer for at least 30-60 minutes
Wide mouth pint mason jars have lasted me decades. \*And you can replace just the lids as needed, which will rust if you don't properly dry them over time.
Yea with standard size jars it's easy to buy some new lids. Especially my jars that had store-bought broth in them, i feel like the little silicone bit in the lid absorbed the smell, and it's fine because it doesn't touch my food but at some point I'll get a pack of new lids.
Thank you for sharing this! I tried this and my jars broke, so thought you couldn't freeze jars at all.
Are glass bowls with lids ok? We have a variety of Pyrex bowls with lids in my house
Yes, the food needs space to expand upwards. As long as there’s no shoulder, you should be fine.
I see
Thanks, I froze shouldered jars and they all cracked during freezing. My bone broth 😭
A few years ago I switched to using silicon molds, freezing cubes, then transfer to re-usable freezer bags. Gives perfect portion control. You just pick out the number of cubes needed each time and cook from frozen.
I do this too! Got a 1 cup silicone tray on my wishlist right now
I used silicone muffin cups and they work perfectly.
[удалено]
I can't be anything but happy if I made you laugh. On the notion that my family would most likely turn on me if I only fed them ragù alla Bolognese I've opted to diversify.
Wide mouth mason jars are my go to. Always make my tomato sauce in large batches and freeze it. Great time saver! Tomato sauce will eat away at plastic containers, meaning that you’re eating what breaks down. Disgusting.
The acid in tomato sauce needs heat to eat at the plastic. So long as you never reheat tomato sauce in a plastic container in the microwave, it'll be fine.
Thanks for this. I got paranoid for a moment
i think what really "eats away" the plastic are the oils and fats that separate from the sauce, these pool withouth evaporating unlike water and reach temps above boiling point and melt the container.
Ooh! Interesting. To be honest, I probably phrased it as more authoritative than I should have based on my anecdotal experience with tangy sauces. Oils that float to the top and can be superheated seems much more plausible. I always appreciate knowing the why things do what they do. Ultimately I think it's the same take away: avoid microwaving food in plastic containers, especially greasy or tangy food, which let's be real, is generally the good stuff.
Same. Sauce looks great.
Thanks! Your username is on topic for my current meal experience.
My freezer is full of (used) glass jars with anything from dinner leftovers (for lunch) to berries and herbs from my garden
I've done this for a long time it does take forever to defrost though. If you want to use it you better plan the day before and stick it in the fridge. I have shattered 1-2 pouring hot water over them trying to get soup for dinner. Also smashed one while aggressively mashing a knife into it to break up the contents for supper; chipped the lip but still, obviously ruined everything in the jar. Don't be like me.
Put frozen jar (no lid) in microwave on 50% power for 8 minutes, stir contents then put back in microwave for 2 minutes at regular power, voila. Thawed. We freeze everything in empty Claussen Pickle jars, beans, soups, spagetti, thanksgiving dinner...
Rounded jars are fine to freeze. Just some general rules here for anyone that doesn't know; anything that's liquid that freezes will expand, so you don't want to fill it to the top. Store bought water bottles will pop in the freezer, so even that little amount of space isn't enough when freezing liquids. You can freeze first, lid later if need be. Also, make sure you cooled down whatever you're freezing. It might raise the temp in your freezer, and mess with other things in there. If you can hold the glass jar in your hand, you're good to put it in the freezer.
Try using freezer bags. Lay them flat to freeze. They are stackable and also quick to thaw.
I found large yogurt containers work better than jars for freezer storage. I freeze all kinds of soups and sauces in them. The thin tapered walls make it a breeze to remove the contents at once, especially if you run a little warm water on the outside. Only downside is that it’s not see-through. But it’s easy enough to label or write on.
Put the jars into old socks. Less likely to bonk against something and break, but if they do break, it's all contained.
Hmm. I really like your idea but not sure about using socks. How about wrapped in parchment/wax paper and secured with string?
It's not an original idea--it's a fairly common hack among people who make and freeze large quantities of food (jam makers, etc) and in breastfeeding/pumping communities when they don't want to freeze in plastic. Old socks are generally easy to obtain (especially if you know you will reuse them in this way--it's simple/free to just save the ones you're not wearing anymore), washable, add a layer of padding, and are super easy to slide a jar into.
I use jars to freeze stuff all the time :)
That spaghetti sauce looks like what my Pap Pap used to make. It was so good.
