Remember the delicious Ratatouille Remy made in one of ours Disney’s all time favorite movie? Sometimes I wish I could cook like that mouse. One of the biggest challenges we face is storing leftover food or making food ahead of time due to out busy schedules, the question that arises is can you freeze ratatouille? Well, it turns out that making ratatouille is not as difficult as we must have thought and neither is freezing it.
In the town of Nice, France, a dish originated by the hands of poor farmers called Ratatouille. Farmers made this in the summer months when the produce of fresh vegetables was high with some additional herbs. Vegetables like eggplants, tomatoes, bell peppers, onions, garlic and zucchini after being stewed, come together to form this delicious dish bursting with flavor and nutrients. Today, there are various versions of Ratatouille that exist.
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Can you freeze uncooked ratatouille?
Thankfully Ratatouille is a dish that freezes pretty well. You can make it in summers when the vegetables are the most flavourfull and enjoy them till fall. Most ratatouilles are vegetables based and vegerables are best frozen when they are dry and blanched. With a raw ratatouille, the vegtables are sliced and dressed with a sauce which might reduce their lifespan in the fridge and cause them to loose flavour. But when in need, raw ratatouille can be frozen in airtight containers for upto 2 weeks.
Can you freeze tinned ratatouille?
Yes! Tinned ratatouilles can be frozen very well. In the supermarket, tinned ratatouilles are kept in the frozen aisle for a reason. Tinned products have small amounts of preservatives added to them which prevents it from getting spoilt or going rancid. It is adviced that after opening a can of tinned ratatouille, divide it into the number of portion sizes required and freeze the extra, if left. Refreezing cooked ratatouille can result in overcooking of vegtables later on and give you an unpleasant, mushy texture. Keep an eye on the expiration date after opening mentioned on the pachaging as well.
Can you freeze fresh ratatouille?
Freezing fresh ratatouille is probably the easiest of them all. All you have to do is cook a delicious ratatouille, let it come completely to room temperature, get some freezer friendly bags or air tight containers and freeze your ratatouille for upto 3 months! A good tip is to under the ratatouille the first time by 5-6 minutes so when you reheat it after, the vegtables don’t overcook. Also, once taken out of the freezer, let the ratatouille thaw out otherwise it might not cook entirely.
How to freeze ratatouille?
Freezing ratatouille is not difficult and you end up with a delicious meal ready to go whenever you need it. It could be a healthy snack or a whole dinner. Here are the steps-
- When cooking the ratatouille, undercook it. This will increase the freeze time on your dish and prevent it from becoming a soggy mess.
- Once it is cooked, let it come to room temperature. Freezing a hot ratatouille will make the container steamy from inside and spoilt your ratatouille faster.
- After your ratatouille has cooled down, take an air tight Tupperware of any freezer friendly bag to save space and place your ratatouille inside. Remember to squeeze out any extra air trapped in that bag. Now your ratatouille is ready to be frozen for upto 3 months.
- When its time to enjoy the ratatouille, let it thaw out overnight. If you’re lacking patience, keep it on a warm bowl of water but do not microwave. This will overcook your ratatouille.
It is not preffered to refreeze ratatouille as it can grow microorganisms and become rancid. On top of that, recooked ratatouille is mushy and no one likes that.
How long can you freeze ratatouille?
For up to 2 weeks, you shall be able to freeze and keep ratatouille in a perfect condition.
Can ratatouille be frozen?
Yes, certainly for up to 2 weeks ratatouille can be frozen and kept having a perfect condition to it.
Is it ok to freeze ratatouille?
Yes, ratatouille freezes very well. So, it is certainly ok to freeze ratatouille. Being an edible item, it has a timespan. So, you must only be freezing the ratatouille for up to 2 weeks and surely it must not be more than that.
Also checkout – Can you freeze cider.
FAQs
Can you freeze baked ratatouille?
Most ratatouille dishes are baked. Baking is one of the best cooking methods that provide you with equally golden brown crust and moist insides. Yes, baked ratatouille can be frozen.
Can you freeze homemade ratatouille?
While homemade ratatouilles lack the preservatives tinned raratouilles might have, it can still be frozen very nicely if followed the correct method. This can result you a long lasting, healthy, delicious and cheap meal.
Can you freeze leftover ratatouille?
Absolutely, leftover ratatouille should always be preserved. Those vegatbles are too nutritious to waste. Just make sure your ratatouille has come to room temperature before freezing it. To prevent overcooking, reheat it for fewer minutes.
Can you freeze vegetable ratatouille?
Most ratatouille dishes are vegetable based so yes, these dishes can be frozen. Even ratatouilles with meat in them should not have any problem being preserved.
