Foods you should never put in the freezer

It's been said before that a stocked freezer is the best and easiest way to win in the kitchen. And that's true—most of the time. But there are a handful (well, a couple of handfuls) of foods that get strange when frozen and then defrosted. Here are a few of them:

1. Cheese.

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Soft cheeses such as ricotta, goat, or cream cheese tend to separate when frozen and thawed, which leads to strange textural changes. Hard cheeses like Parmesan and cheddar are usually a safe bet, but you're still better off buying only what you need and storing it properly in the fridge.

2. ...and most dairy, for that matter.

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Cream, buttermilk, yogurt, sour cream, and custard all separate and curdle in the freezer.

3. Whole eggs.

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Eggs can expand when frozen, causing the shell to crack and potentially let bacteria in—never a good thing. Cooked eggs and egg-based sauces like hollandaise, mayonnaise, and meringue are also poor freezer candidates. If you really have to freeze eggs, crack them, whisk them (or separate the whites and yolks) and store in an airtight container.

4. Fried foods.

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The crispy, craggily, gloriously fried exterior of fried foods—that is, the best part—is lost when frozen and defrosted. Unless soggy is your thing, keep these suckers away from the cold.

5. Coffee.

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It's OK to freeze unopened, freshly-roasted bags of coffee for up to a month. But once you open the bag and start taking it in and out of the freezer, the coffee can get ruined. Thawing and refreezing yields condensation on the beans which causes them to absorb freezer smells.