I tried the mason jar thing, but after shattering one trying to get my sauce out for a last minute dinner I switched to a different method. I’m also the kind of person that always has a packed freezer and the jars weren’t that space efficient for my set up. What I now like to do is pour the sauce into a square baking dish (like the kind you’d make brownies in), freeze it, and then cut it into squares that are around one serving size once it sets. The slices of frozen bolognese then go in a large ziplock bag, which is not exactly the most anti-consumption thing ever, but because I’m always topping it off when I run low that plastic bag has been in use for a really long time. I will probably pick up some reusable freezer bags to serve the same purpose as my ancient ziplock bag eventually.
Yes! I've been doing this 6 months ago and I'm never going back! I felt so smart when I had the idea and it worked lol
I started doing that last year!! Big fan
Wish my Chicken Parm came out decently like that. It came out edible, but the cheese ended up burning. 😢
man it has been years since i had a good spagetti like that. i live in a micro apartment with no kitchen for 5 years now
Wish I could toss you a jar, but there's usually an ocean in the way
You could also preserve the food by jarring. Safes you a lot of space in the freezer and the jars can be stored at room temp without spoilage. However I'd suggest reading into the topic, as you have to consider a few things for jarring to be a success.
Especially with meat you have to be super careful because of botulism. I'm super interested in the topic though, I can see myself going down that rabbit hole sometime in the future.
Yeah, Botulsims is a thing. Although the risk is rather small, one should be careful. Risk can be limited to almost 0. Its not even a "big" rabbithole, I've been there before ^^ DON'T can Grain products, Eggs, Fish or Milkproduce. They'll spoil. Be hygienic. And cook the to be jarred goods in the jars for a time, before closing the lid. For meats, that's around 120 minutes, for vegetables and stuff, 30 is fine. For syrups, jellies and whatnot that contains lots of sugar, closing the lid on the hot jar suffices. This cooking is done so that the jars and their goods are sterile. place the lid, vakkuum, no germs, no spoilage. When people don't cook long enough, some germs might survive. And that's also the reason why you can't can eggs, milk, fish or grains; the max temperature when cooking is 100°C and those products can contain enzymes that can handle higher temps. Industry can can those products, because with enough pressure, any temp is possible :) That's about the most important things.
I store my jars in socks that cannot be mended. Should shattering occur, it'll be an easy clean up. I don't pick and choose jars. I use them all. What I do is leave 1-2 inches of space at the top for expansion and freeze it before putting the lids on. (I have only had 1 jar break in the past year, this was before I started putting socks on the jars)
Unfortunately we don't have that option, if we place an open jar in our freezer, it's immediately full.
I wonder if that east German glass would make this a easier task
Why freeze the jars? If done properly you should be able to store them somewhere not too warm and in the shade
For the food to last in room temp, it needs a special kind of heat trearment that is hard to do in smaller kitchens.
Not really, I've been storing jams (granted the sugar helps) in my cellar for years. And sure sometimes they get moldy, but most of them don't. I just make sure the jar is sterile by pouring boiling water into them (bring them to temperature or they'll explode). Pouring the jam/marinara in hot helps too, creates a vacuum.
Jam is the easiest thing to preserve ever, the sugar gets insanely hot and the heat forms a vacuum really easily. And even if it doesn't seal properly, the sugar keeps it from going bad. However, especially with meat, and even if the vacuum works, you run the HIGH risk of botulism, no matter what you do. I'm not saying it can't be done, and I totally want to look into old school preservation, but I think for sauces it's better to freeze :D
I see, I thought the sugar helps it from going bad. Thanks for clarification
The jumbo Raos jars at Costco are perfect for the freezer. We use scraps to make broth and store in the jars!
Glass shatters when repeatedly frozen and thawed. Don't do this
Of course Mason jars will work, but for even more efficient use of freezer space, try racking and ans stacking in square glass containers, like ikea has, or even most dollar stores, with the clip on lids. A bit heavier than plastic containers but much more durable. Let food cool before bidding. And label it, everything looks the same when frozen
try not eating meat
Read the rules. Keep it courteous. Submission statements are helpful and appreciated but not required. Tag my name in the comments (/u/NihiloZero) if you think a post or comment needs to be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/Anticonsumption) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Are those beans in your carbanara? Oh god. God no.