Can You Freeze Grits?
Making grits can be messy or tiring on some days. Or maybe you do not have the required amount of time needed to cook the dish perfectly. In those cases, have you thought if you could make them once and store them for later use?
Can you freeze grits? Yes, you can freeze grits. Grits freeze well and can be done at the ease of home. Also, you can store leftover grits. Freezing can rapidly increase its shelf life to make sure that you have a ready supply of grits for quite some time.
In this article, I have mentioned all the required details that you need to know for freezing grits at home. Read till the end to find out!
How To Freeze Grits?
While there are several ways of storing the grits in the freezer, I will tell you the most simple way of freezing cooked grits easily at home.
Check out the following steps for freezing grits:
- The very first step is to make the grits and keep the quantity aside that you need to store for later use.
- Take a baking sheet and grease it evenly with butter or oil. If you want to freeze the grits in portions, use smaller trays.
- Next, scoop out the cooked grits and spread them in required quantities in the baking trays. Make sure you create a thin layer with the grits. Do not put a lot of them at once.
- After, you have set all the grits in the baking trays, cover each of them with aluminum foil adequately. Make sure there is no space for air contamination.
- If the grits are not cooled completely, allow it to cool first. Label each tray with adequate date and other information before you freeze the grits.
- Once, you have completed all the above steps and you are sure that your grits are packed sufficiently, you can stack them into the freezer for freezing.
Note: If you are unsure of the sealing, you can use cling film to wrap the baking trays again. You can also freeze raw grits, only use a container to store them.
Do Grits Freeze Well?
Yes, grits do freeze well given that you have packed them tightly to protect them from freezer burns and the formation of ice crystals. Both cooked and uncooked grits freeze extremely well. You can keep the grits safely in either freezer bags, muffin tins, or baking trays.
How Long Can You Freeze Grits?
Cooked grits will last for about 2-3 months in the freezer. That is quite a long freezing time to preserve the grits, unlike in the refrigerator where it will only last for about 1-2 days. Grits do not last more than three months, therefore, it is suggested that you consume your frozen grits as soon as possible.
How To Defrost Grits?
The defrosting processes for cooked and raw grits will vary. If you are defrosting raw grits, you can do it at normal room temperature. Just take out the frozen packages and place them at the counter to defrost completely.
Do not open the container until the grits have completely defrosted, otherwise, it will create a mess. For cooked grits, let them thaw overnight in the refrigerator for best results. Once, the grits have defrosted, you can reheat them and enjoy fresh!
Can You Refreeze Grits?
No, you cannot freeze the grits again. This is because refreezing them will rapidly alter the texture, and flavor, as well as the quality will largely suffer. You would not want your grits to go bad this way, right? Therefore, avoid refreezing.
To not freeze the grits again, always insist on defrosting only the required amounts of grits at a time. You can also choose to portion the grits before freezing to avoid refreezing them later. By doing this, you will also keep away from wasting food.
Summing it up, that was all about freezing grits at home. I hope this article was helpful for you the figure out the doubts about freezing grits. The method that I have mentioned is beginner-friendly, so if you are new to freezing, you are good to go!
