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Safe to freeze?

PattyO
PattyO Posts: 883
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hi Guys
I want to make a syrup for Bakalava, and freeze it in advance. It contains fresh orange and lemon juice as well as honey and brown sugar and water. Do you see any reason I can't freeze this for a few days? I'll be leaving home 5 days before the event and I'm not sure it would be good just refrigerated.
When defrosted I just pour it onto the hot fresh baked pan of Baklava.
You opinion, please?
Thanks.

Comments

  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I can't think of any reason not to. The main hazard I know of for freezing is that water crystal can damage both meat and vegetable cells. But there would be none in the ingredients. I don't think the citrus flavors would diminish, having tried homemade popsicles a few times.

    If it is very syrupy, it might not even freeze, just become very very viscous.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    if you freeze it, you'd have sherbert, essentially. not sure what the concern is

    it's not a food safety issue, and i'm not sure what would happen to the quality.

    frankly not sure you even have to freeze it.
    honey is safe at room temp, and has anti-biotics occuring naturally in it

    brown sugar and water are safe at room temps of course

    juice is acidic....

    there's no boogeyman :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • PattyO
    PattyO Posts: 883
    Yes, it's a food safety issue, with fresh fruit juices.
    I'm serving a crowd at a fest.
    Sherbet consistency is OK, I'll let it defrost.
    I think honey can be held forever.
    Thank you.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    it's not even going to go bad in the fridge though, still no need to freeze.

    but fresh fruit juices aren't necessarily unsafe, especially acidic ones. never seen refrigerated fruit at the store, for example.

    if your juices got contaminated somehow during making the syrup, that'd be a concern, but you are boiling it anyway aren't you? and then storing it in the fridge... and only five days in the fridge?

    i just can't see it as a concern.

    freezing is certainly not required, and simply refrigerating is more than enough.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • crghc98
    crghc98 Posts: 1,006
    I agree, no need to freeze. Just refridgerate...

    You need that to be a syrup so I would be concerned with how it defrosts and if it would separate...

    I know from my experience my mixture, of sugar, water, and rose water holds well in the refridge.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    yeah. all of those things are shelf stable.... i can't imagine what could go wrong over 5 days in the fridge, let alone what would require it to be frozen.

    left alone on the counter you'd be tempting mold, sure. and mold is a quality issue, rather than a safety issue.

    but otherwise where is the food-safety danger?

    there's a common theme here lately where a question is asked, and then all answers given are dismissed. :blush:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    The mold issue comes into play because you add moisture to the sugar. Sugar by itself inhibits mold growth due to the low moisture. Get it wet and all bets are off.

    My gut feel is that some people post questions here not truly seeking answers, but rather confirmation that what they plan to do is the correct plan of action.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    yeah, that was my thinking. other than mold (because of the water), what's the issue? and that's only at room temp really. it won't get moldy in the fridge in five days

    maybe if you left it out it would ferment. a little mead never hurt anyone :laugh:

    i once made mead with champagne yeast, and that stuff was 16-18 percent alcohol.

    as for
    My gut feel is that some people post questions here not truly seeking answers, but rather confirmation that what they plan to do is the correct plan of action.

    yer prob'ly correct. sometimes i get sucked into thinking it is helpful to provide an answer with some info behind it. usually the preference is "hey, just tell me 'yes' or 'no', m'kay? cuz i dodn't have all day" :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • crghc98
    crghc98 Posts: 1,006
    Agreed...I had some decent mead up in Alaska over the summer....

    I think the lebanese cookbook I have says the mixture can be held refrigerated for up to two weeks....

    and I bet my grandmother kept it in the "ice box" for 2 months and I'm still alive... :laugh:
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    why don't people worry about their toothbrush being left out?
    seriously?

    or butter on their counter...
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Canugghead
    Canugghead Posts: 11,458
    I learned a tip from a maple syrup site that works really well for coffee cream ... turn the carton upside down and give it a good swirl after every use, the idea is to drown the spores from the air. No more half-full caron of spoilt cream.
    canuckland
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    sounds a tad 'mythy' to me. :whistle:

    drowning spores?

    cream that sours is soured by bacteria. you ain't gonna drown bacteria.

    mold spores are dormant. you can't 'drown' them per se.

    methinks turning the container briefly upside down is more a case of 'kissing it up to god' than anything actually sanitizing :ermm:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Zippylip
    Zippylip Posts: 4,768
    I worry about those things, constantly
    happy in the hut
    West Chester Pennsylvania
  • Fidel
    Fidel Posts: 10,172
    You leave butter on the counter? That's just disgusting.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    hahaha
    yep

    of course, i can also explain why it's fine to do (as can you) ;)
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    you need to use more capitals and exclamation points then.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,671
    champagne yeast, you rich bastard :laugh: just toss in some moldy bread in a sock
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    it's worth it. allows the yeast to ferment longer before the alcohol shuts them down.

    higher alcohol content, less you need to drink. works out to be economical in the end :laugh:
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante