Instructions, tips and tricks

Before freezing the cooked pasta

You can freeze leftover pasta from the last meal without hesitation. However, the pasta should not be left at room temperature for too long. This is how you prevent harmful germs from settling on it. As soon as the noodles have cooled completely, they can be put in the freezer.
To prevent the cooked noodles from freezing together into an inseparable lump, you can toss them in oil before freezing them. This is particularly useful if you later want to defrost the pasta in the microwave.

The right containers for the pasta

Even if you have a large amount of cooked pasta left over and want to freeze it, it makes sense to do so in portions. This means that you can always only take the amount you need from the freezer.
Boxes made of plastic or stainless steel with tightly closable lids are just as suitable for freezing cooked pasta as freezer bags. The boxes take up a little more space, but can be stacked in a particularly clear manner. You can lay freezer bags flat on top of each other to save space.

In any case, it is important to label the containers with the date of freezing and the contents in order not to lose track of things in the freezer.

How is cooked noodles thawed again?

You can choose from several methods for defrosting cooked pasta:

• heat in the microwave
• fry in the pan
• boil in salted water
• Thaw in the refrigerator

Defrost pasta in the microwave

You can use your microwave to heat frozen cooked pasta quickly and easily. One advantage is that you can add a sauce or butter directly and prepare the dish in one step. The noodles from the microwave, however, are comparatively soggy.

Fry the frozen pasta

If you choose a pasta dish from the pan, such as ham pasta, you can put the frozen pasta straight into the hot pan. Searing will cause some of the water to evaporate, which will prevent the pasta from becoming too soft.

Bring frozen pasta to the boil briefly

You can get pasta that tastes freshly prepared if you put the frozen pasta in boiling salted water for two to three minutes. The noodles should not be too soft before freezing, as they will cook a little more during the cooking process.

Thaw frozen pasta in the refrigerator

Frozen pasta is ideal for preparing pasta salads - this saves you the otherwise annoying waiting time when letting it cool down.
Put the frozen pasta in its container in the refrigerator and let it thaw, preferably overnight. The low temperature in the refrigerator prevents microbes from spreading on the pasta.