Got leftover beef stew? Want to freeze it? Find out what you need to know about freezing beef stew including how to do with a vacuum sealer and if it's ok to include potatoes.
Can You Freeze Beef Stew Without Ruining the Vegetables?
You made a large batch of beef stew, but you want to save some for later. Freezing is a great idea but it doesn't come without its challenges. I heard people talking about how if you freeze the vegetables in the beef stew, when you re-heat them, they won't come out well.
So I decided to give this a test myself. I made enough beef stew for one dinner and then froze the rest for later to see how well it did re-heated. This post is about me sharing these results as well as giving me tips on how to freeze beef stew so that when you want to eat it again it will be the best it can possibly be.
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🥔 Freezing Stew With Potatoes
Now onto what could be the biggest problem with freezing stew.
Most people like to make beef stew with potatoes and carrots. And I have heard people say that the potatoes don't hold up well in the freezer. I decided to put that to the test myself.
The problem that was expressed was that the potatoes turn to mush and are not good reheated again after being frozen. What I thought might help is that I used small whole fingerling potatoes in my stew instead of cutting up potatoes. I wanted to see if that would help.
It did. Sort of. The skin was still firm enough but the texture inside the skin of the fingerling was not very pleasant. While you certainly can freeze beef stew with potatoes be prepared for them to not be very good.
You could just add less potatoes to your stew and eat them all before freezing leftovers. Then add some freshly boiled potatoes when you reheat it. It might just be easier to not finish all the beef but finish the potatoes in the stew before freezing.
🥕 Freezing Stew With Carrots
As the potatoes, the carrots can be mussy as well. However I can stand that in a carrot a lot more than I can in a potato. The carrots break down and add body and sweetness to the liquid too. So I have no issues with freezing a beef stew that contains carrots.
Want to find out how tasty your next batch of beef stew will be when made with dry aged beef? Check out the beef stew from Porter Road.
📋 Instructions for Freezing
The key thing when freezing beef stew is to get as much air out of the package you are freezing it in. This helps prevent freezer burn. I have found the The best way to freeze beef stew is to vacuum seal it. I use a Vesta sealer with WeVac bags.
However this can be challenging because of the liquid. You don't want to suck out the liquid just the air.
What you can do to help is place the bag over the edge of your counter using gravity to your advantage. This will slow any from liquid being sucked up, but it's not foolproof. Getting any air out, even if you can't get it all is going to be to your advantage. The flatter and smaller you can get the bag, the easier it will store in your freezer.
If you are not going to vacuum seal then I would use zip top plastic bags. I like the ones with a slider.
No matter which way you do it follow these steps.
- Chill the stew completely. You can put it in the fridge first, then freeze the next day.
- Using a Sharpie marker, write on the bag the date and that it's beef stew. You don't' want to have to wonder how long it's been in the freezer or what it actually is.
- Add the stew to bags that are individual sized servings. If one person is going to have that leftovers that won't have to heat it all up and then possibly waste some.
- Place the bag(s) in the freezer as flat as you can get them.
📅 How Long Do You Have to Freeze Stew?
Another question you might have is how long do you have until you need to freeze the stew? Maybe you think you can going to eat it but not 100% sure. I would say let it go in the fridge no more than 3-4 days before you turn to your freezer.
Beef stew frozen should last around 3-6 months in the freezer before the quality decreases.
If you last batch of beef stew came out too watery, check out my post How to Thicken Watery Beef Stew.
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