Freezing pasta can be a quick and practical solution to save time in the kitchen. To maintain its flavor and texture, it is essential to know how to do it correctly. Follow these simple steps to achieve it.
For those who are not entirely clear, we clarify: yes, pasta can be frozen, and it is also a great solution when we want to save time in the kitchen and prepare a recipe quickly and without too many complications. Below we tell you everything about how to freeze pasta, whether cooked or fresh pasta.
How to freeze cooked pasta
Freezing cooked pasta is a fantastic solution to always have pasta available or to preserve leftover pasta. You can freeze meatballs, for example, and you can also freeze spaghetti; For cooked pasta, you will only have to follow a simple step-by-step and take some precautions so that when you defrost it it is perfect.
Cook the pasta al dente
The first step and a fundamental one to obtain a good result is to know how to cook pasta taking into account the amount of pasta, water, and salt. In addition, it is important that you try to leave the pasta al dente, that is, hard. If you overcook it when reheating it, the result will not be the best.
Drain and cool so that it does not cook further.
After the cooking time has passed, drain and rinse the pasta with plenty of cold water to prevent it from continuing to cook with the remaining heat. This is also essential so that when the pasta is defrosted it is al dente and loose.
Divide into portions to ration
We recommend that you have medium-sized resealable freezer bags on hand so that you can freeze the pasta in moderate quantities and defrost only the portion you need. Organize the cooked pasta into the portions that interest you most and label each bag with the date.
Put the pasta in the freezer
Once the bags are full, spread the pasta inside and make sure to remove as much air as possible. The normal thing is to put them on the counter horizontally and gently flatten them with your hands to try to get out as much air as possible, but another solution is to submerge almost the entire bag in water (except the clear closure) so that the water pressure is what Release the air while you close the bag. When you have closed the bag, put it on a tray so that it is completely flat when stored in the freezer, which should work at -18 ºC, its correct temperature.
How to freeze fresh pasta
Just as you can freeze already-cooked pasta, you can prepare fresh homemade pasta and freeze it to have it available when you need it. Since fresh pasta cooks in just a couple of minutes, you can have a fantastic home-cooked meal in no time. To do so follow these steps.
Divide the fresh pasta into portions to ration it according to whether it is long or short.
If the pasta is long like spaghetti or noodles, it is best to form nests to keep them 4 at a time in medium-sized bags. If it is short pasta such as ravioli or tortellini, calculate portions of about 200 g and store them in airtight freezer bags.
Freeze the pasta
Once the pasta is divided and put in the bags, do the same as you would do with cooked pasta, try to get all the air out of the bags and place them on a tray to put them in the freezer. Once frozen after a couple of hours, you can stack several bags so that they take up less space.
Tips for freezing pasta
After seeing the necessary steps to freeze pasta, we have compiled a series of tips so that you can always enjoy this versatile ingredient at its ideal cooking point and in the way you like best.
- Cook the pasta al dente
- Chill the pasta before freezing it
- Store pasta in individual portions
- Label the bag with the date
- Avoid freezing pasta mixed with sauce
How to defrost pasta
If the pasta is cooked, it will not need to be defrosted first, but you can prepare the sauce you prefer and mix it directly with the pasta (always over medium heat and stirring from time to time).
If it is fresh frozen pasta, all you have to do is boil water with a pinch of salt to cook it directly from the freezer for a couple of minutes, and after the cooking time, mix it with the sauce.