Why shouldn't a precooked pie be frozen?
I bought a Selection brand strawberry pre-cooked pie. I just read the instructions on the pie and just realized it was pre-cooked but it says to not freeze the pie. Unfortunately, I froze it right away when I got home because I couldn't find my reading glasses and didn't read the instructions.
Are any health concerns here? If not, what could the reason be for being warned not to freeze the pie?
Best Answer
Generally, these warnings are for food quality reasons, not for safety reasons.
Assuming this is a fresh strawberry pie, I'd guess that - because strawberries don't bake or freeze particularly well - if you freeze the pie, the fresh strawberries will turn to mush and not taste very good, particularly if you try to bake it to heat it up.
Freezing something should never make it unsafe to consume... freezing is a preserving method.
Pictures about "Why shouldn't a precooked pie be frozen?"
Quick Answer about "Why shouldn't a precooked pie be frozen?"
The first is that if you have precooked your filling, make sure it is completely cooled before you fill the pie. Putting even a slightly warm filling inside of a pie crust will ruin it. And, you shouldn't put anything warm in the freezer.Can you freeze a prebaked pie?
A baked pie can be frozen for 6 months, a longer freezing time than an unbaked pie. Loss of quality increases with the length of time in the freezer. Pies can be frozen longer than recommended here but the quality greatly deteriorates with the extended freezer time.Is it best to freeze pie cooked or uncooked?
Many experts state simply that it is better to freeze an unbaked pie than a baked pie. They claim that the baked filling and crust goes through a transformation during baking that makes it perfect for eating, but not for freezing.Can you freeze a store bought pie?
Freeze? Fruit pies actually freeze quite well! Place them uncovered in the freezer until frozen solid, then wrap in plastic wrap or foil and place back in the freezer for up to four months. Thaw at room temperature for one hour and then reheat at 375\xb0F until warm, which should take about 30 minutes.Can you freeze pie and reheat it?
Reheating. To reheat a frozen baked pie, thaw the pie in the refrigerator overnight and reheat (bake) in a 350\xb0F oven till heated through. The crust will need to be shielded to prevent over-browning.Mary Chapin Carpenter - Why Shouldn't We
More answers regarding why shouldn't a precooked pie be frozen?
Answer 2
It's not for safety reasons that the label says not to freeze. It says that because they anticipate that freezing the pie will have a negative effect on quality. I'm guessing that freezing will make the pie mushy.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: ANTONI SHKRABA production, Ron Lach, Valeria Boltneva, Asya Vlasova