Are you a big lover of chimichurri sauce and wondering if you can freeze it without losing its texture and taste? It will remain the same after defrosting? Let’s find out what you should pay attention to if you want to freeze the chimichurri sauce.
As the chimichurri sauce is very versatile and it goes very well with a lot of dishes you may wonder if it is a good idea to prepare it in a larger quantity, freeze and to use it later in your delicious dishes to give a fresh taste to them.
Is Chimichurri Better Made in Advance?
Some people prefer making the chimichurri sauce in advance because the flavor from the herbs has more time to sit and meld together. As a result, you will get a more flavourful taste in the end if you make the sauce ahead of time.
Even if you don’t plan to freeze the sauce, you may consider making it a day before and leaving it overnight in the fridge. So, the next day, when you will serve it, your chimichurri sauce will be full of flavor and will be more balanced.
Does Freezing Affect the Sauce?
Even though this sauce is recommended to be eaten fresh when you have just done it, the freezing will affect only a little the texture of the herbs while the taste of the chimichurri sauce will remain almost the same.
So, if for you is important only the taste of the chimichurri sauce, you can easily freeze it without looking back.
But to get a delicious chimichurri sauce after freezing, you should freeze it properly, otherwise, you may lose all the flavors from the herbs.
How to Freeze Chimichurri Sauce?
Below I will give you a few methods on how you can freeze the chimichurri sauce to use it for a longer time.
No matter what freezing method you will use, just make sure that you will keep the chimichurri sauce in air-tight containers or freezing bags.
Also, make sure you will squeeze all the air excesses, and to be easier for you, stick a freezing label on each container with the date of freezing and expiration date which will be around 3 months from now.
Shorter – better.
Needed Items for Freezing:
Freeze in an Ice Cube Tray.
I prefer this method because after freezing I need only a small amount of the chimichurri sauce. By freezing the chimichurri sauce in an ice cube tray, I can easily take from the fridge the exact amount of sauce that I need for my recipes.
So, later, when you will need to use them in recipes, you can take just one or two cubes of the frozen chimichurri sauce and use them in your dishes. In that way, you will keep the rest of the chimichurri sauce intact and you will not need to refreeze it multiple times.
Quick Note: We will leave the chimichurri sauce in the ice cube tray only for a night until they freeze and will take the cube. After that, you can move them in freezer bags or freezer containers.
Pro Tip: After you freeze the chimichurri sauce, I would recommend moving it into a few smaller freezing bags or containers instead of using one big container or freezing bag. In that way, you will reduce the air contact with the frozen chimichurri sauce and that will allow you to keep the sauce for longer.
Freezing in Containers
If you have a large family or you just prefer to use a large amount of chimichurri sauce in your dishes, you can freeze them directly in containers.
Quick Note: If you plan to freeze the chimichurri sauce directly in the freezing bags without freezing them in the ice cube trays firstly, then pick the size of the container according to how much chimichurri sauce you plan to use in one sitting.
This method has the advantage that you will just put the sauce in containers and you can put them directly in the freezer. You don’t need to remove the frozen chimichurri sauce from the freezer the next day as we did in the previous method.
Freezing in Freezer Bags.
Freezing the chimichurri sauce in freezer bags may be a good idea for those who have limited space in their freezer as the freezer bags will take up less space than if you will use containers.
Also, you can combine this method with the first one, when you will freeze the chimichurri sauce in ice cube trays.
Quick Note: If you will use freezer bags, make sure that you will squeeze all the air excesses from the freezer bag. Otherwise, the chimichurri sauce will not keep for too long.
For How Long Can You Freeze it?
In the Fridge
You can store the chimichurri sauce in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in a well-closing container. But there are high chances that it will not sit for so long because you will eat it in just a few days. It is so good that you will not be able to refrain from eating it.
In the Freezer
If in the summertime you bought or have a large number of herbs in your garden and you want to make from them the chimichurri sauce, then you can easily make the chimichurri sauce in advance and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Can You Refreeze it?
It is not recommended to refreeze the chimichurri sauce as its texture will go completely off, it will not be as fresh as in the beginning and most importantly, you may risk growing different bacteria and it will not be safe to eat for you and your family.
How to Defrost Chimichurri Sauce?
When you are looking to defrost the chimichurri sauce, you should keep the same golden rule as usual. You should defrost it gently and slowly. Otherwise, you will lose all the texture and the taste of the sauce.
Pro Tip: Don’t defrost it in hot water as you will force the thawing process and the ice crystals will break the texture of the herbs.
If you freeze the chimichurri sauce in the ice cube tray, you can leave it on the table for a short time, just make sure the chimichurri sauce is not in direct sunlight. As the freezing cubes are small, they will need a short period to defrost.
If you freeze the chimichurri sauce in a bigger size, it will take too long to leave them on the table to defrost at room temperature and you may risk growing bacteria again.
Because of that, if you need to defrost a bigger serving of chimichurri sauce, I will recommend thawing the sauce in the fridge overnight to avoid any risks.
If you can’t wait for so long and you are in a rush, you can put the bag with chimichurri sauce, on a large plate with cold water and leave it for a few hours until it will start slowly to thaw.
Quick Note: It is important to be cold, not warm because, again, you will force the thawing process and the temperature between the warm water and frozen sauce will be too high.
Can You Use Frozen Chimichurri Sauce Without Defrosting?
I would not recommend adding the frozen chimichurri sauce to your dishes directly from the frozen. First of all, you will lose all the texture of the herbs as they will become mushy because of the high difference in temperature and you also risk getting a watery meal in the end.
What Can I Do With Leftover Sauce?
If after you read this article, you don’t want to freeze your chimichurri sauce, don’t throw it in your trash bin. You have a few delicious options of what you can make with the chimichurri leftovers.
Consider making a delicious pasta salad and using the chimichurri sauce as a dressing. Or use the leftover chimichurri as a sandwich or toast spread.
How to Know if It Went Bad?
It is important to know and to take into account that the chimichurri sauce can go bad only in a day or two if it wasn’t properly stored like it was under direct sunlight or if your kitchen tools weren’t ideal clean.
Or just the banal situation when you used a spoon with what you taste the sauce then you put it back in the sauce. In these cases, the bacteria will start growing very fast and in a few days, you may lose totally your chimichurri sauce.
If you keep the chimichurri sauce fresh in the fridge, you may notice that the herbs will lose their vibrant color, they will become darker and the herbs start to break down. The oil from the sauce also will begin to separate, and if you taste it, you will notice that the chimichurri sauce becomes a little bitter.
If you notice all those signs, throw it away and prepare a fresh portion of the chimichurri sauce to avoid getting poisoning from it.
The same refers to the frozen chimichurri sauce. If after thawing it, you will notice a change in the color or an unpleasant smell, just throw it away to avoid any contamination.
Final Line
If you freeze the chimichurri sauce properly and defrost it correctly, you shouldn’t have any problems with freezing and keeping the chimichurri sauce for a longer period.
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