Can I Freeze My Blue Apron Meals? (+7 Refrigeration Hacks)
If you’re like me, you’ve probably experienced the joy of receiving a Blue Apron meal kit, ready to whip up a delicious, home-cooked meal in no time. But what happens when life gets busy, and you can’t cook everything right away? The idea of freezing your Blue Apron meals might sound like a lifesaver, but is it really a good option?
In this article, we’ll dive into whether you can freeze your Blue Apron meals without sacrificing flavor or quality. Plus, I’ve got some handy hacks to share for keeping your food fresher longer in the fridge and making the most out of your meal kits.
Have you ever found yourself staring at your fridge, wondering if your Blue Apron ingredients are still good or if you should toss them out? Or maybe you’ve wondered how you can stretch those meals to last longer without compromising on taste. Whether you’re trying to save time, prevent food waste, or make your meal prep more efficient, this article is for you.
By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of how to store your Blue Apron meals properly, plus some helpful tips that will keep your fridge stocked and your meals fresh. So, let’s dive in and make sure you’re getting the most out of every kit!
Can I Freeze My Blue Apron Meals?
If you’re juggling a busy schedule, you might find yourself asking if you can freeze your Blue Apron meals. The short answer is yes, but with some caveats to ensure freshness and flavor. While freezing can extend the life of your meal kits, how you handle each ingredient matters.
Freezing proteins such as chicken, beef, or seafood is a simple process. These items freeze well and maintain their quality when stored properly. Wrap them tightly in freezer-safe packaging to avoid freezer burn, and label them with the date for easy tracking. On the other hand, fresh produce—like leafy greens or soft veggies—doesn’t handle freezing as well. Freezing can lead to mushy textures, which might not work in your dishes.
If you’ve already cooked your Blue Apron meal, freezing is an excellent option. Dishes like soups, stews, and casseroles freeze beautifully and can be reheated with little loss of quality. Be sure to let the food cool completely before transferring it to airtight containers or freezer bags. This preserves the flavors and prevents ice crystals from forming.
Freezing Blue Apron meals can be a lifesaver when time isn’t on your side. By freezing proteins and cooked dishes while prioritizing fresh ingredients for immediate use, you can enjoy flexibility and reduce waste. A little planning goes a long way in making meal prep even more convenient.
| Check out: Dinnerly vs. Blue Apron Comparison Review and Prices |
Refrigeration Hacks for Freshness
Most of us forget to thank our refrigerators for all the hard work they do in keeping our leftovers and other food items fresh for weeks, and sometimes even months. There are always more ways through which we can keep our foods much fresher through refrigeration. Some ways have been mentioned as follows.
1. Wash Your Berries
Berries contain plenty of nutrients and are tasty by themselves. Unfortunately, these goodies of nature can go bad pretty soon and this says something as they can be pretty expensive by the bunch. Before refrigeration, you might want to consider washing your berries in a little diluted vinegar.
2. Line Your Crisper
Another thing that you might want to consider is to line your vegetable crisper with some paper towels or kitchen towels. These will absorb the extra moisture that comes off your produce and keep them fresher and crisper for longer periods of time. This tip can do wonders for your next salad.
3. Keep Certain Fruits and Veggies Separate
It can be pretty tempting to toss all sorts of fruits and veggies together in the fridge. However, it is wise to keep certain fruits and veggies apart from each other. Some fruits like apples emit ethylene gas which can cause other produce to ripen soon and also rot sooner. If you do not have separate compartments, you can always use plastic bags.
4. Freeze Your Lemons
Another tip that you can do is to freeze your lemons and limes. Lemon juice and lemon zest can be miraculous for certain dishes and can even resurrect dead flavors, but often go bad pretty soon if left on the countertop. Freezing them can keep them fresh for months together. So, the next time that you find a sale on lemons, don’t forget to grab an armful.
5. Avoid Opening You Fridge Often
Proper refrigeration only occurs if the door stays closed. However, we are often so curious about the internal anatomy of our refrigerator that we continuously open the door. This can also lead to premature spoilage of foods. To satisfy your curiosity, you can use a fridge magnet to attach a list of the existing foods in the refrigerator.
6. Leave Space Between the Containers
While storing things in your refrigerator make sure that there is enough space between the containers. This is to ensure that there is enough room for the cold air to pass between the containers. Overcrowding your fridge will disallow the cold air from touching all the sides of your containers and can lead to spoilage.
7. Use High-Quality Tupperware
If you are refrigerating your leftovers on a regular basis, ditch the plastic bag and seriously invest in some high quality Tupperware. Also, make sure that the containers have a nice fitting rubber lid to prevent any of the flavors or aromas from leaking and contaminating other foods in the fridge.
Tips to Use in Blue Apron
Blue Apron meal kits can be a great solution if you are looking for taste and health in a meal kit. A few tips that you can use when your next Blue Apron meal kit arrives have been showcased in the section below.
- In case the meal kit contains seafood, like shellfish or fish, make sure that you are freezing them immediately or start cooking immediately, as these can spoil very easily.
- If you are not going to be at home when the meal kit arrives, make sure that there is a cool and secure place for the delivery person to keep your Blue Apron meal kit box. The place should also be secure enough to keep rodents and pests away from snacking on your meal kit while you are absent.
- While preparing with meat from Blue Apron, make sure that you are using different knives and cutting boards for this. If you are going to use the same cutting board for cutting your vegetables and your meat, you will be risking a lot of cross-contamination.
- Wash your produce thoroughly before you are cooking with it. While Blue Apron ensures that the veggies are clean and fresh, you can increase your safety by thoroughly washing and scrubbing your veggies under running water. Give particular attention to root vegetables like carrots and potatoes.
