Vodka is a great ingredient to cook with because it can add a nice earthy depth to the flavor while enhancing the other ingredients’ tastes. It goes well with a wide range of pasta and can even be used on chicken parm or meatballs. Since vodka sauces are so delicious and versatile, it can sometimes be a good idea to make extra to freeze and thaw out later.
You can freeze vodka sauce. It’s essential to let the sauce cool down completely before freezing it for food safety purposes. It’s also a good idea to thaw the sauce in the fridge before reheating to make sure it heats evenly. Frozen vodka sauce should last up to six months.
It’s also possible to freeze a complete pasta dish with vodka sauce. However, to preserve the flavor and texture of the pasta, you should freeze the sauce separately and add freshly cooked pasta after reheating. Keep reading to see details on how long you can keep frozen vodka sauce, as well as how long you can safely keep vodka sauce in your fridge.
How To Properly Freeze Vodka Sauce
In order to properly protect Vodka sauce in the freezer, it is crucial to completely seal and protect the sauce from the ravages of direct contact with ice-cold air. This can be achieved with a suitable plastic container like the DuraHome Freezer Safe Quart Sized containers from Amazon.
These clear containers allow you to see what’s inside and are completely microwave-safe which makes reheating your Vodka sauce easy and fast.
Improperly sealed or non-airtight containers will cause flavors and odors to leak into your sauce, making it smelly and unpalatable.
Tip: When you fill your container with Vodka sauce try to fill it up almost to the top in order to eliminate most of the air from the receptacle. Remember to leave a little room, however, for expansion as freezing takes place.
If you plan on freezing a batch of sauce, it’s not recommended to do so if it’s already mixed with the pasta. The thawing process will cause the pasta to break down and become soggy.
Instead, it’s ideal to freeze the Vodka sauce by itself and add freshly cooked pasta after reheating the thawed sauce.
How Long Can You Freeze Vodka Sauce?
Food safety is all about awareness of potential pathogens growing in your food. Freezing food will slow down the progression of harmful bacteria and other microorganisms, but it will not stop it. Even frozen food has an expiration date.
You can freeze vodka sauce for about six months. After this period, the flavor will be negatively affected, and pathogens in the sauce may progress too far to consume it safely. Be sure to add the date to any sauce that you freeze so you’ll know how long it’s been in the freezer.
Can You Freeze Vodka Sauce With Heavy Cream?
If your vodka sauce contains highly perishable ingredients, such as heavy cream, you may wonder if it is safe to freeze it? You may also wonder if added heavy cream changes the length of time for which the sauce can be safely kept frozen.
You can freeze vodka sauce with heavy cream. The sauce will keep for four to six months, just like any other frozen sauce. The only thing you need to worry about is properly cooling and sealing the sauce before attempting to freeze it.
Thawing Frozen Vodka Sauce
To thaw frozen Vodka sauce for consumption, you can place it in a shallow container in the fridge overnight. This will allow the sauce to thaw while keeping it out of the danger zone. Alternatively, you can also thaw the sauce in a shallow pan on low heat if you don’t want to keep it in the fridge overnight.
Once you’ve thawed out any Vodka sauce, it is vital that you use it within two or three days. Reheating food repeatedly can cause a buildup of harmful pathogens, potentially making you sick if you eat it. To avoid this, only thaw as much sauce as you intend to eat in the near future. Following the proper procedure when thawing is also essential to lower the risk of pathogens developing in the sauce.
How Long Can You Keep Vodka Sauce in the Fridge?
If you just want to keep your vodka sauce for a few days, there’s no need to freeze it. Keeping vodka sauce in the fridge below 40 °F (about 5 °C ) will slow the growth of harmful pathogens to the point where it can be kept for a few days.
You can keep vodka sauce in the fridge for three to five days. It’s important to cool off the sauce in a shallow tray or pan in your fridge before transferring it to a sealed container for storage. This will keep the sauce out of the danger zone and ensure it remains safe to eat.
Food safety is a function of temperature over time. Between 40 and 140 °F (between 4 and 60 °C) is known as the danger zone. This temperature range is ideal for bacterial cultures and other pathogens to propagate. For this reason, it’s important to make sure your Vodka sauce stays in this temperature range for as little time as possible.
Another important consideration when keeping Vodka sauce in the fridge is to make sure the sauce is on a lower shelf to avoid spillage or cross-contaminating foods on lower shelves. This is especially true if your sauce contains chicken or other proteins.
In this video, the chef shows you how to make a delicious penne pasta in a Vodka sauce. You can certainly freeze the vodka sauce.
Final Thoughts
Vodka sauce is a delicious way to incorporate earthy flavors into any dish. It can be used on pasta, meats, and a wide variety of other dishes. The convenience of freezing the sauce makes it easy to keep it on hand whenever you need a nice sauce.
Freezing is a great way to preserve sauces in general. Make sure to freeze your Vodka sauce in a properly sealed container. It’s also important to completely thaw the sauce in the fridge before reheating it.
