Americans already lose about $1,500 a year to spoiled groceries, according to a 2025 CNET survey, but the freezer isn’t always the lifesaver it seems.
THE freezer it’s like a safe haven for anything you’re not ready to use or that large quantity of products you bought on sale. The problem ? Not everything comes back from the cold in one piece. Some foods require special handling before freezing, while others simply cannot be stored: they become mealy, mushy, or completely inedible.
Before you seal something in a bag and call it “preserved,” here are 11 common foods that don’t belong in your freezer.
11 Foods You Should Never Freeze
1. Milk and cream
Keep your dairy products out of the freezer, otherwise they will separate and curdle.
DonNichols/Getty ImagesMost milkman the products cannot be frozen and will become inedible if they are. Milk, cream, yogurt and sour cream tend to separate when frozen. Once they do, it is no longer possible to return them to their previous state, and the thawed result will be grainy, watery, or even curdled. Nut milk, on the other hand, can be frozen more successfully.
Ice cream is a known exception to the dairy rule because its high sugar content lowers the freezing point and keeps the product soft and flavorful.
2. Potatoes
Potatoes shouldn’t even be refrigerated, much less frozen.
Tyler Lizenby/CNETAmerica’s favorite carbohydrate turns mushy and grainy when thawed, a physical state that’s not good for use in anything from mashed potatoes to French fries. This is because the water separates from the starch in the tuber, resulting in a foul-smelling texture that even waste-feeding creatures like raccoons can’t stand.
Freezing cooked or partially cooked (usually parboiled) potatoes is acceptable because much of the water is extracted during cooking. Bagged potato products from the freezer section of your local grocery store are treated with chemicals, preservatives or other specialized preparation methods to ensure that flavor and texture are preserved when frozen.
3. Cheese
There are ways to store all types of cheese that will keep them fresh longer, but the freezer is not one of them.
Pamela Vachon/CNETPesky ice crystals form in ice cheesewhich completely changes its flavor and texture profile. This mainly applies to soft, moldy cheeses, although some hard varieties such as cheddar and jack can withstand the constant blast of cold air if they are first grated and laid flat in a plastic storage bag.
Learn more: Store cheese properly and you will extend its life by several days or even weeks. Here’s how
4. Fried foods
Unfortunately, your friend’s leftover chicken can’t be frozen for later.
David Watsky/CNETThe best part of frying is of course its crispy breading. When placed in the freezer, this paste or breadcrumbs absorb moisture from the appliance, making the food soggy. Additionally, fried foods are full of – you guessed it – oil, which doesn’t freeze completely and can spoil before the meat or vegetable it was cooked with. This can lead to foul-tasting meals and a potentially dangerous bout of food poisoning.
5. Eggs
Eggs have a fairly long shelf life in the refrigerator, so you shouldn’t need to freeze them.
Tanja Ivanova/Getty ImagesIf you want chewy scrambled eggs, put them in the freezer before making them. This is due to a process called “gelling,” in which the protein molecules in the yolk clump together, making the liquid thicker. Egg contents also expand when frozen, causing whole eggs to crack and leak. Avoiding eggs in the freezer means avoiding egg-based condiments, like mayonnaise, which become lumpy and non-spreadable.
6. Delicate green salads
The lighter the color of the salad, the less likely it is to survive freezing.
Toni Jardon/Getty ImagesWhile some greens, including kale, spinach and collard greens, handle finely in the freezer, more delicate, water-dense varieties will collapse. Store mixed greens and mixed greens, romaine and iceberg in the crisper and out of the freezer.
7. Vegetables rich in water
Tomatoes, cucumbers and other water-rich vegetables are not good candidates for freezing.
Carlo A/Getty ImagesIf it’s a fruit or vegetable which can go into a typical salad, it will not hold up in the freezer. This includes produce with a high water content such as tomatoes, cucumbers and celery.
8. Lawyer
Frozen avocado cannot be reactivated for use in salads or for guacamole, although it can be added to a healthy smoothie or shake.
Westend 61/Getty ImagesThe beloved avocado will also not do well in extremely low temperatures. As it defrosts, it will immediately begin to brown. No one wants to eat their way through brown guacamole. While you can’t revive a frozen avocado to spread on toast or make a dip for taco night, you can use it as an ingredient in smoothies.
9. Whole citrus fruits
Your best option with excess citrus is to juice the fruit and freeze the juice for recipes and cocktails later.
David Watsky/CNETSome dense fruits, like berries and mangoes, store well in the freezer, but citrus fruits will also not maintain their integrity and most whole citrus fruits will become mealy after thawing. If you have a lot of lemons, limes or oranges, it is best to juice and freeze the juice for later.
10. Cooked pasta and rice
Leftover cooked rice and pasta can be safely frozen, but they will lose much of their structure and flavor when reheated.
David Watsky/CNETYou can freeze cooked pasta and rice, but that doesn’t mean you should. The water content causes cells in noodles and grains to burst, resulting in mushy, gooey leftovers that can’t be salvaged even with the most delicious sauces.
The pasta will almost certainly come out of the freezer in a rough form. Rice is a little more durable, but consider vacuum-sealing it to keep moisture out before putting it in the freezer to store.
11. Bottled or canned drinks
We’ve all tried to quickly chill a beer or soda in the freezer.
Getty ImagesWho hasn’t tried to fool time by chilling a can or bottle of lukewarm beer in the freezer, only to forget about it and end up with a frozen, bubbling disaster? If you are using the freezer to cool canned or bottled drinks, it would be a good idea to set a timer for 10 minutes so they don’t freeze and explode.
