Are you looking for safe ways to store food for a long period of time, to keep leftovers for later, excess fruit and veggies, or even baked goods?
Glass is an excellent way to store food, whether it be in the pantry, the fridge, or even the freezer.
It is perfectly safe and very easy to freeze food in glass, but there are are few things to keep in mind.
We share why we love glass storage in the freezer, what foods can be frozen in glass, and tips for freezing food in glass.
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A peak inside Treading My Own Path’s freezer, who loves to freeze food in glass.
Why we Love Freezing Food in Glass
Healthier for the environment
- Unlike plastic, glass is not made of petrochemicals
- Glass is a resource efficient material, made of abundant natural raw materials, including sand and glass waste
- Some glass can be recycled such as glass food packaging jars and bottles, but not tempered glass.
Healthier for you and your family
- Glass does not contain BPA, PVC, Pthaltates or hormone disrupting chemicals
- It will never leach harmful chemicals into your food
Results in Less Food waste
- Using glass minimises waste from plastic zip-lock bags and plastic containers
- Leftovers can be frozen instead of being left in the fridge
- Vegetable scraps can be frozen to make broth and soups later
- The contents in glass jars and containers can been seen, so food isn’t likely to ‘disappear’ in the deep dark depths of the freezer
It is easy to keep in top condition
- Glass is non-porous, and doesn’t absorb smells or discolour
- Glass is scratch proof, and after years of use it will still look new
- It is easy to clean in soapy water, plus it is dishwasher safe
- It dries quickly because it is not a porous material, unlike plastic
Affordable
- High quality, freezer-friendly Ball mason jars or Kilner glass jars are in-expensive and versatile
- Saving glass jars from pasta sauce, condiments, pickles, etc, is an affordable way to grow your glass jar collection
Versatile
- Glass jars and containers, such as Glasslock containers, Weck glass containers and come in many shapes and sizes
- Some containers can easily go from oven to freezer (once food is cooled) or freezer to oven (once food is thawed)
What Foods Can You Freeze in Glass
- Beans – after cooking dried beans, allow to cool before you put them into a mason jar or glass container with or without liquid
- Biscuits – after cooking and cooling biscuits, freeze in a wide mouth jar
- Fruit and vegetables – first lay fruit out flat on a tray, freeze, and then transfer to a glass jar or container to go back into the freezer
- Citrus zest – save those zests and reduce food waste by freezing them in a glass jar or container
- Vegetable peels and scraps – great to keep on hand to make broth later on and easy to freeze in a glass jar or container
- Broth – if freezing broth, be sure to leave a 3cm gap from the glass jar or container (you could also use a stainless steel ice cube tray to freeze broth too)
- Soups and sauces – when freezing any liquid no matter what the consistency, it is important to leave at least a 3cm gap from the top
- Baby food – make lots in one go and freeze, for quick, healthy meals every day
- Leftovers – divide leftovers up into single meal size portions for easy grab and go mid week meals
Tips for Freezing Food in Glass
As we all know, liquids expand when frozen, so it is always advisable to leave a 3cm gap from the top of the jar or container when storing anything in the freezer.
We also don’t recommend using thin necked bottles due to their risk of cracking.
Not all glass handles thermal stress the same, so we recommend using glass containers that are made of borosilicate glass when heating and freezing food and drinks. Ball mason jars are also a suitable option.