Freezing Margarine: Tips for Optimal Storage Solutions
Margarine has been in the food industry since the 1860s. It was developed by a French chemist and was widely accepted by a lot of people because it offers a cheaper alternative to butter. These days, a lot of people buy margarine for this very purpose—to save money.
If you are one of the people who have lots of stock of margarine in their homes, then you may be wondering what the proper way to store margarine is. Many people ask—can you freeze margarine? Well, we will answer that in this article.
Can You Freeze Margarine?
Let us start with the biggest question of all—can your freeze margarine? The truth is, margarine products can be frozen or stored at 0 degrees Fahrenheit. However, some butter brands wouldn’t take the freezing kindly. That is why it is crucial for you to check the product label and storage instructions first,
The good news is, you can freeze margarine before or after you open them. When you store unopened margarine in the refrigerator, it will last for 3 to 4 months while refrigerated opened margarine will last only for 1 to 2 months.
When stored in the freezer, the product can last for 5 to 8 months.
The Best Margarine Storage Tips You Need to Know
Now that you know how to store your margarine, the next best thing that we need to tackle are the different margarine storage tips that you should follow. These are as follows:
- When you get home, place the margarine tub in the refrigerator right away.
- Once you have opened the tub, it would be best that you transfer the margarine to an airtight container. Store it in the butter compartment and set the refrigerator at a 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
- Store margarine away from other high-odor food items like onion, garlic, and the likes. This is because the margarine would tend to absorb all the odor and taste of the other food items near it so keeping it from those as far away as possible would be a great idea.
How to Tell if a Margarine Has Gone Bad
Of course, it is essential that you first check the viability of your margarine before using it in your dishes. This is most especially true if the margarine tub has been in the refrigerator for a long time already.
Lucky for you, determining if a tub of margarine has gone bad is pretty easy. The first thing that you should do is to inspect its appearance. If you have noticed signs of discoloration and presence of mold, it is best that you throw the margarine tub right away.
If there are no discolorations or molds, take a whiff or taste of the product. the margarine smells and tastes sour, it is one indication that the product has already gone bad and you need to discard the food item immediately.
You may also want to take a look at the product’s expiry date. If it is already past the expiry date, it is better that you take precaution when using it as this means that it is already past its prime.
Delicious Margarine Recipes That You Can Try!
If you are wondering how you can use your leftover margarine in your refrigerator, you will be surprised to know that there are many surprising ways on how you can take advantage of it. These are as follows:
Cookies
Hard margarine works best for crisp, fluffy cookies, adding a crunch and enhanced flavor to your recipe. When using margarine in your cookies, please keep in mind that it will take a longer time to melt as compared to butter.
Making Pancakes
Just like butter, margarine works well on pancakes too. You can add melted margarine to the milk where you will be mixing the pancake mix in. It will create a more distinct milky and creamy flavor as compared to when you use butter.
Cooking Fish
The healthiest way to cook your fish is by baking it. You can use margarine to season the fish. You can also use it in frying or sautéing the fish. Just make sure to keep your fire low as margarine easily burns. If it gets burnt, it will lose its flavor in the process.
Whipping Up Tomato and Pasta Sauces
The best time to use margarine when making pasta sauces is to add it to the pan when you saute your onions. This will cause the onions to release its full flavor and to get soft fast without being burnt.
Final Words
Margarine is one controversial ingredient but thanks to its low price, a lot of people include this in their kitchen arsenal. If you always like to have a stock of margarine in your kitchen, it is essential to know what is the right way to store it and make it last longer.
So can you freeze margarine? Just like butter, margarine freezes pretty well. In fact, putting it in the freezer is the best way for you to prolong its shelf life. Just make sure that you place it in an airtight container.
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