Sandwich Free Lunchboxes: How to Flash Freeze

In order to have a freezer full of sandwich free lunchbox food, you'll need to know how to flash freeze the food. Flash freezing essentially means you pre-freeze the food so it doesn't stick together when you pack it into one container in the freezer.  

Flash freezing is a common practice of the food industry. Processed food is frozen at cryogenic temperatures in order to quickly freeze the food so ice crystals can't form. That's why if you buy a bag of dimsims, unless they've been defrosted during the transport process, they don't stick together.

Unfortunately, we aren't able to flash freeze at the temperatures that the food industry can, but we can cause the same effect, meaning our food should be easy to pull out of the freezer one at a time and form less ice.

It's easy, but can be a little time consuming because you have to keep moving things to and from the freezer, depending how much you need to flash freeze. However, it's well worth your effort because you won't be fighting against a clump of muffins every time you want to take one from the bag.

When flash freezing, place the food close together, but not touching.

Three Easy Steps to Flash Freezing

1. Ensure your food is completely cool to the touch.  This ensures there is no extra moisture. Extra moisture will cause ice crystals to start forming.
2. Place your food close together on a baking tray, but not touching.  Any moisture in the food will cause it to stick together, so ensure nothing is touching. 
3. Stick the tray in the freezer for 30-60 minutes, or until the food is partially frozen.  I find 30 minutes is enough in my freezer.

That's it!  Transfer the food to an airtight to container, and put in the freezer until needed.  When you need the food next time, you'll be able to remove the portion you need without it sticking to anything else.  It works for almost anything that you might want individual portions of: muffins, sausage rolls, bread rolls, even pieces of bread, if you're so inclined.  I hope this helps you get on your way to sandwich free lunchboxes!