Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?
I have a lot of butter & margarine and looking for ways to keep it for longer time.
Will freezing them change melting point, flavor, or anything that could be undesirable when cooking?
Update: We are now freezing our butter and margarine. It is a perfect solution!
Best Answer
Butter and margarine freeze perfectly. I generally stock up during sales and thaw it as needed. You just have to make sure it's wrapped tightly in the foil, to prevent oxidation. It'll keep at least 6 months, probably more if you don't have a self-defrosting freezer.
Thawing butter does take quite a while, however. I usually give a package a few days to thaw fully. If you need butter in a hurry, you can always put it in a Ziploc bag and fast thaw it a bowl under running running water. Or, just soften it in the microwave.
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Quick Answer about "Does freezing butter or margarine change the properties?"
Upon thawing, the oil and water will likely separate. It'll look bad and not taste as it should. Butter, on the other hand, can be frozen, because of the high fat content. Both butter and margarine have about the same fat content(around 80%).Does freezing butter change the quality?
The quality of the butter is not compromised when it's frozen, and there are minimal changes in its texture ( 2 ). You can use frozen butter just as you would fresh butter. Stick and bulk butters with at least 80% fat can be frozen without compromising their quality and texture.Does freezing affect butter?
Does Freezing Butter Ruin It? Nope. Butter freezes without losing flavor or texture. In fact, since butter can go bad after a few months in the fridge, it may make sense to store it in the freezer if you don't normally go through it quickly.What happens to margarine when you freeze it?
Freezing margarine will not have an effect on its flavors or properties. It will remain fresh for up to 12 months in the freezer without any change to its quality. It is actually one of the best food items to freeze as it holds its quality so well over 12 months in the freezer.Can you freeze butter or margarine?
Margarine tends to be made from vegetable oil and while fat from skimmed milk is sometimes added, usually no dairy products are added. Both are fine to be stored in a freezer either before or after being opened. Frozen butter can last between six and nine months and margarine between six months to a year.How Is Margarine Made? (And Why I Stopped Eating It)
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Answer 2
There is some real science on this. See http://naldc.nal.usda.gov/download/15684/PDF
When frozen to ?20°C butter can last 1 year with no real change in quality
Answer 3
We've frozen Margarine all my life. My Mother would buy margarine on sale and freeze it for our big family. We just pulled it out of the freezer as needed.
We always, and still do, freeze it in the box it comes in with no extra wrapping needed and it is just as good 2 years down the road as it is when you bring it home from the grocery store. Now, different brands may not be as good or freeze as good either. I don't remember what we used growing up, but now, we ONLY buy Blue Bonnet Margarine (original/regular, and never the lite).
Answer 4
I buy four packages fo butter and freez them as i need them. I then take a quarter of a stick and put it in container and let it thaw out overnight. I leave it out until it is gone and take out another stick of butter from the freezer. I have no problems witn freezing or thawing butter.
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